Prepaid SIM - Italy
Jul 7, 2014, 8:03 am
#121
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: NUE
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Posts: 365
Jul 7, 2014, 10:33 am
#122
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: City of Angels
Programs: DL Kettle| HH Pot
Posts: 525
Just go to a different store. They have ways to work around that.
Jul 19, 2014, 2:35 am
#123
Join Date: Nov 2008
Programs: Diamond - Hilton +Hyatt
Posts: 56
hi guys I need some help, I am travelling about in Europe and from what i have gathered Italy... more specifically vodafone provides the best europe wide roaming rates.. 3eur a day 500mb data etc but no one seems to be selling it online anymore.. Europasim is closed...mobipassport does not sell it anymore.. any idea? I would probably not be going to italy so I need to buy this from where I am...
Aug 26, 2014, 11:06 am
#124
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 26
After the Italy trip I will be in Netherlands and Germany for a week. I know I can also buy a local SIM card there, but this would be a hassle (I don't know German/Dutch, so I would rather not going through the process if I can).
Anyways, I am browsing TIM website (through Google translate) and saw they have this:
http://www.tim.it/estero/tim-in-viaggio-pass
It claims I can have 500MB of data for 10 euro a week, and works in 40 European countries (Germany and Netherlands included). So my question is....
1) Does that mean I can buy the TIM SIM card, deposit €25, (€15 for the monthly plan, then €10 for the travel pack)?
2) Where can I buy this at MXP or Milano Centrale?
3) How do you activate the travel pack? Do you need to login to the website (i.e. navigate through a Italian website) or does the store do it for you?
Anyways, I am browsing TIM website (through Google translate) and saw they have this:
http://www.tim.it/estero/tim-in-viaggio-pass
It claims I can have 500MB of data for 10 euro a week, and works in 40 European countries (Germany and Netherlands included). So my question is....
1) Does that mean I can buy the TIM SIM card, deposit €25, (€15 for the monthly plan, then €10 for the travel pack)?
2) Where can I buy this at MXP or Milano Centrale?
3) How do you activate the travel pack? Do you need to login to the website (i.e. navigate through a Italian website) or does the store do it for you?
Sep 3, 2014, 7:34 pm
#125
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,304
After the Italy trip I will be in Netherlands and Germany for a week. I know I can also buy a local SIM card there, but this would be a hassle (I don't know German/Dutch, so I would rather not going through the process if I can).
Anyways, I am browsing TIM website (through Google translate) and saw they have this:
http://www.tim.it/estero/tim-in-viaggio-pass
It claims I can have 500MB of data for 10 euro a week, and works in 40 European countries (Germany and Netherlands included). So my question is....
1) Does that mean I can buy the TIM SIM card, deposit €25, (€15 for the monthly plan, then €10 for the travel pack)?
2) Where can I buy this at MXP or Milano Centrale?
3) How do you activate the travel pack? Do you need to login to the website (i.e. navigate through a Italian website) or does the store do it for you?
Anyways, I am browsing TIM website (through Google translate) and saw they have this:
http://www.tim.it/estero/tim-in-viaggio-pass
It claims I can have 500MB of data for 10 euro a week, and works in 40 European countries (Germany and Netherlands included). So my question is....
1) Does that mean I can buy the TIM SIM card, deposit €25, (€15 for the monthly plan, then €10 for the travel pack)?
2) Where can I buy this at MXP or Milano Centrale?
3) How do you activate the travel pack? Do you need to login to the website (i.e. navigate through a Italian website) or does the store do it for you?
A TIM shop offered to activate the roaming pass if I wanted to pay the initial charge in-store. My preference was to use existing top-up credit so I chose to do it online.
Do check with the shop to see if they have any better domestic deals. The TIM shop I went about 10 days ago in order to top up offered me a deal which wasn't listed online, I think ~19 EUR for some bucket of talk, text, and unlimited data for a month. Had to stop in to a place which offered top up direct to the number instead of top up pin since my sim was inactive for 12 months.
Sep 17, 2014, 1:35 pm
#126
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: City of Angels
Programs: DL Kettle| HH Pot
Posts: 525
Point of reference for rechargemysim.de
I have a Vodafone SIM and wanted to recharge with 35 euros. I was told the only way to do that was to do two recharges (25 and 10 euros) but that would incur 3.90 euro fee each time. I then found that Vodafone would take recharges of 5, 10, 25, 50 euros (and more). I contacted rechargemysim.de and they said I could use the europasim recharge for 50euro and it would be the same. I did so and it has updated in my account.
