Please sign in to post.

Tim for Tourist?

Posted by on

We are spending 5 weeks in Italy this year. Last year we used the Tim Tourist Plan for our 4 week stay.

We will have 2 cell phones. Wondering how we can get the best use out of phones?

We will be using one phone as a primary phone and the other as a back up. This worked well for us last year when our new phone with the Tim card quit after just a few days in Italy. We inserted the Tim Card into the back up phone and used it for the rest of the trip.

We use Tracfone, so we won't have service in Italy.

Will the 2nd phone have any uses in Italy without a Tim sim card?

And, how can we get 5 weeks of service with the Tim tourist plan? If I remember correctly, it was designed for 30 days.

One option may be to set up Tim service upon arrival on one phone, and after one week add the Tim service to the second phone-for 5 weeks of service?

Posted by
11848 posts

You can renew your TIM service after the 30 days. You can buy a voucher when you get your SIM or go into TIM store near the end of your month and have them process the renewal/top off.

Posted by
1658 posts

When you recharge, its another month, but for only €10-15 Euros, not a big expense.
Your phone without a SIM card can still be used with WiFi, including offline google maps. If IPhone, you can set up hot spot so you can use both phones off same SIM, but have to be in close proximity. Not sure if other brands of phones have hot spots or not.
We have Vodafone SIMs. It’s Called Global plan- free chat apps, 500 minutes Italy to Italy, 300 minutes to other countries including US, 18GB for €10 a month.
Easiest place to recharge is at most tabbachi stores. They just need to see your phone # and carrier.

Posted by
3812 posts

You pay 20 € for the "Tim's for Tourists" plan and 10 € for the SIM.
You can't renew the Tourists plan after 30 days, but you can keep that SIM (i.e. that number) and after the first 30 days:

  • buy a Tim plan for locals to be loaded on your SIM. It will be expensive for just one week because of the activation fee.

or

  • enter a tobacco store, top up your SIM and pay as you go for talking time, texts and data. This way the price per MB will be extortionate, but for one week it could work.

or

  • enter a Vodafone store, tell them you are sick of Tim and that you want to be an happy Vodafone customer keeping your beloved italian number. They'll probalby try to sell you the Vodafone plan for tourists and a new sim, but, if you stumble upon a nice guy, he could pretend to believe you and sell a cheap plan for locals fleeing from TIM. Pay in cash.
Posted by
3812 posts

The plans built to "steal" customers and make them change phone company are cheaper.

If you want to keep the same italian number you can either top-up and pay as you go with TIM or look for a loop-hole like changing company.

Posted by
1658 posts

Comes down to plan and who speaks English to help explain and answer questions. Both TIM and Vodafone have stores, as well as available in electronic type stores. Not worth time to shop around.

This topic has been automatically closed due to a period of inactivity.