Any recommendations for an eSIM for Italy

[GailS]

I'm curious if anyone has experience and can recommend an eSIM for travel in Italy. My U.S. cell provider is T-Mobile but data speeds, without paying a daily extra fee, are not great. Normally my husband and I use my phone for calls/texts on arrival but also get a local SIM (usually TIM) for my husband's Verizon phone so we have good data speeds when needed. His phone ends up being a wifi hotspot if my data speeds are not good enough.

Before doing my normal buy of a TIM Tourist pre-paid SIM for my husband's phone I thought I'd ask if anyone had a good experience in Italy (this next trip 2 weeks in Venice) with an eSIM provider.

 

[NoSpin]

Gail, if you have a Magenta Plan with T-Mobile they now offer 5GB of high speed data free as part of those packages. They sent out an email about this on June 30th.

This link might work -

https://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/international-roaming-plans?cmpid=MGPO_EM_C_TMOTRVLBNF_POPVB69J7JIL81SSR79986

 

[GailS]

Thanks NoSpin. I have a Magenta (not MAX) plan but I can't find details about what the 11 European countries are in "Text and up to 5GB of high-speed data in 11 countries, then unlimited data at up to 256Kbps". Italy probably is one - maybe I should just wait and see if speeds are adequate before buying anything ahead of time.

 

[joe]

Thanks NoSpin. I have a Magenta (not MAX) plan but I can't find details about what the 11 European countries are in "Text and up to 5GB of high-speed data in 11 countries, then unlimited data at up to 256Kbps". Italy probably is one......

Not so sure - check out the following page :

• MAX and Plus plans give you up to 5GB of high-speed data in more than 210 countries and destinations at no extra charge. Magenta, ONE, and Simple Choice plans give you up to 5GB of high-speed data in 11 European countries* at no extra charge. 
  • *Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, and Greece
• MAX, Plus, Magenta, ONE, and Simple Choice plans give you unlimited texting and data at up to 256kpbs in more than 210 countries and destinations at no extra charge, while voice calls are $0.25/minute. (Look up calling and messaging rates.)

https://www.t-mobile.com/cell-phone-plans/international-roaming-plans?country=Italy

International roaming checklist

Nothing sounds worse than arriving in another country only to find out your phone doesn't work. This international roaming checklist has everything you need to know before traveling abroad.

www.t-mobile.com

 

[GailS]

Ah, so it looks like the same old slow speed in Italy.

 

[DepartmentOfWackyIdeas]

I use Vodafone and have a pay as you go plan that provides unlimited calling and texting, and 50 GB of data for 14 euros a month. In big cities I have 5g service. My US provider (Cricket) supports WiFi calling, so using cellular data sharing, and having two sims in my phone, I'm able to send and receive calls on both my US and Italian numbers, without paying anything extra to my US provider. It works a treat. Here is a link to a video that explains how it all works -

View: https://youtu.be/G-fFdrfuVKY


I'm not sure if video links are allowed here. If not, let me know and I'll remove it.

 

[Pauline]

I'm not sure if video links are allowed here. If not, let me know and I'll remove it.

Videos are allowed!

Thanks for posting and welcome to the forums!

 

[DepartmentOfWackyIdeas]

Videos are allowed!

Thanks for posting and welcome to the forums!

Thanks Pauline - I'm about to leave Italy after a 2 1/2 month trip. I look forward to hearing about other travelers adventures and to planning my next trip.

 

[vicogirl51]

Gail
I use a TIm SIM card that can be purchased at a Tim store. It’s pretty cheap compared to what we pay here in USA for a cell phone plan.
Unlimited talk in Italy, text and Data!!
I had an extra older iPhone I brought with me and popped in the SIM card .
My son and DIL visiting us this fall at our home in Tuscany purchased the TIM cards and popped them in their phones without any issue. I find Tim has better reception than Vodafone .
Hope this helps.

 

[GailS]

Thanks @vicogirl51. I used TIM SIM cards happily for many years but have since switched to T-Mobile Magenta MAX (including switching my husband's Verizon phone to my account which helps with the cost). I've been very happy with the coverage it offers when in Europe. There's nothing quite like being fully connected when you land to text/WhatsApp/call about an apartment before you even collect your checked bags.

