3 Best Prepaid SIM Cards In Italy
You may want a flexible and more costly prepaid SIM card in Italy, allowing you to select the phone plan that best suits your needs. Get a local prepaid sim card to avoid exorbitant roaming fees in Italy. The most excellent 4G/5G network in Italy, our advice, and even information regarding international sim cards for Italy are all included in this guide to buying a sim card for Italy.
Which Is the Best Mobile Network In Italy?
There are several different mobile networks in Italytworks, and the market is rather diverse. They provide nearly identical prices, speeds, and coverage. Because of the intense competition, costs are coming down yearly. TIM, Vodafone, and W3 (WINDTRE) are the top 3 mobile service providers in Italy.
In Italy, prepaid SIM cards are the most cost-effective option for mobile communication. To provide you with the most delicate perspective and possibilities, we have selected the leading resellers of each mobile network.
Here Are Three Of The Best SIMS You Can find In Italy:
TIM
The largest operator in the nation remains TIM, which is owned by Telecom Italia. 2G is accessible throughout the whole nation, and 4G/LTE is available in 6,300 towns, reaching 94% of the population and covering 97% of the population. For LTE aggregation in Turin, Milan, Rome, Naples, Palermo, Taormina, and Giardini-Naxos, band 32 on 1500 MHz was introduced.
5G will be developed in collaboration with Vodafone and is now available in select Italian towns. It’s now included on some larger plans with speeds up to 2 GHz. You need a 4G/LTE device for data as they have planned to discontinue 3G.
Purchasing The TIM Sim Card
A TIM SIM card costs €10 at their stores and comes with €5 in credit. They occasionally charge new customers a €3 activation fee to activate a bundle. If you place an online order through their website and have it delivered free to an Italian address, you will be charged €20 and given a credit of €15.
When you check the “Carta Estero” box on TIM’s website, it appears that they now allow international credit cards for online top-ups (choose “Ricarica online”).
Recharging Simcard
In Italy, you may top up by visiting specific tobacconists, supermarkets, newsagents, or pubs. There, the employee behind the counter can either recharge your device using his cash register or sell you a card that has a 16-digit code that you can SMS to 40916 to redeem your top-up.
SIM cards cost €10 with €5 credit included, however many stores charge you extra and insist that you obtain an offer instead (usually voice and data bundles with automatic renewal every 28 days). With these prices, there are no alternative data packages available. You must change to a combination, data, or travel plan in its place. Therefore, when you park your plan while not using it, the base plan is simply a choice for data users.
Base Plans
Their prepaid base plans (TIM calls them “Piani Base“) are one of the following:
- TIM Base e Chat monthly costs are €2, with the first month following activation being free. This basic plan allows you to use chat applications without using the allotment in the data plan or add-on as long as you have another plan with data or a data add-on enabled on top. On every new SIM card, this basic plan is enabled by default.
- TIM Base New and TIM Semplice aTIM Base New has a connection charge, TIM Semplice does not, regarding
- their base plans’ absence of a base rate and somewhat higher domestic call and text costs.
Their Combo Packs:
| Plan | Max speed | Top Up data | Auto Paydata | Price | Extras |
| TIM Young | 5G | 50GB | 20GB | 11.99EUR | TIM music Free chat |
| TIM executiveMobile | 4G | 50GB | 25GB | 14.99EUR | Tim Music |
| TIM MagnificaMoblie | 5G | 100GB | 50GB | 19.99EUR | Tim MusicMulti SIM |
| TIM 60+ | 4G | 6GB | 4GB | 12.99EUR | Free Chat |
Data-only SIM
A new data SIM may be activated for €5, and a minimum top-up of €25 leaves you with €20 in account credit. Although you can do it online, going into a TIM store is preferable. Every bundle is on 4G/LTE with a monthly cap of 700 Mbit/s
TIM international – for foreigners, only
Only people who were born outside of Italy were eligible for the TIM international range of plans. You’ll need to provide evidence that you weren’t born in Italy. Despite the fact that the website specifies that you need to have a codice fiscale confirming a foreign birth, in many instances, any official document that demonstrates your place of birth, such as a foreign passport or ID card, will be acceptable.
