Sim (I know, it should be caps, but the site won't allow it.)

All the prepaid SIM cards I've seen in recent years have been "3-in-1" kits that you can break down to the three common sizes (mini, micro, and nano). So you should be fine buying a SIM anywhere (don't rule out Vodafone - I'd go with either them or TIM in Italy).

I'd also worry about whether your phone has the frequencies to actually work in Italy. (Sounds pretty old.) Some US phones may have just the 2G "edge" data frequencies - and if yours does it will work in Italy for what you need but could be very slow and frustrating to use. And of course, it must be unlocked if it was carrier-locked originally to use any SIM in it now.

Two points to consider. I was going to be in Italy for 9 weeks last summer & wanted to get a SIM card. I checked at TIM & Vodaphone and they didn't have a card that would fit my phone - Samsung Galaxy S7. But I had downloaded the app "Offline Maps" and it was wonderful. You have to download the maps of the country when you have WIFI (can download them before you leave). These maps work much better than Google Offline and you don't lose your connection. They also show driving speed which helped me as my brain had a hard time adjusting to kilometers. You could download a map of your home area before you go to see if you like it. Enjoy Italy - I can't wait to go back!

I was going to be in Italy for 9 weeks last summer & wanted to get a SIM card. I checked at TIM & Vodaphone and they didn't have a card that would fit my phone - Samsung Galaxy S7.

That seems hard to believe - one store maybe but not both. Doesn't your phone use a nano SIM? That's not exactly a new thing - Apple has been using nano SIMs for years. Mobile stores would lose a lot of business if their SIM cards would fit only older Android phones or flip phones.

Are you sure they didn't have the 3-in-1 SIM cards that break apart to fit all three sizes including a nano SIM? I've used a number of SIM cards in the last few years (in Europe and elsewhere), and they've all been the 3-in-1 type. That seems to be the standard most manufacturers use now.

If I remember correctly the stores were in Napoli Centrale & Roma Termini. I wish I would have had more info then to press the matter. On the other hand, maybe I was able to immerse myself more in the moment without my phone. Have you used the Offline Maps app? I used public transportation much of the time but had a rental car for 2 weeks & the app worked very well.

I haven't used any offline maps apps other than Google Maps "offline" for driving. Because data is so cheap, it doesn't seem worth the trouble. For example, I just got back from nine nights in Portugal and used my Dutch Vodafone SIM from last year again in Portugal. For a whopping 10 euros, I got 2GB of data that was way more than I needed for nine days, so I could use any app I wanted and not worry about it. (20 euros would have gotten me 6GB.) I even had Sprint so data was free anyway, just limited to 2G and too slow for me. I'm pretty frugal, but it was well worth the 10 euros to have a fast phone and essentially unlimited data and never worry about it.

Is offline maps app a charge ?

No charge for Offline Maps. Once you have app downloaded you add the country maps that you need. Maps are very detailed, it gives your speed, and warns of any traffic problems ahead. I only use Google in the states but really liked this in Italy and France.

Thanks. I did not know about the three-in-one card. That's very helpful.

I dropped by a local Verizon store to see if my smartphone from 2014 was unlocked. I assumed it was. I left with two question: Maybe it was locked, maybe it wasn't. (Their records didn't go back to 2014. It appears that my smartphone is stone-age technology.) And, it might be hard to find a SIM card for it.

After more calls and amusing the reps with my s4 phone, it is unlocked. BTW: it is 4G so my connection will be ok.

Re: Maps. The feature I missed the most about using offline maps (I used many: citymaps2go, google, citymapper, etc) was getting detailed directions. Some apps had decent walking GPS but were not good in transit connections, such as getting you to the right bus stop/metro. This was especially true when we took the wrong train in Paris and found ourselves outside my downloaded map area. Thankfully, we meant someone with online capabilities. Lesson learned for me!

I dropped by a local Verizon store to see if my smartphone from 2014 was unlocked. I assumed it was. I left with two question: Maybe it was locked, maybe it wasn't. (Their records didn't go back to 2014. It appears that my smartphone is stone-age technology.) And, it might be hard to find a SIM card for it.

