Cell phone set up for student question

When our son did his study abroad, he took his iPhone and just used the ATT international plan that we have. He used wifi most places, so there was not much data used.

When you say the ATT roaming is expensive, are you referring to the International Plan that costs $12 per day when used? That plan also caps at 10 days within your billing period. So, the most it would cost is $120 per billing period. I agree that’s a lot for a 6 month time period, but if your son will have regular access to wifi, it might not be that full amount each month. He can FaceTime with you while using WiFi and not need cellular data. Not sure if this helps. What a wonderful opportunity for your son!

Is his AT&T phone unlocked? If not, he won't be able to put in an eSIM or use a SIM card purchased there. Stop in an AT&T shop or call them to find out the status of his phone before going any farther. While the easiest option, the AT&T international plan cost has gone way up since last I used it, so you'd be looking at $120 per billing cycle (the cap for charges, it's $12/day, no longer a monthly plan available).

If the phone is unlocked or you can get it unlocked for a minimal charge, then you can investigate other options. Google Fi would be my usual recommendation but he will get cut off the data being gone 6 months (it's not long term traveler friendly). Probably a local SIM would be best. Could he ask the study abroad program what students typically use? This cannot be the first time the issue has come up for a student.

If I had a child planning to spend 6 months in Italy, I'd get them an Italian cell phone plan. Iliad.it, windtre.it or Italian Vodafone are all good choices; Iliad includes unlimited international calling.

Lucky guy! Yes I would strongly consider an Italian plan. My friend in spends a few months a year in France and has a very cheap monthly cell and internet plan. Worth looking into.

ATT would be cost prohibitive to use there on a daily basis. But also be aware that many plans, like Google Fi and T-Mobile, with a US based number, will limit service after 60 to 90 days. So some type of solution there makes more sense.

Now, I will go out on a limb here, but based on your description, I assume he has the latest iPhone and a locked subscription, meaning he can not just switch nilly-willy to another provider. However, you might ask ATT about the phones capability for a second SIM, either eSIM or hard chip. If so, then he can keep his ATT plan for you calling him (no charge for you to call or text) and the occasional call home, but then get a second SIM there for calls and Data locally. Sort of the best of both worlds.

Paul, I suspect your interpretation of the "locked" rules is not correct. I suspect that "locked" to ATT means that the phone will not register with any non-ATT carrier. I don't think having two sims, or one sim and one esim, would change that.

I'd love to be wrong here. Has anyone here taken a "locked" phone and sucessfully activated a second sim or esim with a different carrier?

Incidently, I believe that a phone "locked to ATT" would actually work with a MVNO using the ATT towers. So for instance I could buy a used phone locked to Tmobile, and then use it with UltraMobile with a much cheaper plan. My source for this statement is a Reddit post, so I may be wrong about this also.

I think US locked cell phones can't accept another SIM, even for non-US carriers. However, one might be able to get an AT&T phone unlocked. Don't know; I've owned only unlocked phones for years. Certainly it's possible to get non-flagship unlocked phones pretty cheaply. See the Swappa website for deals on unlocked recent model iPhones and Androids.

Given you can buy a base model Android smartphone for about $250 or less (such as the Samsung A range) would you consider that, with a local SIM, if indeed his current phone is locked to carrier?

I suspect that "locked" to ATT means that the phone will not register with any non-ATT carrier.

For a simple single SIM phone, yes, that is the case. That is why I suggested they talk to ATT. It could be that the second SIM spot will accept a Non-ATT SIM. I don't know if that is the case, but in my feeble logic, it would seem odd that the second SIM slot would only be for a second ATT SIM, somewhat redundant, and since you still have ATT, I would be disturbed if it was not allowed. (But then I dumped ATT years ago for similar hassles)

US cell phone carriers fought the dual SIM phones for years, so they may not be helpful.

If ATT says "sorry", then I would suggest buying a decent Android phone cheap (or if you can find a recent model Apple phone that is not an arm and a leg) and just get a SIM card there.

I am positive that buying a cheapish phone plus a local Italian plan, would be cheaper than his own locked phone, and roaming with ATT.

I am positive that buying a cheapish phone plus a local Italian plan,
would be cheaper than his own locked phone, and roaming with ATT.

I sure agree with that. Living there and having a bunch of friends, I'd think he'd be making lots of local calls, and an Italian cellphone account with a local number would be much simpler for him to call friends and local businesses. For calling home, he could set the new "travel" phone to be a hotspot, connect his AT&T phone to it, and call with wifi calling (or just call with the local wifi). Then the friends at home would see his "normal" phone number. So when buying an Italian sim card, it would be good to verify it allows hotspot useage. Not all plans allow hotspot.

Personally, I've been buying used (or open box) phones on ebay for years. Just be sure it is "factory unlocked", from a respected seller.

For calling home, he could set the new "travel" phone to be a hotspot, connect his AT&T phone to it, and call with wifi calling (or just call with the local wifi).

In my experience, most EU SIMs allow one to call the US with no additional cost. If not, your idea is great.

It really depends. Some don't even allow regular phone calls to landlines. It is definitely something to check.