Tourist SIM
For visitors For €20 (+ around €10 for the SIM, including credit of €1), TIM has launched a SIM card called Tim Tourist that offers 200 minutes of talk time, 15 GB of data up to 4G/LTE in Italy, and up to 14 GB throughout the EU for a month.
Data is up to 4G and will be throttled to 32 Kbps after exceeding the limit. Calls are domestic and international to 65 countries. No extensions or upsizing are possible.
Some stores might not want to sell you this deal since they don’t profit from it. Be firm but courteous. You can let them phone Head Office or show them a printout of the offer. Many users experienced issues with receiving.
Roaming offers
All prepaid plans from TIM now include Roam like at Home with roaming limitations. Instead of deducting it from your domestic bundle, they nevertheless provide these add-on products on top of your allotment.
W3 (WINDTRE) – merged from Wind and 3 networks
2017 saw the launch of WindTre. 26 million mobile users are served by this recently combined business. Hutchison, the previous owner of Tre, acquired Veon’s remaining shares in the business in 2018. (former owner of Wind). Both brands were first offered individually.
In the meanwhile, the newly integrated network fared well in tests, and it now appears to be competitive with TIM and Vodafone. The 4G coverage of Umlaut and OpenSignal W3 is comparable to that of the other two networks, and their average download rates, at 28.6 Mbit/s, are somewhat greater.
The two brands have now commercially blended with the introduction of the new brand and emblem W3, which is known as WindTre.
Wind
Prior to its merger with Tre in 2017, Wind has the third-largest market share among Italian networks. The previous Wind offers have all been canceled, however, Wind customers are grandfathered, so they may continue with their current plans or switch to new WindTre offerings.
3 (Tre)
Prior to its merger with Wind in 2017, 3 (pronounced “Tre”) was Italy’s fourth-smallest network by market share. Prior to the Wind merger, only 3G and 4G were available, but now 2G is also available, and the previous 2G roaming on TIM has been eliminated. All previous WindTre offerings have been withdrawn, although current Tre customers are grandfathered and may continue with their current Tre plans or switch to new WindTre deals.
Purchasing the SIM card
It costs €10 to activate a SIM card in a WindTre store, plus €6.99 to activate a plan.
All over Italy, tobacco shops sell top-up cards for €5, €10, €15, etc., but some retailers, including some newsstands, offer point-of-sale top-ups in place of physical cards (for instance, you ask for ricarica WIND per piacere, choose the amount, and provide the number of the phone you want topped up). PayPal is still an option even if W3 doesn’t accept the majority of foreign credit and debit cards for online top-ups. As part of an online grocery purchase, the Supermarket Esselunga sells La Ricarica WINDTRE for €5, €10, €15, €20, and €30 as “carte virtuale”; you must have an Italian address. Without a refill.
Base Plans
There are two base plans offered by WindTre that take effect if no additional plan is activated:
- Easy: data at €0.24 per MB
- New Basic (default option): 1 GB for €0.99 per calendar day
Combo Plan
You may switch to their combination plans instead, which feature automatic renewal every month on the same day, unlimited talk and text, and up to 5G data:
| Tariff | Top Up data | Auto Paydata | Price | Remarks |
| De Più Lite 5G | 25GB | 50GB | 12.99EUR | |
| De Più Unlimted 5G | _ | unlimited | 29.99EUR | 50 min abroad |
| Young 5G | 40GB | 80GB | 11.99EUR | only for under 30 y/o |
| Young+5G | 80GB | 150GB | 14.99EUR | only for under 30 y/o |
Note: Only Italian credit cards or local bank accounts can be used to link an auto-pay account. The activation cost is waived for online orders delivered to stores or Italian postal addresses. Bring your ID with you when asked. If not, there is a €6.99 activation cost.