 

[vicogirl51]

I never heard of Magenta Max . Will have to check it out . Thanks

 

[Ellesee]

Refreshing this post for same question. I will be landing in Milan and immediately going to Varenna which (as far as I can see) does not have a Tim or local place to buy a SIM. Canadian’s absolutely get hosed in roaming charges ($16/day) so I need another option. I would really like to get an esim service so I can have it all set before I leave home. Lots of random/conflicting info online but I trust my slow-peeps for the best recommendations. What esim have you used successfully in northern Italy?

 

[Maytag]

Hi,
We like to use these two websites to research sim information - you may find one of them helpful.
We purchased an actual sim card which was sent to us before our 2 month trip to Italy this past spring. Did not go the eSIM route.

https://paulinaontheroad.com/best-esim-for-italy/

Best Prepaid eSIM For Italy (2023) | Data Plan Buyer's Guide

A guide to finding the best prepaid eSIM data plans for visiting Italy

thesavvybackpacker.com

Hope it is something useful.

 

[JMichael]

Since the advent of cellphones (remember the days of calling cards from the tabac shops?) we have always had great coverage and price with TIM when traveling in Italy. If you're landing at MXP, you'll be taking the Malpensa Express to Milano Centrale, then connecting to the regional train to Varenna. There's a TIM store at Milano Centrale. It's usually busy, but the staff is helpful. TIM is currently running a tourist offer of 14.99 euro for 50 gigs and 200 minutes for 30 days. I don't think you can get it in advance, but that's a whole lot of data for very little money. TIM Tourist link

 

[wco81]

Airlo is a brand mentioned.

If you Google for eSIM Italy or Europe, you will get a lot of hits but its a lot of bloggers trying to get a referral fee.

Typically the deals aren't as good. You might get 5 or 10 GB for $30.

Not very competitive compared to what you get if you get TIM or Vodafone SIM.

 

[jan]

We have always gotten a SIM in Italy but this Spring it wouldn't work. I had just gotten a new iPhone and didn't realize it was no unlocked until it was paid off in full. So, we used the T Mobil Magenta plan and it worked great. I did not find it slow at all.

 

[LindaG]

I too used to get a sim in Italy but no more. Last spring, 2023, I used my iPhone with T-Mobile Magenta and it was terrific. I used Google Maps often and had no problem with speed. I also used email and videos, again, no problem with speed. Plus you get wifi for free on flights that offer wifi. The whole 3 weeks cost $6. for phone calls. One note, as a courtesy to Italians you might want to exchange texts with, get WhatsApp. While my texts cost me nothing, they would be charged to text me as it was long distance. It's easy to use and I even used it to contact a friend in the US who uses it.

 

[wco81]

I have T-Mobile and that's fine for using the phone while out and about.

But I always get a SIM with lots of data, so that I can hotspot it from my iPad to my iPhone and MacBook Pro sometimes.

Because there are occasions when the hotel wifi is off or too slow.

Italy and other European countries have great mobile networks so often the data speeds are more reliable with 4G and now 5G than Wifi at some accommodations.

 

[Ellesee]

Since the advent of cellphones (remember the days of calling cards from the tabac shops?) we have always had great coverage and price with TIM when traveling in Italy. If you're landing at MXP, you'll be taking the Malpensa Express to Milano Centrale, then connecting to the regional train to Varenna. There's a TIM store at Milano Centrale. It's usually busy, but the staff is helpful. TIM is currently running a tourist offer of 14.99 euro for 50 gigs and 200 minutes for 30 days. I don't think you can get it in advance, but that's a whole lot of data for very little money. TIM Tourist link

Thank you for this link. I purchased the TIM tourist offer online and activated it at the store in the train station in Turin. Works perfectly and the process was simple and staff very helpful.

What did NOT work at all was that e-sim referenced above that I purchased before we left. Installed fine at home but would not connect once in Italy, I tried to trouble shoot with Google search, and with the company’s chat-bot and finally with a real person-chat, but could not get it working. After hours of hoops, I asked and then insisted on a refund which they finally agreed to do (within 30 days -hmm but ok. May need to go the cc chargeback route)

 

[SoCalPappy]

Sorry to read of your adventures with eSIM - I'm just getting started in these forums. We used the Orange eSIM on our recent travels, including Venice/Ravenna, Croatia, and Greece. Orange eSim for Europe has a handful of plans; we used the 12GB/14 day plan for 20 euros per phone. Internet service was very good, and we used WhatsApp for contacting people in our group as well as several of the tour operators we dealt with.