I am coming to Italy with a simple phone and am wondering what Sim card would be the cheapest to buy for my time there and also gives the most minutes for what I pay and doesn't have bad service. I will mostly be using it to call local Italian numbers but sometimes England and the Netherlands. Also where is the best place to buy these sim cards? I am using an old Nokia phone for this trip and not a smartphone-something I won't care if it is lost or damaged. Is there a different cost calling from Rome to another Roman number or is the whole country the same price? I am looking for a card where the whole country is one rate if this is cheapest.
Posted by
Italy
3812 posts
Tim-for-Visitors plan costs 30 € , you'd get an italian phone number, 100 minutes of talking time and 4 giga of data at 4G speed (where available). Unfortunately You'd pay for something you wouldn't use... Vodafone plan for tourists costs the same and is similar: people need data these days to use whatsapp and google maps and to post travel pics on facebook asap.
Sorry I don't know how to help you more. You could buy a 10 € SIM by Wind-Tre with the usual 5 € included in any SIM and top it up when/if you run out of credit. All texts from Wind-Tre (like the one saying: "you're running out of credit"!) would be in Italian and calling abroad could be quite expensive.
The whole country is the same price.
Sim cards can be bought at the shops of the 3 companies I mentioned above. You can top up credit on an existing SIM at most tobacconists, ATMs, some newstands that sell scratch cards and all supermarkets.
You must show your passport to purchase a SIM and they'll make a copy of it.
Posted by
OP
20 posts
Thank you so much for this! I have some wonderful detailed info from Fodors too but had no idea my passport was necessary so this is very good to know and maybe you saved me a trip if I didn't buy directly at the train station when I get in!