Cell Phone in Italy for Study Abroad Semester

1,902 Views | 14 Replies | Last: 4 yr ago by AggieMainland
cypress-ag
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AG
Howdy,

Like to see if anyone can provide some thoughts on handling a cell phone for my daughters study abroad semester this fall? Some folks suggest buying an Italian SIM card, others tell me to use WIFI only and pay for the international plan that can be used as needed. Our plan is with ATT and I can go in and chat with them but I'd like to see if anyone has experience with this.

Gig Em and thanks in Advance
JMac03
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AG
Maybe look at T-Mobile for the semester? I "tested" them out when I went to Europe for a week and a half a 2 falls ago and it worked fantastic. They have an unlimited phone/data plan (not sure if it gets capped at some point). You could get a new number for the fall, or port your number over for awhile and then port back.

Edit - you may need to message them - I am not seeing unlimited international like they used to have, so not sure if it is not a posted plan or if they do not offer it anymore. I know my brother is still on it, but may be grandfathered.
cypress-ag
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AG
Haven't thought about that, figured that there might be an easier option.
Kurt Gowdy
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AG
I'd use the International Day Pass with ATT ($10/day) until your daughter can get an itallian SIM card.

Make sure you ask ATT to unlock her current phone prior to when she leaves. They should be ok with doing this if you tell them why.
schmendeler
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AG
unlock the cell phone, then have her get an Italian SIM. it is much cheaper than paying $10/day to ATT.
ToddyHill
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AG
Our youngest daughter traveled to Europe the past two summers for an extended period. In both instances she opted to go with T Mobile (our carrier is Verizon). I don't know the details, but it was seamless.

Three years ago, one of my other daughters went to Great Britain for four weeks. At the time, we didn't know much about International phone plans so we just paid the $10 per day with Verizon. Weeks later, I got the phone bill and it totaled a little over $15,000. Thankfully, Verizon acknowledged the error on their end (claimed it was due to a software glitch). However, it took about three months and several calls to get the credit.
90 bull
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AG
T mobile or local sim. TIM is the best local option. It is a pain to get it (have to go to local TIM store, show her passport, etc. When I got one in January 2018 in Milan, it was 18 for a 28 day month with 3 gb and 500 mins with unlimited texting. Make sure the phone is unlocked.
Here is a good wiki about it

https://prepaid-data-sim-card.fandom.com/wiki/Italy


wessimo
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AG
Google Fi beats T-Mo overseas. With GFi you get high speed data (LTE) for the same price as you pay in the US. T-Mo throttles data overseas significantly (2G speed I believe). This is a great option if she will be traveling to other countries because there is coverage in 170+ countries.

http://theintrepidfamily.com/google-fi-reviewed/

A local sim would likely be the cheapest option though.
neil99
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AG
I have used Google Fi for several years, and international travel with them is really easy and cheap. It may be the best feature of Google Fi.
sts7049
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AG
fi is great for international travel
AggieOO
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what happened to calling cards and internet cafes? that's how I communicated during study abroad.
gdjudge19
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cypress-ag said:

Howdy,

Like to see if anyone can provide some thoughts on handling a cell phone for my daughters study abroad semester this fall? Some folks suggest buying an Italian SIM card, others tell me to use WIFI only and pay for the international plan that can be used as needed. Our plan is with ATT and I can go in and chat with them but I'd like to see if anyone has experience with this.

Gig Em and thanks in Advance
Howdy!

I did a study abroad in Spain last summer and we had Verizon then. I only used the international data at $10/day three times over the course of the 2 months I was there. Everywhere has wifi, and your daughter will be at either a university with dorms that have Wifi or a hotel with Wifi during the school-sponsored portion of the trip. The only thing you'd want to look out for would be if she goes anywhere by herself, it would be good to possibly have service. Having said that, there is an app called maps.me that lets you download offline maps, and keeps track of your location as well (offline). Definitely recommend checking out the offline options, I don't think getting a foreign SIM card is worth it, but that's just my opinion!
gdjudge19
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The other thing I'd add to this is that we have T-Mobile now, and I used the free data in Israel and Brazil. It was pretty pathetic in both countries; they only give you either 2G or 3G speeds with our plan and charge you $10/day for 4G/LTE speeds. However, in a pinch, it does get the job done.
tamc93
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AG
My son just got back... buy the Italy sim card there. They can stay in touch as needed, but mainly will be on wifi.
FJB, FPA, and FAZ
iloveAP
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AG
Ditto to buying a pay-as-you-go SIM card in country. Top up as necessary, no unexpected phone bills later. Data is typically much less expensive compared to in the US and use Whatsapp if you don't already!
AggieMainland
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I have a "backup" cell phone that I only use for international trips. Works out great because if it ever gets stolen its no big deal since its not my regular iphone. Before my trip, i put in a Google Fi sim card. Very good experience with Google Fi so far. I cancel the service when i get back in the US so its usually for a month only.

There are probably some easier and cheaper ways but that works great for me. I don't worry about anything when i land and it works.
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