Recommended phone plan so can make calls in Italy

Since you are on this site. Go see RS travel tips>Phones and technology.

Buy a SIM card for of your phones to makes local calls in Europe.

We have Verizon service and just use their international plan. It's seamless.

Other than getting an Italian SIM card to use on an unlocked phone, the least expensive way to call numbers located in Italy is to use Skype or Google Voice over a data connection. Cost is usually only pennies a minute.

If your location permits it, and because you say you are getting a new cell phone plan, T-Mobile or Google Fi offer the easiest path to using phones while traveling internationally. I know calls back to the U.S. are low with both but I'm not sure about what they charge for what would be treated as a call from a U.S. number to an Italian number.

FYI, I just saw this column today which does a decent job of explaining some options: cell service when traveling abroad

If you are changing plans, then consider the T-Mobile Magenta or Magenta Max plan. If you are over 55 y.o. there is an additional discount. They also have a international passport plan of additional $50 for 30:days or $30 for 10 days if you need super 5g high speed data while abroad. Totally unnecessary in my opinion. If you get the Magenta Max you get twice the data speed as the Magenta, and that is all you need. No need to purchase the passport plan on top of that. Make sure you install WhatsApp app on the phones. Italians use it for text or even calls, because text messages are free.
https://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans

Forgot to mention, we are traveling with another couple and want to be able to call them when we’re sightseeing separately. Know WhatsApp only works when you’re hooked uo to the internet.

If you are changing plans, and travel fairly often, then get a plan that has seamless coverage in lots of countries. T-Mobile has some plans, we use Google Fi. We land, turn our phone on and go, costs no more than it does in the states, with some calls at international rates.

If you are changing phones, look for one that has dual SIM capability, likely a hard SIM and then a second E-Sim, this way if you are going to be making lots of calls, you can get an in-country SIM, or one for international calls, but still have your number available. For me, I see no reason to bother with a SIM with my phone plan.

WhatsApp works with either data or WiFi. But there’s no easy fix if both couples don’t have some way to access either data or WiFi.

To communicate to the other couple you can use WhatsApp. Obviously the other couple also need to have WhatsApp installed in their phone. As long as you have cellular signal, you will be connected to the internet via the cell provider (make sure to go to Settings, and have Cellular data on and roaming on in your phone) If you are in a rural area with no signal, or inside a masonry building where the signal doesn’t get through the walls (very common in Europe) then you won’t be able to access internet or even make calls. If you send a WhatsApp text message while you have no signal, the WhatsApp will show a little clock icon ⏰ under the text you sent, which means your message is pending delivery until cell service is restored. Once you reacquire cell service, the message will be sent and instead of the clock icon you will see a check mark ✔️ under the message, which means the text message was successfully delivered to the recipient.

If you are in an area of no signal, your phone will show “no service” on the upper corner. When you have service the phone will show the signal bars, and also the service provider that provides the signal at that location. You won’t see t-mobile, but rather you will see the name of an Italian provider, such as TIM, WindTre, Vodafone, next to the signal bars. That means you have signal and you have also internet access through the cellular, and you can use WhatsApp or your browser or whatever internet based app you wish.

You can also use regular text messages with the other couple. The T-Mobile Magenta plans provide unlimited free text messages in 210 countries including Italy. If the other couple with you has also T-Mobile Magenta, it will be free for them to receive your text messages. However if they don’t have T-Mobile, they may have to pay for the regular text messages they receive or send, depending on the terms of their service provider.

Whether you want to send regular text, WhatsApp texts, or voice calls, you need a signal. If your phone shows “no service” (I.e. no signal) you can’t communicate with any means. If you stay in cities, that happens a lot inside old buildings, which tend to have thick masonry walls, especially in the lower floors. If you need signal, simply go out in the balcony, in the street, on the roof, or at least near a window. Sometimes, while inside my room, to send text messages I had to extend my arm outside the window with the phone in my hand. If you travel in a forest or some rural areas, cell coverage may be spotty and you will have the same problem.

If you don’t have familiarity with WhatsApp install it now at home and ask your traveling partners to do the same. Then start communicating with them beck and forth to become familiar with it before you go. Ask your friends and family at home, who may want to contact you while overseas, to do the same. You will be able to call them via WhatsApp voice calls and pay nothing. T-mobile offers free text messages overseas, but regular voice calls cost $0.25 a minute while abroad.

My sons and I got Vodafone SIM cards. 40€ for 100 gigabytes and 30 days. Just be sure to save the passcode (you need it if your phone reboots) and stash your old SIM card in a safe place!

We used ATT international pass it’s $10 day with a max of $100 for 30 days so easy and had full data capability for calls,online, directions etc we use it every time we leave the USA

Thank you all!