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Using Italy TIM for Tourist plan in other EU countries

Posted by (Houston, Texas, USA) on

We will be traveling in Italy for 10 days before taking a cruise that stops at ports in Greece and Turkey and want to make sure that I understand what I'll be able to do with the Tim Tourist SIM card. It appears that I can send and receive messages and make outgoing calls within Italy and outgoing calls from Italy to the countries on the "Enabled Countries List," including the US, Greece, and Turkey. Will I also be able to make outgoing calls from Greece and Turkey while in port? Will I be able to chat, send and receive messages, and use the Internet while in Greece and Turkey as well as in Italy? I have read that there are no roaming charges in EU countries.

Will I need to get a separate SIM card to use the Internet, especially Google maps, on my tablet (Asus ZenPad 8s from Verizon), or can I set up a hotspot on my phone (Galaxy Note 9) and use the data from the phone's SIM card?

Thanks for feedback from those who are familiar with this SIM card and tourist plan.

Posted by
3812 posts

Turkey is not part of the EU. Just like the Mediterranean Sea beyond 12 nautical miles from the coast.

You'll be able to use your phone out of the EU, but you'll pay the extortionate price per minute/per MB. In short you will run out of money and you will block the SIM in a couple of days.

You can never send texts with Tim-for-Tourists, even in Italy: that plan does not include texting.

Posted by
1 posts

Just picked up a tourist sim in Italy at the TIM in Roma termini, there was sign in the shop advertising various deals. The main offer was euro for 40gb LTE data for 1 month. The staff took my phone and added in the network information, typing a few addresses and codes, after which the phone immediately connected. Very easy and straight forward. Would highly recommend.

Posted by
3300 posts

I’ve used TIM Tourist on 3 trips but basically in Italy and bordering countries. The card should work in Greece but since Turkey isn’t in the EU, it would not work there. The messages no with the card is SMS messages. If you text they cost €.20 each to send, free to receive.

Posted by
3812 posts

Texts cost .20 € to Italian numbers, not to all numbers. Otherwise the complimentary credit included in Tim's plan for tourists would not run out so quickly when non EU customers text home.

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