How to Use Your Phone in Italy 2024

Use your US cell phone plan? Rely on Wi-Fi? Get a temporary phone plan for Italy? What’s the right choice for YOU? We’ll eliminate that fear of the unknown by providing you with everything you need to use your phone easily and cheaply during your trip to Italy.
/ @ourbigitalianadventure
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:22 Questions
01:40 1. Using Wi-Fi
02:41 2. Rely on US plan from AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile in Italy?
05:59 3. How does an Italian cell phone plan work?
06:24 4. Won't it be a hassle?
07:54 5. Will the Italian plan cover data, voice, and texts?
09:51 6. How to get an Italian cell phone plan?
11:30 7. Which Italian companies offer plans?
13:32 8. What are SIMs and eSims?
14:49 9. What factors to consider in choosing an Italian cell phone plan?
15:35 10. What's the recommended plan?
16:11 Bonus tip 1: Charging your phone in Italy
17:34 Bonus tip 2: Protecting a lost or stolen phone
18:36 What's next?
Website: ourbigitalianadventure.com
Facebook: / ourbigitalianadventure
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Promised links:
Data usage calculators
www.tescomobile.com/data-calc...
www.att.com/support/pages/dat...
Blog post about online SIM cards
www.traveltomtom.net/destinat...
Apps to make phone screen with lettering
Photos app on phone. Can edit the image and add text.
Canva: www.canva.com/
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[@glbtrtr]

Awesome video! I would like to add that if you are a user of a portable Wi-Fi hotspot, you can purchase the SIM card and insert it into your hotspot. Then you can put your phone on airplane mode and enable Wi-Fi calling. By doing this you will be using the data from your SIM card package. I have done this all over the world, and it works wonders. Anyone in your travel party was access to your hotspot can use it, gust eliminating the need for multiple SIM cards as long as you're typically together.

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

Thanks! And good tip about the hotspot. I had a mention of a hotspot in an earlier draft, but my research led me to believe that if you didn’t own one but had to rent one, it got pretty pricey. Especially given that you can use a phone as a hotspot. Anne and I used to do that. I’d get a SIM and she’d share the connection when we were away from Wi-Fi. It’s not great if both of you want to stream something, but it’s fine for lower data hungry uses.

[@glbtrtr]

@@OurBigItalianAdventure - I purchased a couple hotspots so that my wife and I can both have one. They have been FANTASTIC and work worldwide. Setup is typically extremely easy, even easier than swapping a sim in a phone. I've paid between $20 and $50 for our hotspots. Once you set your phone to do WIFI CALLING (which includes texting) and AIRPLANE mode you now can use your phone just like you're in the US. Yes, you make/receive calls and texts over data WITHOUT getting charged by your mobile phone company. Sometimes we share our connection. But if we're apart she has hers and I have mine. If I'm with a group, I just let everyone connect.

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

That’s a great solution, especially for frequent travelers as you seem to be. The hotspot problem is that it’s expensive for one-time travelers, especially if they follow the advice I see online to rent one. The math doesn’t work.

[@JorgePeirano]

Thanks! it's so nice of you to share this information! :)

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

You’re welcome! I hope it’s useful and you have a great trip.

[@xfactor4205]

Well done. This is very informative! Thank you!

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

Thanks! I’m glad it’s helpful.

[@goodphone156]

Very clear explanation!!

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

Thanks! Coming from a handle like @goodphone156, that’s quite a compliment.

[@ibenglish]

Very informative and some very good information, thank you 👍🏻

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

Thanks! We appreciate it.

[@tanfai3082]

You guys are great 😃, thank you ☺️

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

Thanks! That’s quite the compliment.

[@richardcochran260]

Thanks. I used a sim card from Vodafone (purchased in a store in Barcelona) for a trip to Spain last summer, and it worked great. I had read about buying an online data-only eSim in advance, which sounds very convenient, but the TIM tourist plan you mentioned seems like it's a better deal for my upcoming 22-day trip this summer, and it gives me a local phone number. Now I'm thinking I might get a very short data-only plan in advance, so my phone will have data from the time I first land, and then I can go find a TIM store any time during the first few days to get things set up for the rest of my time in Italy.

