Talk to each other and family back in the USA. Needed the data to talk to use google maps, chrome (train schedules), and WhatsApp to 25 euroįor 2G of data and some few texts and few minutes of calling (that we did not use). I'll write the details here in case it helps anyone out:įor the first 2 phones we used the WIND office in the Milano Central train station. We just returned from Italy (yesterday) and had good luck buying Italian SIM cards for our phones. You'll need to inquire into the technical specs. It is also possible that the one your mother already has works. You can also buy them in Italy for similar prices. Your mother won't care to have a smart phone. Smart phones will also pop up in the search. If you buy such cheap phone in the US you can do so on Amazon or similar website. If you both have a local SIM card, you will both have Italian numbers and calling one another won't cost much at all. The cheapest route for your mother, who probably doesn't care about having a data plan, is to buy a cheap phone that works in Europe, then buy a local SIM card for that phone. Europe uses the GSM standard (some US providers don't) and uses different frequencies, which some old non quad band cheap phones don't have. If it's not a GSM Quad Band phone it may not work. Whether your mother's phone works in Italy or not, depends on the phone. These are two major plans for tourists from Italy's largest providers Vodafone or TIM. If you do the same thing with your smart phone - buy an Italian SIM card - then that might make some sense - you can call each other with your Italian SIM phones.įor your smart phone, assuming it's unlocked, I would go the local SIM Card route. And that's it - you'll never have to enter it again. Unlocking the phone is easy if you have the unlock code: turn off the phone, insert the new SIM card, turn it on.and the first time, you type in the unlock code.
#Going over seas will my at and t phone work in italy code#
If her phone is US T-Mobile or AT&T and has the right frequencies for Europe, she might be able to get it unlocked (get a code from T-Mobile or AT&T) and buy a cheap Italian SIM card when you arrive there. The good news is: AT&T charges you for that only if you use the phone that day.
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If she has AT&T, she can get their roaming plan for $10/day, but that's probably expensive for what she might use it for (call you once in a while - maybe?). If she has T-Mobile and is on a recent plan like Simple Choice or T-Mobile One, she already has a decent international roaming plan: 20 cents a minute calls, to the US or to call anyone in Europe or to call you (whether you have T-Mobile or not). If the phone has the right frequencies to work in Europe? Then it's worth taking to Italy - maybe. If it has 850MHZ and a few higher ones, it most likely will not work in Italy. The key frequency it should have to work in Europe at all is 900MHZ GSM. You can figure out by googling the make/model of phone what its specs are. The phone itself is what determines which radio frequencies it supports. But even though it's a GSM phone, it still may not have the right frequencies to work in Europe, even if you can buy an Italian SIM card for it.
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If her flip phone is from T-Mobile or AT&T (who use GSM like they use in Europe), it MAY work in Europe. One easy rule: if the phone has no SIM card (none to remove if you pull the battery out, etc.), it will not work in Europe. Smart phones tend to be able to to roam on GSM even if they are used with Verizon or Sprint in the US, but those older flip phones generally do not. That's because Verizon and Sprint use a wireless standard called CDMA in the US, and Europe uses something different called GSM. If it is a Verizon or Sprint phone (no SIM card), it won't work at all - guaranteed. I'm sure others will provide even more detailed info on this.įirst of all, her cell phone (a "flip phone") may not work at all in Italy.
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You can use hotel WiFi to do all of your email and other data related activities for no additional cost in most circumstances. Check with both phone service providers to make surety phones you have will work in Europe and if you want see if they offer reduced price roaming plans for Europe that might save you a few dollars depending on how much you will be using the phones. Of course you will get charged roaming charges which can add up. If you will be using your phones for nothing other than a way to find the other when separated, you might not have to do anything. Meaning your Mom (unless she buys the disposable phone in Italy) will have to make a long distance international call to reach you even if you are standing next to each other! Depending on who she has phone service with, that can be very expensive.
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First thing to remember is that if you get a SIM for your phone it becomes an Italian phone with a different phone number for all intents and purposes.