TIM SIM for Visitors has been replaced
 

I've been looking at SIM card deals for an upcoming trip and found that, after years of staying the same, TIM has updated its 30 day offer. They now call it TIM for Tourists. Before, you got 4GB data and 100 minutes calling. Now you get 15 GB data and 200 minutes calling (including the US) Texting can be done using something like WhatsApp. The price has remained the same at 30 euro. https://www.tim.it/offerte/mobile/es...tim-tourist-it

Here's the English version. Personally, I'm not getting a voucher. I figure I'll just pay cash when I get there.
https://www.tim.it/tim-tourist-en

I've never understood the need to buy a voucher. What if you get to the airport or wherever and there's a long line at the TIM store? What if you could get a Vodafone SIM instead more quickly? I would. But if you buy a voucher, you're locked into TIM. It's not clear buying a voucher really saves a ton of time, either.

There is a bigger change IMHO. The new offer includes EU roaming. You "only" get 6GB to use outside of Italy but that's likely more than enough for virtually anybody.

I think the idea of the voucher is for first time visitors to Italy. People who likely don't speak Italian. May not even be 100% sure of what they want. With the voucher system they can sit at home . Figure things out all in English.

I paid 20 Euro in May for this in Trapani:

https://www.tim.it/offerte/mobile/es...l-senza-limiti

They told me I get 30 GB, which I didn't come close to using. And it roamed in Germany at a very fast speed when I had a layover there coming back.

I've never had problems finding someone who spoke enough English to sell and activate the SIM for you.

Problem is that's not a tourist package and they really shouldn't have sold it to you

On a new SIM you pay €25 up front. In addition you commit to keeping the SIM active for 24 months. Even at the lower €9 a month that adds up. If you don't keep the SIM active you agree to pay an additonal €20

I agree, Nick. However, I've read that some folks have trouble getting independent TIM retailers to accept the vouchers. Instead of prepaying, they might want to print off the pages in Italian and English and just take them into the store.

I have always had a good experience with TIM. My Italian is very limited but there has always been an employee at the desk who could get me set up and out the door.

Ya I tend to suggest people print the offer out and bring it with them. It's easier for everybody if you can say I want THIS! -)

Yeah but if you don't leave credit on the SIM, how are they going to deduct anything?

All the Italian carriers no longer offer a pure prepaid product with a finite term. The presumption is that it rolls over every month (they recently changed from 28-day to 30-day month periods) and if there's credit, they will subtract it. But the advice on Prepaid Data Wikia is to tell the shop clerk that you will keep it for 24 months, so that you get the lower activation rate. And then if they try to charge you a higher activation rate later because you didn't leave credit on the SIM to deduct, well how are they going to get it from you?

It's only a problem if you try to maintain the SIM but I stopped trying to do that. I am using it in an iPad, not a phone, so I can't take calls on it anyways so it's not like you are trying to preserve an Italian mobile number.

Now maybe my particular experience won't be replicated in other TIM shops but might as well try. For whatever reason, they're offering a generous promotion of 30 GB this year so might as well try for it.

Back in the day, some hotels in Europe started to get a Skype ID so that was a good way to communicate with them without having to worry about making or receiving international calls. If you go to some Asian countries, WhatsApp and Viber are used widely. So if you have data, you can communicate with them from your phone, without having to deal with international calling rates. With mobile data being cheaper these days, you can only hope they use these VOIP messaging apps. Actually I think TIM even offers like unlimited messaging apps. use.

Then it won't matter which phone number you use.

There was a thread last week. It seems the person on activating a new SIM had the money owed from a previous SIM deducted.

The other thing is TIM in the past has been fined for letting just anybody buy SIMs. They could easily decide to cancel things during your trip. Claiming you shouldn't have bought that package.

Well they do take down your passport number. But that's an Italian law requirement. I've been buying TIM SIMs for years and in the past I've had two different logins at their site.

Maybe the next time I go to a TIM shop, they'll look up my passport number and demand activation money or something, since I never paid more than the initial fee.

Then I'd tell them to get bent and walk over to a Vodafone shop or some other competitor.

