Sim Card Question: flying to Milan with a layover (2-3 hrs) in Zurich. We'll travel in Italy the first week, then return to Switzerland for week #2. I read an online article about buying a Sim Card at the Zurich Airport... but apparently, Sim Cards bought in Switzerland do not work for the rest of the EU? Do I need to buy an individual Sim Card for each country? I'd like to use the layover time in Zurich to get the phones up and running, but what good is that if we can't use the Sim Card in Italy ?
Alternately, is there any benefit to buying a Sim Card prior to leaving the US?
https://www.traveltomtom.net/destinations/europe/switzerland/sim-card-zurich
Posted by
Portland, Oregon
5687 posts
I think you are better off buying a SIM in Italy that allows roaming in Switzerland (some do) whereas Swiss SIM cards may charge extra to roam in Italy.
https://prepaid-data-sim-card.fandom.com/wiki/Italy
If your phone can handle eSIM, you can buy one of those before you leave and activate when you land in Italy.
Posted by
🏝️ Hobe Sound, FL⛱️
3308 posts
I totally agree with Andrew. On many trips to Italy and other European countries, I have always gotten great service with the TIM Tourist SIM card which is valid for a month. TIM offers eSIM but you must get it at a TIM store. Though I’m not familiar with eSIM’s I understand that there are a number of providers for them that you could actually get one before you leave on your trip.
Posted by
118 posts
The answer depends on what you plan to do with your phone. If you don't expect to make many phone calls, but you want to be able to text, use data (browsing the Internet, uploading your photos, etc.), then a virtual SIM card is the easiest option for you.
This assumes that you have a fairly recent smartphone that works with virtual SIMs, however.
We went to Italy in May on the RSE Best of Tuscany tour; I bought a 30-day eSIM (a virtual SIM) using the Airolo app. It's really easy to use, allows you to buy an eSIM that will work all over Europe (27 countries, I think), as well as other packages for other regions as well. Setting it up is fairly straightforward and the app walks you through the steps.
For example, a 30-day eSIM for all of Europe was about $30 I think; if you use all the data, you can buy more data for not much, maybe $7.
DOWNSIDE: This is NOT for making phone calls; this is just for data--texting, browsing the Internet, email, and so on.
If you want to make calls, you can use Skype or the companion app that Airolo also recommends; I forget its name now, but info is available in the Airolo app.
ANOTHER OPTION: If, like us, you have T-Mobile service, you can use your phone overseas without paying anything extra at all. Phone calls are something like 10 cents/minute if I should have to make one.
Posted by
Portland, Oregon
5687 posts
Install the Google Voice app before you leave the US. Then you can use the Google Voice app to make voice calls to US phone numbers, even landlines, for free (using mobile data or WiFi) using your new Google phone number, which can use for texting too. It's possible you can get incoming voice calls with the Google Voice app too (I do with my Dutch Vodafone SIM) but I'm not sure how that might work with a data-only eSIM. Never used one.