Right, all modern Verizon phones should be unlocked. (Unlike AT&T etc.) It should be easy to find a SIM card for it - the 3-in-1 I mentioned above should break down into any size you need.

After more calls and amusing the reps with my s4 phone, it is unlocked. BTW: it is 4G so my connection will be ok.

Maybe, maybe not. 4G in the US is not 4G in Europe. They use different frequencies in Europe than we use in the US. I have for example a Verizon (prepaid) Android phone I used in the US for a while - works fine roaming on T-Mobile US as 4GLTE but only 2G in Europe. (I bought another phone for travel.) Totally depends on the model phone you have and its specific hardware specs. Your phone should work, as I said, but there's some chance it will be really slow and 2G only. If it will work as even 3G, you will be a lot better off.

You're right. I do see a little tiny LTE next to the 4G. So, can I assume that it will be 2G in Europe? Am I correct that the speed of my WIFI connection in Europe has nothing to do with the G-speed of my cellular data. WIFI was fine in Paris but I did not use mobile data.

I really hate dealing with a new phone's learning curve before a trip. Also, I love the fact of not being super concern about losing this phone.

"I do see a little tiny LTE next to the 4G. So, can I assume that it will be 2G in Europe?"

No. What Andrew is saying is, different countries and different carriers in the country use different frequencies of 4G LTE, and different phones (and different sub-versions of each phone) are also compatible with different frequencies. If one of the 4G LTE frequencies that your phone has, is one that is supported by the Italian carrier you pick, you could get 4G LTE service. If not, you will get a slower service. You phone will definitely support 2G service in Italy; that's fine for calls and texts, but glacially slow for anything else.

Made-up example to make this clearer: suppose your phone supports 4G LTE bands 2, 3, and 5. Suppose TIM supports bands 2, 4, 7, and 9, and WIND supports bands 1, 7, 9, and 10. If you get a TIM SIM and are in an area served by band 2, you could get 4G LTE service on your phone. If you get a WIND SIM, you can't get 4G LTE service, because their bands and your bands don't match. So, you'll get 3G service - but only if WIND and your phone support the same bands. If they don't work on the same 3G bands, they will definitely work together on 2G - but again, that's hardly ideal.

"Am I correct that the speed of my WIFI connection in Europe has nothing to do with the G-speed of my cellular data."

Correct. Wi-Fi is separate from cellular data.

As Harold says, it's really about the radio frequencies (bands) used in each part of the world. Assume that "4G" and "4GLTE" mean the same thing.

In the US, for example, T-Mobile uses LTE bands 2, 4, and 12. Verizon (I think) uses LTE 2, 4, 5, and 13.

Vodafone Italy uses LTE 3 and 20. Wind uses LTE 7 and 20. TIM uses LTE 3, 7, and 20. (I looked these up on the website Frequencycheck.com .) So, even if your Verizon phone has LTE 2, 4, 5, and 13 and will work great in the US, if it doesn't have LTE 3, 7, or 20, it won't work at all at 4G in Italy. (If it has ONE of those, then it may connect to 4G sometimes, not at others.) But, if it has 3G frequencies, it may work just fine.

I was in Portugal last month, and I have a relatively new Moto E4 Android phone. When we stopped in Madrid for a few hours, I could not get any 4G signals, but in Portugal (using both MEO and Vodafone), I did sometimes get 4G but often not. Indeed, my Moto E4 has only LTE 7 for use in Europe but is used some places in Portugal (as in the US, depends where you are what kind of towers you connect to). On the upside, I really didn't need much speed, and I was almost always connected to 3G/UMTS when not 4G, and that was really very adequate. 2G "edge" on the other hand would have been very slow from past experience.

Thanks, Andrew, for looking up the actual frequencies (I was rushing and didn't have time).

Smarcbie: Since your phone is older, it may be difficult to find out what frequencies it supports. You need to know the EXACT model subtype. For instance, an iPhone 8 sold by AT&T in the US, an iPhone 8 sold by Verizon in the US, and and iPhone 8 sold by Orange in France can all support a different set of 4G frequencies - some will overlap, some will not.

