baileysmom2

Any ideas as to what cellphone unit/service to use in Italy? We don't have a GSM phone; otherwise, would've "unlocked" it and get a SIM card in Italy. Can one get such a GSM phone in the US without a plan?

cheryllj

Yes - it's very easy to find cheap unlocked GSM phones on ebay.

sheri_lp

I just used my regular T-Mobile service and it worked perfectly well.

vegasrookie

Going to Italy with my husband and two teenagers this month. Saw another thread on cellphones on this site and went with somebody's suggestion and ordered four $19 phones from callineurope.com.

Also bought sim cards from same site. Check out their rates (only pay for the minutes you use), to compare with other sites. I got a little lazy and skipped that part. The good news is that we can use the same phones/sim cards for a future trip to France. Take note, this service even has cheaper rates for outgoing calls in France (incoming calls in France are free!). Am also using the "keep your number" feature so that incoming calls made to my US cell phone are automatically forwarded to the one that I'm bringing to Italy.

I have a GSM treo (PDA phone) that I use here that I could unlock and use with an Italian SIM card, but didn't want to risk using it in Italy because it has way too much confidential info stored on it.

Hope this helps.

J62

I bought an unlocked GSM phone for europe (Moto V190) on ebay for about $20 & used a Telecom Italia Mobil (TIM) SIM card for about the same $.

Valeria_82

You can rent a cell phone for Italy at any international airport either prior to departing or upon arrival or through many other traditional channels such as the yellow pages. Rates generally average $25-$50 per week for the handset rental plus per minute charges for actually placing and receiving calls. There are usually minimum per day or per week usage rates, regardless if you use the service or not.

Alternatively, and this is by far the least expensive alternative, you can use the same service that the Italians use. An Italian wanting a cell phone would neither rent nor roam as per the two prior examples - they would chose a local, Italian cellular solution - and so can you. With this approach, you will be paying local rates which are inexpensive and furthermore, you can receive unlimited, free incoming calls from anywhere in the world, including the US or Canada. Calls are not routed through numerous foreign switches and therefore the possibility of dropped calls is close to nil. Furthermore, the calls are prepaid so you never receive a bill nor do you need to sign a contract or commit to lengthy periods of cellular service. Calls to the US are inexpensive costing only about $0.40 per minute, but, in order to save even further and whenever possible, you may ask people to call you back on your cellular number. That way you can literally speak on the phone for hours and not spend a dime. While the person calling you will be paying for an international call, rates to Italy can be very reasonable - especially if the person calling you chooses the right provider or uses a calling card. In order to take advantage of paying local cellular rates you must obtain a GSM cell phone compatible with the Italian system and you will also need a SIM card for Italy. Many countries, including Italy, use the 900 GSM frequency, so, you will need to obtain this type of GSM phone, and, you must make sure that it is unlocked. GSM phones come from the manufacturer unlocked - it is the carrier that locks them. Therefore, even if you do have an international cell phone from a US or Canadian provider, while it may work in Italy, it won't work with anything other than the provider's SIM card. You can obtain both an Italian SIM card and an unlocked GSM cell phone compatible in Italy, either as a rental or a purchase, from www.cellularabroad.com.

baileysmom2

Thanks so much everyone!

I've checked callineurope, cellularabroad and ebay -- boy, what a huge range in prices!

Since we also travel to Asia, I'm thinking of getting a phone that would work in more countries and not just Europe. These sites are helpful though - thanks again!

kramca

We have a basic family plan with Verizon. We qualified for a free loaner phone for our Italy trip we just came back from. Got it for emergencies mostly.

You might check with your cellphone company to see if they offer something similar. Rates in and out were 1.29/minute, incoming text .50 and outgoing text $ 1 I think. Also took a phone card with 800 access that was 13 cents a minute.

baileysmom2

Thanks Kramca - we're also with Verizon Wireless and they're suggestion is actually what the others have mentioned -- ie, get an unlocked GSM phone and a local SIM card so that you pay local rates and no roaming. We will likely use the phone NOT just for emergencies but as much as we use a cellphone here. We'll be meeting up with another family so we'll definitely be communicating with them, at least by text.

Thanks anyway! At least it's a backup.