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

Interesting idea to do the short term data plan. Sounds like a good approach. Enjoy your trip!

[@22Jeffreyb]

Great tips. We use a portable hot spot. We bought this thru Tim. A one time cost of 50 euro. We purchase a SIM card for 15 euro and has 75 gig. That last for 30 days.

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

It’s a good solution for a frequent traveler, as you must be. I was going to mention mobile hotspots, but for one trip the cost of the hotspot makes the whole thing expensive. Especially if someone rents one. It’s at least as expensive as your €50 and there is nothing to use next time - though I see that solution recommended online. I can’t make the math work.

[@22Jeffreyb]

@@OurBigItalianAdventure agree

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

I always like it when someone agrees with me. It reassures me I’m not steering people wrong.

[@mariodandrea2143]

Thank you!

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

You’re welcome. Enjoy your trip!

[@Giuseppe_G]

I travel to Italy a lot. So let me commend you for an excellent video.

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

Thanks! We appreciate the compliment.

[@samantha1877]

Thanks

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks.

[@IrishAnnie]

I must tell you, I am very apprehensive about letting anyone mess with my SIM card. There are a lot of SIM card scams where someone in a phone store gets your SIM and switches it out. It’s a possibility they can get you 4 digest pin and get access to it. Shopping in a foreign store and letting anyone there switch them out is risky. I think I’ll explore some of your other great tips on foreign phone usage. Thank you both! ❤

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

You’re welcome. I’m glad there were a few tips that were helpful. Enjoy your trip!

[@user-kf8qc7cx4n]

We are going to be in Rome for a week the Paris for a week. We are on Verizon too.

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

Are you sticking with Verizon or thinking of an Italian SIM? The law says that a SIM needs to include data throughout the EU. I think for TIM it’s 15GB.

[@xfactor4205]

Separate topic... I am going to Italy for the first time this summer for my daughters wedding. Do you have any advice on the best way to make payments in Euros? Are U.S. credit cards an acceptable form of payment? Are there better choices available? Any insight on this topic would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

Hi. By far the easiest way to pay for most things is a US credit card. They’re accepted almost everywhere. Exceptions: American Express often not accepted, and you might find a small shop that wants cash. The key thing is to make sure your credit card has no foreign transaction fees. Those fees can add 1-2% to everything you buy. There are lots of cards available without the fees and if you don’t have one you can easily get a no annual fee card with this feature. As far as getting euro bills, the best way is with your US ATM or debit card. You’ll get a much better (like 6-7% better) exchange rate than at your bank, or worse of all at one of the many small places, at the airport or elsewhere, that offer currency exchange. Finally, the last money-saving tip is that Italians don’t tip like Americans. In a restaurant, they tip nothing at all, which is fine, or a small amount, a few euro. If the bill is, say €48, tip €2 or so if you want, but not 20% or €10. The key is that restaurant workers are paid a fair wage without tips, unlike the US where we pay their wages through tips. Your daughter’s wedding! What a perfect reason for a trip. Best wishes to her and to you and enjoy the trip!

[@xfactor4205]

@@OurBigItalianAdventure Thank you! Much appreciated!!!!

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

You’re very welcome.

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

Have a wonderful trip!

[@secretariatgirl4249]

This has been bugging me! Thanks, folks!

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

Thanks!

[@tonyriddle5491]

What do you do for 2 factor Authentication for your bank or whatever back in the US if you have an Italian phone number.