For 2G, it's easier. The US uses 850 and 1900, while Europe uses 900 and 1800. So, as long as your phone supports all four ("quad band"), it will work fine, but only on 2G.

I don't know about 3G frequencies.

Thanks, smarcbie, for asking that question as I also have the s4 mini and will be taking it this fall to Europe. Great info from everyone that will help me too!

Sorry for the delay. I (plus my old smartphone) was away. I appreciate your comments and guidance. It’s been very helpful. I’m glad I discovered my phone issues before landing in Italy.

My model is Verizon LTE (SCH-I435) and it is marked QUALCOMM 4G.

So, my S4 phone might be next-to-useless for cellular data in Europe. Speed is important, the main reason I want cellular over WiFi is for the functionality of map apps. This is my take-away from your information. In order to know for certain if my phone won’t be ‘glazier-slow’, I need to find out the frequencies of my 4G LTE phone, and then match it to a SIM provider in Italy. Is this possible? Can I find out the frequency bands of my phone?

Re: locked and unlocked. I read a few months ago that some service providers are locking their phones again. I asked and Verizon confirmed that their new model iPhones are being locked-again. I suspect the two-year service contract rolled into the purchase of an iPhone is a factor. The rep said it was because of theft. On the other hand, the new Verizon Samsung phones are not locked because they are less desirable.

To the other Samsung Galaxy S4 mini user, has your voicemail app recently stopped working? To hear my voicemail now, I must call. Verizon said that on June 10, vm is no longer being supported on the S4. Just another fun fact. Ugh, a new phone is in my future, but hopefully after my trip. The OS on our S4 is unique and I dread that blasted learning curve, plus the new models are huge. Do they make pockets big enough to fit them? Yes, I know. It’s time to join the modern age.

I googled "verizon SCH-I435" and found some specs. Unfortunately, there are different versions of the S4, and they may not all have the same frequencies. So I can't always tell for sure if the frequencies listed for it are for your specific version or for other versions of the S4. However, I can tell that it almost certainly doesn't have European LTE bands. At best, it would be a 3G phone, but that actually might be acceptable.

If you want a cheap alternative, I can recommend the Moto E4 - I bought the unlocked version about six months ago (a 5" phone) and you can buy it now for $130 from several sources, perhaps a little less. This is a very decent phone for the price. It is not slow - it's very responsive and has a good screen. You can add a 128GB microSD card to it. Decent battery life. The biggest downside of the phone by far tough is the camera, which is not great. It is slow - meaning it's OK to shoot snapshots of landscapes but not candids of your pet or your kids or something - may take 2-3 seconds sometimes just to focus. I use a real camera so this isn't a big deal for me.

There are other newer Moto phones coming out. They usually are a great value compared to many other smart phones. Not sure of the E4 is the best phone for you or not or if you can get a great price on it as newer models come on the market. You would need a Verizon SIM for it, but it would work on any carrier. (Verizon SIM cards aren't like most other SIM cards; you need a SIM specific to your phone model, so you can't just pop in the SIM from your S4.) Because it is fully unlocked, you can use it in Europe with any SIM you buy. The E4 has only LTE band 7 though so it too will be a 3G phone much of the time. I had LTE sometimes in Portugal when I could get band 7 coverage, but 3G was just fine for maps etc. the rest of the time. I won't be looking to buy a better phone for my next trip.

Andrew and Harold, you’ve been great teachers. Is the issue with bands resolved with the newer model smartphones? On another note, I’ve accompanied two recent iPhone buyers and the dealers never mentioned if the phones were locked or unlocked. That's seems to be important information to pass along to buyers.

Andrew, did you buy the Moto E4 as a travel phone? How did you know it was unlocked? I can borrow a recently purchased ‘burner smartphone’ from AT&T. Before figuring out bands, will that type of phone take a foreign SIM’s card or is it automatically locked to/by AT&T?