Data Feature Packages
All prepaid SIM cards, even base plans with no allowances, can also be upgraded with these data packages. The add-on data packages, which are good for one month, may be enabled online on your account or through an app.
Data-only SIM
Online activation or free texting a code to 4033 are also available. Once provided volume is reached, each extra GB costs €0.99 after that. Internet cards are one-time purchases; Cube plans auto-renew after one month. Before renewing, text “INTERNET NO” to 4032 to stop. Text “DATI” to 4155 to check your data balance.
Tourist SIMs
A SIM card by WindTre was also made available for tourists
Tourist Pass for Italy is €24.99 and includes 20 GB of data good for 30 days, 100 domestic voice minutes, and 100 minutes to 40 other countries. Now, roaming in the EU, EEA, and the UK is covered up to 9.9 GB.
This deal is only available to visitors. It costs €24.99 to activate for new customers (€14.99 for the deal and €10 for the SIM). After 30 days, the deal will automatically expire and cannot be reissued on the same SIM.
SIMs for Foreigners Only
WindTre has introduced Call your Country deals for non-Italian people who are simply traveling with a passport or other form of identification from outside.
SIMs for Foreigners Only
WindTre has introduced Call your Country deals for non-Italian people who are simply traveling with a passport or other form of identification from outside.
Vodafone
It is the second network in Italy, and testing shows that it outperforms TIM in terms of 4G/5G speeds and coverage. The majority of their prepaid plans feature 4G/LTE, which is available to 98% of the population.
5G service has been accessible on various prepaid plans without a cost since it began in a few Italian towns. In the upcoming years, it will be put into use in conjunction with TIM. Vodafone’s 3G network has been turned off. For data, you now need a 4G/LTE or 5G smartphone.
Purchasing Their SIM Card
They provide a SIM card for €10 with €5 preloaded, but practically all retailers require you to purchase a bundle plan. As a result, you must pay more to get a SIM card that comes with a bundle. They sell SIM cards in-store or online for delivery to an Italian postal address.
With vouchers or, in rare circumstances, directly with the number, Vodafone may be topped up locally with amounts ranging from 5 to 100 euros. Vouchers may be redeemed via My Vodafone or by texting the 16-digit code to 42010. Even though it states in the terms and conditions that only Italian cards would function, it appears to be able to top it up online on a third-party website using an international Mastercard or VISA without incurring a fee. The desktop version of the browser must be selected on mobile devices. On the other hand, their own online top-up site only takes Italian credit cards and PayPal; all other methods fail with an error message.
Dial 414 to check credit (standard voice charges apply; bundles are excluded), or use the My Vodafone app.
Base Plans
Vodafone provides two fairly pricey basic plans without a monthly base rate:
The cost of Tutto Facile Basic is €4 per day for up to 500 MB.
Vodafone 25: On both plans, a daily rate of 5 GB costs €6, and an additional 100 MB costs €2. Unincluded and additional, 4G/LTE costs €1.90. Because of this, their other plans can provide a better value. Plans can be changed using an app or your online account.
SIM For Foreigners And Tourists
When immigrants without Italian citizenship provide an ID card from overseas, Vodafone gives them a special plan. The package is called Call Global Power and costs €11.99 per month plus a €3 activation fee. It includes 300 minutes from Italy to approximately 50 countries, 500 domestic minutes, and 50 GB of data (or 70 GB if you can link it to a credit card or bank account). Roaming in the EU is limited to 7.86 GB. It includes 300 minutes of VoIP calling to the EU/EEA, Argentina, Bangladesh, Canada, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Switzerland, UK, the USA, and landline numbers in Australia, Brazil, Israel, and Morocco, as well as the Vodafone Pass Web Voce with zero-rated chat and messenger apps (see above)as a travel strategy
Even for the tourist offer, it is important to note that the terms for both of these offers state that a “foreign tax ID” is technically necessary.