I have a Vodafone SIM and wanted to recharge with 35 euros. I was told the only way to do that was to do two recharges (25 and 10 euros) but that would incur 3.90 euro fee each time. I then found that Vodafone would take recharges of 5, 10, 25, 50 euros (and more). I contacted rechargemysim.de and they said I could use the europasim recharge for 50euro and it would be the same. I did so and it has updated in my account.
Sep 28, 2014, 8:28 am
#128
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: City of Angels
Programs: DL Kettle| HH Pot
Posts: 525
All in Italy or will you be traveling to other countries in the EU? If all in Italy, the local carriers have reasonable prices. Last time I was there, I used the Vodafone Smart 200: 200min, 200 text, 1GB data. If your traveling around, the TIM plans look good above, as long as you can get a SIM. Vodafone's smart passport is good as well but costs more.
Mar 12, 2015, 11:19 am
#130
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: ORD
Posts: 14,231
Heading to Italy tonight for a long weekend. I'd been planning on just using hotel wifi at night, but realized that the hotel will probably charge extra for wifi so I might as well get a local SIM and just tether as needed.
I can't find anything on TIM or Vodafone's websites about prepaid SIM only plans for data (and maybe one or two calls). The links referenced earlier in the thread seem to be broken now.
What will it cost to get 1-2GB of data for a Verizon iPhone 5s? LTE would be nice, though I'm not sure if my phone supports European LTE bands.
Thanks for any last minute help!
I can't find anything on TIM or Vodafone's websites about prepaid SIM only plans for data (and maybe one or two calls). The links referenced earlier in the thread seem to be broken now.
What will it cost to get 1-2GB of data for a Verizon iPhone 5s? LTE would be nice, though I'm not sure if my phone supports European LTE bands.
Thanks for any last minute help!
Mar 12, 2015, 12:05 pm
#131
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Bay Area
Programs: DL SM, UA MP.
Posts: 12,729
Pretty sure these are the prepaid bundles for TIM:
http://www.tim.it/internet/offerte-internet-per-tablet
Prices seem better than I recall them being last year, only €10 for 2 GB of data including LTE. LTE is mainly in the big cities.
Not familiar with Vodaphone's offering but generally, TIM is considered to have the best coverage.
Here is an overview of Italy's prepaid data bundles, generally Italy has low prices:
http://prepaid-data-sim-card.wikia.com/wiki/Italy
You will also have to buy a SIM card, which may be another 10-20 Euro with some kind of credit. Looks like according to the Wikia page, 10 Euro with 5 Euro credit included so you'd need to add some credit for the data packs.
Last year, I had to get Internet Large or Internet 4G to get LTE but it looks like they may be running a promo to include LTE on Internet Start, which should be all you need, unless you plan to download a lot tethered.
And yes, Wifi in Italian hotels is bad, especially with registration and limited speeds.
LTE is mostly in the big cities. For instance, I didn't get LTE on the Amalfi Coast but definitely in Rome, around 27/17 near Piazza Navona, IIRC. That was on my iPad mini 2, which supports LTE bands 3 and 7, which are the ones TIM and Vodaphone are using.
Your iPhone 5S may or may not support band 7, depending on which one you got:
Model A1533 (GSM)*: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 13, 17, 19, 20, 25)
Model A1533 (CDMA)*: CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 13, 17, 19, 20, 25)
Model A1453*: CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26)
Model A1457*: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20)
Model A1530*: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); FDD-LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20); TD-LTE (Bands 38, 39, 40)
http://www.apple.com/iphone-5s/specs/
http://www.tim.it/internet/offerte-internet-per-tablet
Prices seem better than I recall them being last year, only €10 for 2 GB of data including LTE. LTE is mainly in the big cities.
Not familiar with Vodaphone's offering but generally, TIM is considered to have the best coverage.
Here is an overview of Italy's prepaid data bundles, generally Italy has low prices:
http://prepaid-data-sim-card.wikia.com/wiki/Italy
You will also have to buy a SIM card, which may be another 10-20 Euro with some kind of credit. Looks like according to the Wikia page, 10 Euro with 5 Euro credit included so you'd need to add some credit for the data packs.