Is the issue with bands resolved with the newer model smartphones?

I wouldn't call it an "issue." I'd call it a "feature" you're more likely to find in more expensive phones. It costs more to support multiple radio frequencies, so the more expensive phones tend to have better hardware that supports them. But over time, the costs drop in even the cheaper phones which over time support more features that used to be included in the more expensive phones.

And remember, many (most?) phone users never travel travel outside of North America, so they'll never know whether their phones are missing radio frequencies used in Europe or not.

As for my Moto E4 - it is last year's model so still pretty new, and as I said above, it has only one European LTE band. But it worked on all the 3G bands in Portugal and Spain, and it was more than fast enough for my needs. I never wished I had a "faster phone" when using Google Maps, which I used constantly. (Except for when I was using Sprint which slows down data to 2G - but that's another story.)

On another note, I’ve accompanied two recent iPhone buyers and the dealers never mentioned if the phones were locked or unlocked. That's seems to be important information to pass along to buyers.

Phones are only "locked" when subsidized by a manufacturer. If you buy an iPhone from AT&T or Verizon, it may be locked to them. If you buy it from Apple it won't be locked to anyone, because no mobile company is subsidizing the cost, but it will generally cost more than buying it from one of the mobile companies. They lock it because they gave you a discount on it - but of course, they don't want you to go use it on some other carrier! All the mobile companies have different policies about locking their subsidized phones, though Verizon until recently did NOT lock their post-paid phones (they have recently said they will start locking their phones again, not sure if that has begun yet or not). But once you have paid off a phone or completed your contact, they are required to unlock it for you, by request. They have locked their prepaid phones, though sometimes you can unlock those on your own.

Andrew, did you buy the Moto E4 as a travel phone?

No, it's my regular phone. But I have very modest phone needs, and the phone is more than adequate for what I need. As I said above, the biggest downside if the camera. Otherwise, it's a fantastic phone, at least if you don't need to have ten apps open at once.

How did you know it was unlocked?

I bought it from B&H Photo Video, and it was sold as unlocked. See the description here:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1342873-REG/moto_01150nartl_moto_e_16gb_black.html

You have to be careful, because there are different versions of the Moto E4, and some of them ARE or WERE locked. In fact, I have the Verizon prepaid version of the E4 also, but I paid only $40 for it. (And then bought an unlock code for it on eBay.) It's a spare phone, spare battery for the other phone, etc. Verizon has recently cracked down on the easy unlock trick I used, but before that I would have recommended that Verizon version to you - would work just as well as my unlocked version in Europe. You can still buy them on eBay - but if you want the officially, legally unlocked version, buy the one above. The exact model number is "XT1768." If it isn't that, it isn't the officially unlocked version.

(continued below)

I can borrow a recently purchased ‘burner smartphone’ from AT&T. Before figuring out bands, will that type of phone take a foreign SIM’s card or is it automatically locked to/by AT&T?

Well, if it's from AT&T, I guarantee it has a SIM card you can replace with one from Europe. But If it's an AT&T phone, I'd also (almost) guarantee you that it's locked, too, unless fully paid off after a contract or something. I bought a cheap AT&T prepaid Android for $8 last year on Black Friday. It wasn't a great phone - but hey, it was $8!!! It was locked, but I bought an unlock code on eBay for $2 I think (cost varies greatly by make and model of phone - some are not so cheap to unlock). It's currently in use by my parents as a WiFi phone, but it would work for T-Mobile or AT&T in the US (tried it briefly on T-Mobile, to make sure it was really unlocked). I'm not sure it would work in Europe at all, actually. It's a very cheap phone.

Which brings up another point: just because you can insert a SIM card in a phone, just because it is unlocked doesn't mean it has ANY of the frequencies needed to work outside of North America. I think almost all new smart phones would work in Europe today, at least at 2G, but some of these super cheapo phones like I bought, for $8? Maybe not. I wouldn't count on it. Best to find the exact model number and google it to find out what radio frequencies/bands it really supports and go from there.

