Cell Phone Help: EuroBuzz cell phone w/UK # vs Italy SIM w/Italian #
 

Last minute arrangements for a cell phone in Italy have directed me to EuroBuzz. I can purchase a SIM card to make my GSM phone work but it comes with a UK phone number and all of my travels will be in Italy. Is it okay to use a UK number in Italy?

Also, most of my traveling partners have I-phones with USA phone numbers. If I use my GSM phone with a UK number to call them while we are all in Italy will I be charged for calling to the USA? I realize EuroBuzz charges a flat rate for all calls but if I decide on an Italy TIM card (or similar with an Italian phone number will I be charged for making a call to the USA?). So confusing.

Should I go with the flat rate EuroBuzz Sim card with the flat rate? This group will be texting and calling each other to make daily plans.

I'm not sure why you think Eurobuzz is a good deal at .79 a minute.

On TIM, incoming calls to you should be free. You would only be charged outgoing.

You will be charged for making calls to the US with either company. I seem to recall paying .50 a minute last year with Tim for outgoing. I'm sure you can check rates on their website.

TIM seems to be .20 a minute. You pay 10€ for your TIM sim and that includes 5€ of time. I believe there is a .20 connect fee for each call. It seems there was a higher per minute charge the first 24 or 48 hours (.50). You can add more € when you purchase if you think you need more time. You can pop in a TIM store and add more if you run low.

http://www.tim.it/estero/dall-italia/tim-international

Wait till you get to Italy. You can uy an unlocked gsm phone (if your prime interest is voice ommunicaqtion although the price for gsm incluvsive phones that do data are coming down too) for about $20 to $30 on ebay. Make sure it is unlocked (they almost all are) and has gsm bands of 900 and 1800...quad b ands will have both. When you arrive in Italy, your hotel can direct you to the nearest TIM or other carrier store who will set you up in 20 minutes or less. Bring your passport.

For to get reasonable rates within the eu to North America, you need a sim card from a local company within the country you are calling from although there are some reasonably priced international cards (e-kit for example also available if you look on ebay that will give you a US and UK number that has relatively low costs for calls to USA although far from dirt cheap. It does require a bit of research though.

The OP stated they already had the gsm phone and just needs a SIM.

E-kit sims seem to be a lot more expensive.

..missed it...sorry.

Still would go with TIM than any of the international cards.

But thanks for the correction. That's what happens late in the evening. My brain stops functioning.

I took my unlocked IPhone to Italy with me on this trip I am currently on. Walked into a TIM store and they had a sweet deal going on...25 euros gives you 15 euros phone and text time, plus 1 Gigabyte of free data for a month.
I have yet to top it off and have only used 100MB of data and I have been in Italy for 10 days.
I talked to my daughter for 7 minutes to the US today and it cost me 3 euros.
Took me 10 minutes to set it up in the store..