Need Android Sim Card in Europe--first time

For the first time I will be using my phone in Europe. I know I can get a SIM card to replace mine for cheaper usage while in Italy. I just don't know where to get it or how to go about it. Have an LG G3 using Verizon. Will be staying in Campo de Fiore area. I would like a card that gives me data and local calling.

Can anyone give advice please? Thank you.

If you don't get a response, enter the word SIM in SEARCH THIS FORUM and you'll find many past threads, and hopefully an answer.

If you don't get a response, enter the word SIM in SEARCH THIS FORUM and you'll find many past threads, and hopefully an answer.

Agree totally. This is discussed regularly here.

If you don't get a response, enter the word SIM in SEARCH THIS FORUM and you'll find many past threads, and hopefully an answer.

Agree totally. This is discussed regularly here.

I did search prior to posting and did not find what I needed.

You found the post I assume that you could not find. Why don't you just buy a phone over there for your trip that has minutes on it? May work better for you.

If you're arriving by train there's a TIM store at Termini where you can obtain a sim card, or by Campo di Fiori there should be a TIM store at Corso Vittorio Emanuelle II #95.

Prior to your trip I highly recommend you check with your provider that 1) your phone is unlocked and 2) their international usage plans.

If you're arriving by train there's a TIM store at Termini where you can obtain a sim card, or by Campo di Fiori there should be a TIM store at Corso Vittorio Emanuelle II #95.

 

Prior to your trip I highly recommend you check with your provider that 1) your phone is unlocked and 2) their international usage plans.

This. your phone must be unlocked. Since you have Verizon, and I don't know how old your phone is, you have to be sure that your Verizon phone has the correct bands and is GMA, not just CDMA usable. Without all of these in place, you won't be able to use a SIM card from another vendor.

If you phone is "good to travel", the TIM card is a good one to buy. They have a Tourist card that runs about pretty cheap for 30 days of service. I bought one to use in my iPad Mini last year. Any TIM store will know about them and will be happy to help you install and get it running. I bought mine at the TIM store on Via Tritone, near Via del Corso. BIG NOTE: you must have your passport with you to buy or else you have to have some obscure Italian FID number…

The website that show the Tourist card:

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

Yes it's in Italian, but it's fairly easy to figure out.

For the first time I will be using my phone in Europe. I know I can get a SIM card to replace mine for cheaper usage while in Italy. I just don't know where to get it or how to go about it. Have an LG G3 using Verizon. Will be staying in Campo de Fiore area. I would like a card that gives me data and local calling.

 

Can anyone give advice please? Thank you.

I just returned from a Venice-Rome tour and had purchased as Telestial One Rate International Sim card for my phone. I have an LGG2 with Verizon. I ordered the card from Amazon and it cost me $10.00. It had some voice time included in the price. You download their travel app, and preload/pre-pay the data and voice times you want before you leave. I also had to call Verizon and tell them I was traveling abroad and ask them to turn on global roaming for those travel dates. I swapped the sim card on the airplane, selected other than US and the phone worked perfectly. And I wasn't surprised with a whopping cell phone bill when I got home. My spouse purchased the 25gig international data package for his phone. So he couldn't make calls, but he could text and use his apps without much trouble.

Thank you for all the helpful replies. I think my phone is unlocked because I was told (by Verizon) that it will work in Europe. I did not, however, ask about swapping out the sim when I spoke to them. I thought if it 'worked' then I was set but now I am not sure after reading the replies.

After reading the tips here and diligent research, I think the TIM card is the way to go.

Thank you for all the helpful replies. I think my phone is unlocked because I was told (by Verizon) that it will work in Europe. I did not, however, ask about swapping out the sim when I spoke to them. I thought if it 'worked' then I was set but now I am not sure after reading the replies.

 

After reading the tips here and diligent research, I think the TIM card is the way to go.

Being told by Verizon that it will work in Europe just means that you phone has the appropriate bands and has GMA capability. It does NOT mean that your phone is unlocked and you can pop in another carrier's SIM card.. The Verizon guy may have meant that your phone will work in Europe using the Verizon international roaming function. That will give you a huge phone/data bill because you are using Verizon to access another carrier and are subject to Verizon's charges for international usage… Try again and VERIFY that your phone is unlocked, not just usable internationally.

I checked today and there is a TIM store at Corso Vittorio Emanuella 95 which is just outside Campo de Fiori.

On the issue of an unlocked phone I learned the hard way that even if your carrier says its unlocked doesn't mean it's unlocked. (Plus in your case I think there was a miscommunication between usable and unlocked.) So after that trip I took one of my older phones (second generation iPhone that was sitting in a drawer) to a small company in town and had them unlock it. Since then I've had no problems getting a SIM card as I travel. As mentioned in Italy you'll need your passport (the above mentioned location said they'll even take a photocopy).

Barbara

We thought our old iphone was unlocked when we purchased our SIM card from Cellular Abroad. After receiving the card, we found it was not unlocked. We called AT&T to get the phone unlocked since we owned the phone. They unlocked the phone and the SIM card worked when we put it in the phone. I would purchase a SIM card now and make sure the phone works before going to Europe. Nothing worse then getting over there and finding your phone does not work. Also if you purchase a SIM card in Europe, you have to hope that the person speaks English and you have to give them your passport. We did not want to be bothered with this. We had some issues on our first day, and were really glad we had a phone that worked and not have to run around looking for a SIM card to buy.

Read my post on Monday (11/10) about "What we learned on our 2 week trip to Italy"

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