"On another note, I’ve accompanied two recent iPhone buyers and the dealers never mentioned if the phones were locked or unlocked. That's seems to be important information to pass along to buyers."

Whether it's important to buyers is not the concern of sellers. They want you using their network, not someone else's.

I know that's harsh, but it's true. This is one of those "don't ask don't tell" things. If you ask, most stores will tell you whether the phone is unlocked, and if it's locked, what the policies are about getting it unlocked. If you don't ask, most stores will not say anything on the subject at all. They're very happy to have you use their international roaming plans - whether or not they are best for your needs, they're certainly best for the carrier!

As Andrew said, if you want a guaranteed unlocked phone, the easiest thing is to buy it as such, from the manufacturer or a retailer such as B&H. Be careful: as he says, the same stores that sell unlocked phones will also sell locked ones (even Apple stores sell both). As I said above, you have to verify this for yourself. It's also a good idea to make sure, for yourself, while still within the return period. The easiest way to do this in the US is find a T-Mobile subscriber and an AT&T subscriber, and make sure both of their SIMs work in your phone. If, shortly after turning it on, the phone says "Enter SIM PIN 2" or something similar, and it does not proceed with a boot up, the phone is locked.

The information posted here should be listed in current guidebooks! I wonder how many travelers have been (and still are) unwillingly stuck in the smartphone equivalent of the La Brea Tar Pits--either their phones are locked or have mismatched frequency bands.

I am still debating what my next move is with my continuing phone saga. If the darn thing will work efficiently with online map apps, then I’m good to go. I may ask:

My phone system says, LTE: Bands 4/13 CDMA 1x/EVDO Rev A. 850/1900 MHz (however, one can choose the preferred network mode between CDMA, global or GSM / UMTS). Since neither 4/13 match TIM, will I get 3G or just 2G? Are most phones equipped with 4 bands?

Regarding the other topic, all my flights abroad lately have been jammed-packed. Steerage has been especially delightful. The ratio of USA to international travel must be on an upswing based on the profits being posted by our mega airline industry. It’s hard to comprehend everyone isn’t crossing the pond, however, you’re probably right that most are still domestic.

My phone system says, LTE: Bands 4/13 CDMA 1x/EVDO Rev A. 850/1900 MHz (however, one can choose the preferred network mode between CDMA, global or GSM / UMTS). Since neither 4/13 match TIM, will I get 3G or just 2G? Are most phones equipped with 4 bands?

Well...the old "quad band" conventional wisdom about phones ("If your phone is quad band it will be good to go overseas") doesn't really apply anymore. Most newer phones have more than a dozen bands now. I think my Moto E4 has 14 LTE bands alone plus 2G and 3G bands.

Unfortunately, the specs listed for various phones may not be accurate. It depends on the source. I found for example that one of my Moto E4's (I have two), the Verizon version, worked fine in Europe, yet several websites claim it doesn't have ANY bands that will work in Europe. But it has the same bands as my unlocked Moto E4, apparently. The manufacturer may list only bands for the US on their US page. You may find different websites with conflicting information.

But if the bands you list are accurate, it won't work in Europe AT ALL. You need 900MHZ/1800MHZ to work even at 2G in Europe. When I googled your phone, I found different versions of it and conflicting frequency information. So who really knows? You could take a chance and just try it over there and find it's only 2G. (I would bet against any LTE bands for sure.) Maybe if you're lucky it will have 3G bands and work fine.

Look at it this way: you might want to upgrade your phone fairly soon anyway. Why not now?

Newer phones are generally not locked. The past several iPhones came unlocked, and my Verizon Droid came unlocked, too. Just ask your provider.

Yes, new phones can be locked, Nancy. I've purchased two brand new Android phones in this last year that were locked. (eBay to buy an unlock code can sometimes cure that cheaply!) Totally depends on the type of phone and the provider. As noted above, Verizon hasn't historically locked its LTE phones but announced a few months ago that they will start locking their phones again.

AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile all still lock their subsidized phones as far as I know though after they have been paid off you can ask to have them unlocked for free.