Data-only SIM
They provide these standard monthly 4G/LTE prepaid data packages for modems and tablets. For new SIM cards, the activation price is €10; for existing SIMs, the fee is €19 when changing plans.
Make sure to get a SIM card that is either prepaid (= ricaricabile) or on a contract (= abbonamento). Data for the night is valid from 00:00 to 08:00.
Roaming Offers
All of Vodafone’s plans now include domestic roaming at a discounted rate. There is a FUP of 5.5 GB per €10 package price that is applied to all EU/EEA roaming, including the UK.
With the Travel Europa option, they provide 5 GB with unlimited usage across the EU (apart from Italy) for €2,99 per week with no activation cost. It does not regenerate itself. If required, call customer support to terminate any domestic plans as soon as they reach their FUP (SMS notification). Otherwise, the domestic plan can be chosen instead, depleting the balance.
Frequencies And Coverage
- 2G: up to EDGE is on 900, 1800 MHz spectrum is being reused for LTE
- 3G: up to DC-HSPA+ is on 900 (Band 8) and 2100 MHz (Band 1), shut off by TIM and Vodafone . WindTre provides the sole 3G service that is still available.
- 4G/LTE: 800 MHz (band 20), 1800 MHz (band 3), and 2600 MHz (band 7).Additionally, TIM is testing TD-LTE on 2600 MHz while testing the unique 1500 MHz (band 32) in urban areas (band 38). In major cities, Vodafone has begun to roll out LTE on 2100 MHz (band 1).
- 5G: in a few towns on 3500 MHz (n78) on the main networks. There will be two physical networks for 5G, one created by TIM and Vodafone and the other by FastWeb, WindTre, and
TIM and Vodafone used to have the best coverage. This has changed in 2020 when the newly consolidated network WindTre was unveiled and seems to be now on par with the other carriers what coverage and speeds are concerned. Vodafone has the widest 4G/LTE availability at a high 96%, while WindTre has the highest speeds at 10.5 Mbit/s.
Buying a Prepaid SIM Card in Italy
Airports
In Italy, there are several locations where you can readily get a sim card, including airports, cell phone stores, and online only for multinational companies, but not the small, local providers.
Most visitors are enticed to buy a sim card at the airport quickly.
Despite how alluring it may seem, some sim cards will cost you significantly more at airports. For instance, Milan and Venice airports are infamous for having higher prices. Prices at the Rome Airport are a little more inexpensive. On the plus side, buying a sim card at an airport may put you in contact with salespeople who speak better English. Generally speaking, Italians have some difficulty speaking English.
At a Store
The good news is that many cell phone retailers are available in most major cities and tourist hotspots. Thus, you may easily purchase the SIM card of your choice at the nearest phone store.
Online
One approach to assure that you won’t have to deal with administrative tasks while on vacation and that you can start immediately, so to speak, is to buy a sim card online. Additionally, doing things this way gives you lots of time to carefully consider your options and make the best decision. Don’t forget to place your order before leaving so it may be delivered on time. You may purchase the sim card on the official websites of TIM, W3 (WINDTRE), and Vodafone.
How to activate your sim card in Italy?
Your phone must be “unlocked” to activate an Italian SIM card. This implies that a phone may occasionally be locked by the US or international phone company so that it can only be used with that service. You must first visit them to ensure that they unlock it for you. Your phone should be turned on when you insert the new SIM. Use the activation key with your new SIM card; that key Will be included in the package. To online activate the SIM card, use this key. After a little wait, It should soon be active.
Conclusion
Compared to SIM cards and agreements obtained straight from network providers, prepaid SIM cards from resellers are more cost-effective. Because of its coverage, greater internet access, unlimited texting and calling, and simplicity of use. Whichever of the three services best suits your needs should be purchased. All three have various offerings.