It would be interesting if they kept your passport numbers in some database. They definitely make a copy of your passport to report to Italian authorities but I believe this is for anti-terrorism reasons. I think that is why the hotels also copy your passport because if you're using their Wifi, they want to know who used it at a given time. I remember back in 2005, when Wifi wasn't yet common, I went to an Easy Internet cafe in Rome, on Piazza Barberini, which was down the street fro the Intercontinental hotel.

I paid for to use the Internet there and pretty sure they took down my passport.

But if they keep your passport info in a database, I would think that would run afoul of EU privacy laws. Who knows maybe you consent for them to keep the passport info. by buying the SIM. I don't think I signed anything other than a credit card receipt so I don't think you're consenting to have them keep your info.

I’d like to latch on here and ask a question. My husband and I are going to Italy in September and are trying to decipher all of this. We both have iPhones. We do not plan to make any international calls. What we need is enough data for maps if we don’t just go with offline maps, and the ability to WhatsApp each other. Do we really need TIM cards for this? I’m starting to think no. Thank you in advance For letting me tag on here!

You need some kind of data for WhatsApp, can be wifi or if you want mobile data, then you either pay your US carrier to roam or you get a local SIM if your iPhones are unlocked.

Which carrier do you have?

You can make calls on WiFi with WhatsApp, Google Hangouts, etc. You don't need SIM cards for that. Of course, if you and your husband want to WhatsApp each other, both of you must be on WiFi somewhere unless you have a SIM card.

For driving directions and "GPS," you can use apps like Google Maps "offline" without a SIM card. Just pre-load the maps on WiFi. However, you won't be able to use Google Maps "offline" for walking and public transit directions - you need data for that.

Thanks to you both. Carrier is Verizon. So if we have SIM cards we can WhatsApp without WiFi. Hmmm. Bear with me as we are not super tech oriented. When you remove your normal SIM card what happens to your phone, contacts etc.?

and isn’t WhatsApp just for texting, not calling?

If you have recent iPhone, they should be unlocked.

Removing SIMs should not affect your contacts. But if you put in an Italian SiM, your phone numbers won’t be the same —it would be an Italian number.

im not that familiar with WhatsApp, which I believe ties your number to your account. So if you put in an Italian SIM I’m not sure if it links automatically to your account?

With iphones, you can use iMessage and FaceTime, which can be tied to your email addresses. So you just need data from either WiFi or cellular network.

if you anticipate both being out, away from your hotel, then both of you would need SIM cards.

another useful app. In such a situation would be Find Friends. You would each be able to see where each other was by sharing locations.

WhatsApp can be used for voice calls too. (I have not used it either.)

In the old days, your contacts were saved on the SIM card, but I don't think that's true anymore with a smart phone. I'd say 99% chance when you remove the SIM, all of your contacts are still on the phone. Easy easy way to test: turn your phone off, remove the SIM, and turn it on and use it on WiFi without the SIM. Try using WhatsApp that way - and if it works, you'll be fine in Europe, with or without an Italian SIM card.

I mentioned Google Hangouts above. FYI, it's a great app to have for calling US phones, even landlines, for free. Nice to have to call your airline or your bank in case of a problem and you are on hold for a long time, for example, and not have to worry about using minutes (but if you aren't on WiFi, it will use data from the SIM card). You can have more than one app for calling - so it won't hurt to have both Hangouts and WhatsApp. I would install Hangouts first with your Verizon SIM in place, because Google may ask you to verify your phone number (Verizon) the first time you use it, but after that, you can use Hangouts even without a SIM card.

Yeah I was going to say, you should be logged into your iPhones with your iCloud accounts (one for each of you).

With iCloud, it will back up your iPhone if you plug it in and are in Wifi, unless you specifically turn off backups.

So your contacts should be stored there, as well as your past iMessages and your call log, your apps, your photos.

Right - removing the SIM on a modern smart phone shouldn't do anything to the apps, files, or contacts - only to the phone's ability to connect without WiFi (i.e data, calls, texts).

Thank you all! I may have a few more questions within the net day or two....