How to Set Up a Prepaid Cell Phone in Italy
More and more travelers are choosing to stay connected with folks back home - as well as people they meet along the way - by purchasing prepaid cell phones in the countries they’re visiting. It’s both cheap and easy to stay in touch this way, but if you don’t know what you’re doing with a prepaid mobile phone it can be frustrating.
When I last visited Italy, I had to have a prepaid cell phone because my US-based phone doesn’t even work outside the US (don’t get me started on how stupid that is). So, I bought a prepaid cell phone in Italy - I actually picked it up en route from the airport to the hotel just a couple hours after I’d arrived! And then, a couple days later, I recorded a video to show others how to set up a prepaid mobile phone in Italy (or elsewhere), including how to insert a SIM card and how to add additional talk time to a phone.
How to set Up a Prepaid Cell Phone in Italy
In addition to the valuable information I’m giving you in that video, I can also say that the hotel I was staying in at the time should probably put a piece of art or something on the wall above the headboard. Too bad I didn’t have a green screen to put up behind me, because then we could have pretended I was recording this video from inside St. Peter’s or something. Oh, well. Maybe next time.
By Jessica | Permalink |
5 comments | July 19th, 2008 | Trackback
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Comments
Is it possible to just purchase a SIM card without having to purchase a phone along with it? (I have a phone that would work in the EU, but no SIM card/phone number).
That’s a great question, Jess, and the answer is - absolutely! The SIM card is a separate purchase from the cell phone, so if all you need is a SIM card you’ll be able to buy just that. You’ll find them in the same shops where you can buy those prepaid phones. It’s like I said in the video - if you didn’t mind constantly getting a new phone number, you could buy a different SIM card in every country you visit & just keep swapping it out in the same phone in order to make sure you’re getting the best calling rates for that country.
How well will a GSM 850 1800 1900 phone work in Italy?
Hi, Dennis - I’m not an expert on GSM phones, so I don’t even know what all those numbers mean! 
My understanding is that the key is whether or not your phone is unlocked. If it is, and if you can swap out the SIM card, then it should work. But there very well may be much more nuance to it than that, so I’d suggest you ask your mobile service provider for more information.
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Another good idea is to use one of the big carriers which offer really low rates all over the EU (I won’t give names) and you can use the same number in the entire EU. I’m lucky to be part of such a network and, trust me, even roaming seems cheap!
No matter what you do, don’t forget your PIN code for the SIM. You won’t want to try to locate your phone card to insert the PUK code (if you punched the PIN wrongly 3 times)