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

Great question we should have probably addressed, though not one with a simple answer. If you’re lucky, your bank will offer an email or an Authenticator option. If not, you may need to use your US line to get the text and incur the cost. (Read below to see how to make that easier.) However, I should mention that Anne will sometimes get texts to her US number without a fee as long as the phone is set as the active line but with the cellular off Strangely, it doesn’t work for me. So maybe it will work for you. I’ll be in Italy next week and I’ll experiment with it a bit more to try to get it to work. It used to be that you could get texts through a Google Voice number, but I don’t think that’s true anymore. Hasn’t worked for me, anyway, and a search indicates it no longer works. To prepare for the switching, ideally both your US SIM and Italy SIM are eSIMs. That way it’s easy to switch back and forth or even have both lines active. What I’d do is set up your US phone on eSIM before you go. That way, even if you need to use a physical SIM in Italy you’ll have the slot open and won’t need to switch cards back and forth and you’ll still have the switch line functionality. I hope this long answer is helpful.

[@tonyriddle5491]

@@OurBigItalianAdventure Unfortunately my "ancient" 4 model years back Galaxy S20 doesn't have eSim capability. I made another post of my plan to use my AT&T prepaid's travel plan that should work.

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

@tonyriddle5491 Old technology does impose some limits, unfortunately, but your solution seems like it’s just as good as an Italian plan, given your needs. Enjoy the trip!

[@samantha1877]

Where are the locations and name of the Italian phone company?

[@federicocatelli8785]

Tim 11.42 "Tim Tourist" Vodafone 12.25 "eSIM Europe" WindTre 13.05 "Tourist Pass Full" Tim,Wind,Vodafone are the major telcos in my country. There are others cheaper like Ho. Mobile , Coop Voce, Sky Mobile, Fastweb Mobile but I don't know if they have any plan for Intl tourists.

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

Thanks for pulling out this info. I wanted to include Iliad since I’ve heard good things from Italian friends, but they don’t seem to have a tourist plan. Probably true for the others you mention.

[@M.C.K.111]

In Italy nobody has locked phone!! We are free to choose the phone company we want, change it every month..

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

Certainly a better system for the user. Our system is rooted in the way cell phones were sold when they first came on the market. Agree to stay with a provider for 2-3 years in return for a lower cost on a phone. But our costs here are outrageous. I pay over $200 a month for 4 people. But it is cheaper to buy an iPhone here. I always buy unlocked.

[@M.C.K.111]

@@OurBigItalianAdventure I pay €5.99 a month for unlimited phone calls in all Europe, 200 texts and 50 GB. My hubby €7.99, 200 texts, unlimited phone calls, 100GB!!

[@tonyriddle5491]

@@OurBigItalianAdventure I have an AT&T prepaid plan for my unlocked phone that costs $300 per year with 16GB data that rolls over any leftover gigs to the next month only. It has an international travel plan that costs $35 for 7 days with 5GB I was thinking of using on my 10 night trip to Italy this September, plus a one night layover in Frankfurt Germany. I would refill it for another 7 days, so $70 is not bad to keep my own number.

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

That sounds like a good approach. Keeping your US number is easier for a shorter trip, as long as you’re comfortable with the costs. It’s really a personal price/value/convenience trade-off. I should look into the AT&T prepaid option. Your plan sounds good. When my daughter was on our plan, we needed essentially unlimited data. But these days I’m sure 16GB would meet my mobile data needs. Thanks for the tip.

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

@M.C.K 111: Yes, our prices are crazy high.

[@namkhatsogyal]

These tips are all wrong in Italy.

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

Hi. Can you let me know which are wrong and why?

[@namkhatsogyal]

​@@OurBigItalianAdventurecheck an Iliad point at most shopping malls. You get 180GB/month unlimited calls and sms. The have cheaper options if you don't need so many GB. You can recharge your sim at any sisal/tobaconist. So simple.

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

Yes, Iliad can be a good choice but they don’t seem to offer a tourist plan. I’ve heard good things about their service from my Italian friends.

[@namkhatsogyal]

@@OurBigItalianAdventure you don't need a tourist plan since you pay by the month. You can suspend recharge for a year and your sim doesn't expire They are an excellent company no bad surprises. Tim is the worse together with Vodafone. They are thieves stay away

[@OurBigItalianAdventure]

Thanks for the info.