If you are reading this it means that you are traveling to Italy and are researching cellular service and postpaid sim only plans for your Italy trip. There is a lot of information online. Some good, some bad hence due to this, what the reality is about cellular service in Italy and what your best options are can be confusing. This blog is meant to shed some light on what makes sense. And yes, Cellular Abroad is a commercial website and yes, we do want you to purchase from Cellular Abroad but the facts are that while buying one of our SIM cards makes sense for the majority of travelers, you want to know what makes sense for you personally. So let’s just jump right into this.
Short Trip
Are you going to Italy for a couple of days or maybe just a week? in that case, it probably makes sense to roam with your current cellular provider. Verizon and AT&T offer service for about $12 a day including tax so it may not make sense to buy one of our SIM cards or another stores SIM card for your trip. Having said that, Verizon and AT&T’s data service will be slower and capped at 500mb per day. If you need more than that, then roaming is not for you.
Buying a SIM Card in Italy
Sincerely speaking, this can be a hassle as well as time consuming. While of course sometimes you will find someone who
A) Speaks English
B) Doesn’t rip you off
C) Has what you need
The advantage of buying a SIM locally is that you will save some money. If you are really on a budget and $20-$30s makes a big impact, then by all means – take the time and energy to save some cash.
The disadvantages are plenty. First, besides the convenience of having the SIM in hand and ready to use as soon as you land and having the number to give out before your trip, buying an Italian SIM card from Cellular Abroad has other advantages as well. Our SIM cards, although Italian and with an Italian number, are specifically designed for the English speaking traveler to Italy. The customer service as well as the prompts are in English. In addition, you will not have an easy time finding a competitor’s SIM card with an offer that is as competitive as the Uno Mobile SIM cards we carry.
Buying a SIM Card Before Your Trip
There are a few other companies out there that sell SIM cards for Italy but, as far as we know, they are roaming SIM cards that may work in Italy but they are not Italian SIM cards. Cellular Abroad’s SIM cards for Italy work on the largest network in Italy, Vodafone. Unlike SIM cards that roam, the speeds are not “throttled” meaning, they are not slowed down giving priority to the local subscribers. In today’s world, fast data is everything. If you have ever tried to watch a movie and the film keeps buffering or if you have tried to buy something online and the website freezes, you know what I mean. Cellular Abroad is the only authorized distributor of Uno Mobile, the Italian virtual network operator using Vodafone Italy’s network.
As a recap, if your trip is short and you don’t need much data, it may make sense to roam with your carrier. If you are on a budget and don’t mind getting the SIM card last minute and potentially standing in line, getting the wrong product, not understanding what you got and even getting taken for a ride, then buying a SIM locally is an option – especially if you do a lot of research and see what’s out there. However, if you want a great product and the convenience of having your cellular needs addressed before arriving in Italy, then buying an Italian SIM from Cellular Abroad makes perfect sense.
Click here for additional information or to purchase an Italian SIM card
