Isn't there someone with cell phone information?
Jul 2nd, 2001, 05:05 AM
#1
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Isn't there someone with cell phone information?
Fodorites...please, I need your help.<BR>I need a cell phone rental for italy for about 10 days. I have phoned auto europe and roberts- both of whom have exorbitant prices for lost or missing phones (which is a concern to me).Their shipping costs are also very high. <BR>Any suggestions on this or on getting one once i get to italy would be greatly appreciated.<BR>I am not renting a car in Italy.
Jul 2nd, 2001, 05:13 AM
#2
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I can't give you specific information about phones in Italy, but I can tell you what I did in Germany. <BR><BR>I bought a very simple phone for about $30. Then the software to go with it for about $25. You don't have to buy a plan for it, it works on pre-paid cards (they came in something like $15, and $25 increments) and you just plug in the numbers according to the directions on the back of the card. <BR><BR>I would be willing to bet that you can do the same thing in Italy. In Germany, there are phone stores every 50 feet in every shopping district. <BR><BR>I hope this helps a little. One small suggestion - if you are staying in a hotel, perhaps you could call, fax or email someone there about your situation and they can tell you if there is someplace nearby to get one. <BR><BR><BR>
Jul 2nd, 2001, 08:48 AM
#3
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You can also buy in Italy a cell phone with a pre-pay SIM. Largest operator is TIM, and they have a website at http://www.tim.it/inglese/index.html. Their pre-pay service is called TIMMY. You can buy a basic phone like Alcatel One just about anywhere for 229,000 lire (US$100), which includes a call credit of 50,000 lire. You can call inside Italy for around 650 lire/min (30cents) and US for 1080 lire/min (47cents). You can recharge from 50,000 lire at a time by buying top-up cards in many stores. Your number and credit remain valid for 12 months without recharging. Other cellphone operators like Wind do similar deals. You can keep the phone and can insert different SIM (chip) cards in other countries, for example in UK where you can get one for about 10 pounds including 5 pounds credit, because the phone is unlocked (hence the higher price).
Jul 2nd, 2001, 11:04 AM
#4
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I'll second the TIM choice. I purchased one several trips ago, and the service is excellent and reasonable. One thing - you can program TIM so that messages (like how much value you have remaining) are in English. Very useful. Have a great trip! Ciao (There are TIM shops in every city, I'm not sure if they sell the TIM phones at FCO or MXP - but you will find dealers everywhere)
Jul 2nd, 2001, 01:44 PM
#5
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Why not just purchase an Ericsson T28 world phone? You can you the phone here AND there! I purchased my phone from VoiceStream and have international service. Works in 160 countries and has never failed me on my numerous trips abroad. Also, the phone allows people from home to call me on my 917 number and calls back home are MUCH cheaper than anything else I've tried. <BR> <BR>Nokia also makes a world phone but at a steeper price. My phone was only $150. Well worth it in my opinion.
Jul 4th, 2001, 09:27 AM
#7
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I'm curious about the coverage in Europe. In anticipation of traveling in France last year my friends added international service to their usual US-based phone (unfortunately I don't know who their carrier was). We were traveling by barge through Burgundy, and they immediately found that they couldn't use their phone. Our hosts told us that wirelesss coverage was pretty inconsistent in this area. Is this still true? Is it true in other non-urban parts of Europe? I've heard all the comments about Italians with phones glued to their ears, but is this still true in the countryside? And finally, if one uses an international service like Micaela suggests, are some better or worse than others? Thanks... <BR> <BR>
Jul 4th, 2001, 11:42 AM
#8
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I am the original poster here. <BR>After some research and alot of advice, I am opting for the AT&T world service and phone(comes with global adaptor and case). <BR>Unlike the Erickson world phone(which has many negative comments about it online and from users) I checked this out. <BR>The price is very reasonable, they send the phone to your home in advance and it has one of the largest world wide coverages. <BR>You will have to check out the 'coverage area" with whomever you are renting the phone from. <BR>I did not want to go the route of phone cards...although they are clearly the most economical way to go..if not the most practical. <BR>I also looked into the additional roming charges for my current phone over in Italy. While this is a popular solution to this problem, the person I spoke to at AT&T suggested I "not go looking for problems" by making that selection. Yes, it was less expensive but she sounded knowledgeable and sincere. <BR>There is a 5 dollar per day late charge very reasonable compared with other rentals) and all can be set-up on the phone with relative ease. <BR>Until I come back honwever, I cannot telll you how well it will work. My friends say it worked well in France for them.
Jul 5th, 2001, 09:25 AM
#9
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In case you're still looking at this posting, I just used the TIM phone rental at the Fiumicino airport - very easy and worked everywhere - except tunnels of course! It made travelling and reaching home (US) very easy. Hanve't received the bill yet, but we consider the rental cost about $4/day, and then the charges per call which someone else already posted. It saved us tons of aggravation and time looking for a public phone that actually worked (many do not).
