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Recommended Pre-paid tariff for Italy?

C

ConnYoungy

Cancelled
Original poster
Aug 14, 2010
535
201
Can anyone recommend a good tariff for using an iPhone in italy?

I don't want to pay hideous roaming charges so I'm just going to get a local simcard, but trying to translate carriers websites is NOT fun aha.

Im looking for mostly data, not fussed about minutes or free texts, and pre-paid because obviously a contract would be silly for just a two week trip.

Maybe someone out there has experience they'd be kind enough to share?
Thanks in advance to anyone that can help!
 
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The 3 carriers that have the iPhone are 3 ita, vodafone italia and Tim I was looking an I think Tim has the best offer. www.Tim.it. I used to have vodafone but I think now Tim is cheaper
 
ConnYoungy said:
but trying to translate carriers websites is NOT fun aha.
Click to expand...

Use Google Chrome, it will automatically translate the websites for you.
I would recommend Vodafone Italy. I'm not sure what the rates are and how it compares to others, but it works very well.
If I can tell correctly, you can get 250MB for 3€ and 1GB for 10€. I'm guessing those are just add-ons though.

Bouna Fortuna!
 
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Thanks! ill have a look at this vodafone one again. The problem with using google to translate the webpages is that it doesn't translate text in images, and loads of carrier sites use lots of graphics and stuff

Could anyone be kind enough to point me to a link where you can actually buy a simcard? pretty please :p

*Also when i try and register on Vodafone's website the first thing it asks for is my mobile number, which obviously i don't have yet
 
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I'm not 100% sure on all this, but Italy has very strict rules on buying a SIM. You'll probably have to buy it in person and you need to have a number similar to a social security number to do so (a Codice Fiscal). Anyone can apply for this number (you don't need to be an Italian resident), but it is quite hard to obtain one through the official channels.
 
Last edited:
ConnYoungy said:
Thanks! ill have a look at this vodafone one again. The problem with using google to translate the webpages is that it doesn't translate text in images, and loads of carrier sites use lots of graphics and stuff

Could anyone be kind enough to point me to a link where you can actually buy a simcard? pretty please :p

*Also when i try and register on Vodafone's website the first thing it asks for is my mobile number, which obviously i don't have yet
Click to expand...

Get a SIM from the airport.
That's what my friend did. They took some info, charged his CC, and his was on his way.
 
Daveoc64 said:
I'm not 100% sure on all this, but Italy has very strict rules on buying a SIM. You'll probably have to buy it in person and you need to have a number similar to a social security number to do so (a Codice Fiscal). Anyone can apply for this number (you don't need to be an Italian resident), but it is quite hard to obtain one through the official channels.

You can get one unofficially using the instructions on this site:

http://italychronicles.com/how-to-create-a-codice-fiscale/

The site also explains the official procedure.
Click to expand...

Don't follow this advice. A fake Codice Fiscale is useless (and illegal).
 
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TIM: TIMXSmartphone - 2€/week for 250MB/week
Vodafone: Mobile Internet - 3€/week for 250MB/week, also VOIP is blocked
Wind: Internet No Stop - 9€/month for 1GB/month, afterwards free navigation with 32k throttling
H3G (3): SuperInternet - 5€/month for 100mb/day.

I would get TIM, as it has unbeatable coverage and at least EDGE-level connectivity everywhere. Vodafone and Wind can get down to GPRS speeds, and 3 is 3G only, and roams on TIM in 2G areas (and you pay a lot for internet in roaming).
 
@gpat thanks! please could you point me to a link where i can buy a microsim on that tariff? Im having a nightmare trying to navigate the site in italian
 
I'm also going to be in Italy in September about 1.5 weeks (Treviso, Venice, Milan) and the TIMxSmartphone plan seems perfect. I'll be coming from Germany, there for 3 weeks. So would the TIMxSmartphone plan work with the iPhone 4? Do they offer microSIM cards or would I have to bring along a SIM c.tter?

Another question for the iPhone 4-wielding Europeans, if I were to use Vodafone in Germany, would I be able to use it in Italy on the Vodafone network or would I have to switch SIMs? If I'm able to use just one SIM in both of those countries that'll be super dope. Thanks, yall...,
 
ConnYoungy said:
@gpat thanks! please could you point me to a link where i can buy a microsim on that tariff? Im having a nightmare trying to navigate the site in italian
Click to expand...

http://www.tim.it/consumer/c365/i3368/ricercaprodotti.do?vism=false&idsm=-1&13389=13390&98311=98313

These are the SIM cards. I don't know if they ship abroad, and you should specify that you only want the TIMxSmartphone option and not the others bundled with the card. They should supply a MicroSIM with no issue, but you can cut the SIM yourself if they say it's not possibile. Maybe your best bet is to buy the SIM once you arrive in Italy, at the airport or in a retail store. You could also buy the iPad MicroSIM, activate the 1GB option with the credit on the card and use it on the iPhone, it should be alright as they use the same access point.

Also the TIMxSmartphone option is free for the first month, so you shouldn't pay anything other than the 10€ of the SIM if you plan to stay for <1 month.
 
Chocolatemilty said:
Another question for the iPhone 4-wielding Europeans, if I were to use Vodafone in Germany, would I be able to use it in Italy on the Vodafone network or would I have to switch SIMs? If I'm able to use just one SIM in both of those countries that'll be super dope. Thanks, yall...,
Click to expand...

You'd have to pay European roaming rates, which are much lower than those of the US, but still quite expensive.

Roaming rates are capped within the EU.
 
wordoflife said:
Use Google Chrome, it will automatically translate the websites for you.
I would recommend Vodafone Italy. I'm not sure what the rates are and how it compares to others, but it works very well.
If I can tell correctly, you can get 250MB for 3€ and 1GB for 10€. I'm guessing those are just add-ons though.

Bouna Fortuna!
Click to expand...


That's amazing! I went to tim.it specifically to have it translated, since I've never seen that feature in Chrome.

SWEET!
 
I'm amazed by how many people there are in this thread with unlocked iPhones! iPhones in Italy cost like $900 or something and of course all US phones are locked.

You people have unlocked iPhone 4s?
 
2ms said:
I'm amazed by how many people there are in this thread with unlocked iPhones! iPhones in Italy cost like $900 or something and of course all US phones are locked.

You people have unlocked iPhone 4s?
Click to expand...

They started selling unlocked iPhones in the United States, but to answer your question, many carriers offer to unlock iPhones that are bought through them.
 
Not to go too off topic, but I thought ATT will not unlock for any cost (and Verizon is CDMA and wouldn't work in Italy).

How much are unlocked iPhones in the US?
 
I don't know about elsewhere, but in the UK iPhones bought directly from Apple aren't locked to a carrier :)
 
I still can't find the TIMxSmartphone option on that link, am i just being stupid?
 
Thanks!
although I finally find somewhere to actually buy one and....cant because i don't have a codice fiscale, how annoying!
 
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