Last year, I had to get Internet Large or Internet 4G to get LTE but it looks like they may be running a promo to include LTE on Internet Start, which should be all you need, unless you plan to download a lot tethered.
And yes, Wifi in Italian hotels is bad, especially with registration and limited speeds.
LTE is mostly in the big cities. For instance, I didn't get LTE on the Amalfi Coast but definitely in Rome, around 27/17 near Piazza Navona, IIRC. That was on my iPad mini 2, which supports LTE bands 3 and 7, which are the ones TIM and Vodaphone are using.
Your iPhone 5S may or may not support band 7, depending on which one you got:
Model A1533 (GSM)*: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 13, 17, 19, 20, 25)
Model A1533 (CDMA)*: CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 13, 17, 19, 20, 25)
Model A1453*: CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26)
Model A1457*: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20)
Model A1530*: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); FDD-LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20); TD-LTE (Bands 38, 39, 40)
http://www.apple.com/iphone-5s/specs/
Mar 12, 2015, 12:30 pm
#133
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Bay Area
Programs: DL SM, UA MP.
Posts: 12,729
I have the 5S as well, unlocked by AT&T.
The iPad mini 2 is better for tethering because of the battery life but obviously not as easy to carry.
For short visits, I haven't been bothering to get local SIMs because of the T-Mobile SIM. However, I've downloaded a lot of stuff on TIM. A few years ago, I went to Sicily just as a season of Game of Thrones was ending S1 or S2. They didn't have HBO Go at the time so I downloaded the torrent, since I didn't have a way to access my Direct TV DVR over the Internet at the time either.
Had to watch the finale for that season, couldn't wait.
But I download dozens of podcast episodes each week and slow hotel Wifi is the bane of my trips. I've spent as much as 30-40 Euro for 2-week trips but it'd be hard to justify for a week or less, unless hotel Wifi was so bad that the only way to stay connected would be to get a large amount of mobile data.
The iPad mini 2 is better for tethering because of the battery life but obviously not as easy to carry.
For short visits, I haven't been bothering to get local SIMs because of the T-Mobile SIM. However, I've downloaded a lot of stuff on TIM. A few years ago, I went to Sicily just as a season of Game of Thrones was ending S1 or S2. They didn't have HBO Go at the time so I downloaded the torrent, since I didn't have a way to access my Direct TV DVR over the Internet at the time either.
Had to watch the finale for that season, couldn't wait.
But I download dozens of podcast episodes each week and slow hotel Wifi is the bane of my trips. I've spent as much as 30-40 Euro for 2-week trips but it'd be hard to justify for a week or less, unless hotel Wifi was so bad that the only way to stay connected would be to get a large amount of mobile data.
Mar 13, 2015, 1:05 pm
#134
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Exactly where I want to be
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Posts: 1,434
I'm heading back to Italy at the end of April for a couple of weeks. When I was there 2 years ago, I bought a TIM SIM and some data time for my iPad Mini. What do I need to do this time around to get data time? May I use the same SIM and just add new time? I am not a smartphone user, so I will use my Mini for any connectivity (and FaceTime) needed. I did like having the faster data speeds last time vs the slug-slow speed of the hotel wifi. Right now, I have ATT at home for my Mini (got it when they had the $100 credit offer). I assume I'll have to write down all the ATT info from the Mini, re-add the TIM info, then re-do when I get home...
Mar 13, 2015, 1:14 pm
#135
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Bay Area
Programs: DL SM, UA MP.
Posts: 12,729
If you still have the TIM SIM card, it may be inactive now (and any credit it had would be gone).
So you might have to buy a new SIM card. They may or may not have a nano SIM but some shops may cut a regular or micro SIM to nano for you.
Then you add one of the plans I linked in my post #131.
If you have a retina iPad mini, you can get LTE speeds on TIM, which you can tether (personal hot spot) to other devices, which might be incentive to get one of the bigger data bundles like Internet Large or Internet 4G.
So you might have to buy a new SIM card. They may or may not have a nano SIM but some shops may cut a regular or micro SIM to nano for you.
Then you add one of the plans I linked in my post #131.
If you have a retina iPad mini, you can get LTE speeds on TIM, which you can tether (personal hot spot) to other devices, which might be incentive to get one of the bigger data bundles like Internet Large or Internet 4G.