So when you buy the SIM, you provide the codice fiscale and passport?

No real advantage to generating a CF ahead of time then, right?

Also, from the Italy SIMs page, you have to choose a particular plan when you activate?

I think for a week trip, I would try to get by without topping off. But it would be nice to top off over the web later to prevent the card from expiring.

yes

well, I think it helps indeed, since you need a CF and you cannot know in advance if the shop dealer will be smart enough to create one (unofficial) for you...

if you say nothing they will activate you the default plan, but of course you can choose it, at least with Wind, 3 and Vodafone, I don't think it's possible with TIM.

it's very hard to do it without an Italian credit card, I suggest you to buy a scratch card and then use it also later when you are out of Italy. In this case Wind is surely good since you can refill for free outside of Italy, having a scratch card of course.

scratch card?

A topup card. You buy it, scratch off the gray stuff, and there's a topup code underneath, which you use to add credit to your phone. They are sold by vendors who do not have a register that prints out a receipt with a code on it. (FWIW, AT&T and T-Mobile, and others, have their own scratch cards in the U.S.)

Things may have improved

I topped up a Wind SIM online with a UK Visa debit card in February

What about the Poste Mobile plans?

The MVNO seems to provide full credit for the cost of the SIM, unless there's some high activation charge?

The Poste Mobile appears to be 16 Euro cents per minute and apparently available at all post offices?

Yes Poste Mobile can be cheaper for activation (15€ with 15€ of credit). Consider that it's not convenient for data, but using it just for voice calls and SMS it's not bad.

When you say it's not convenient, you're referring to it not having special options for data like WIND?

It does seem to charge .0055 Euro cents per KB of data (compared to .003 Euro cents for WIND if not using one of the special data options).


More questions:

1. Read somewhere that it may take 72 hours to activate a SIM?

2. Also read that with lower roaming within EU, the max. for outgoing should be 49 Euro cents and you'd also have to pay incoming up to 24 Euro cents. But the Italian operators page list higher roaming costs within EU?

How would one buy a Wind prepaid card without actually being in Italy? there is nothing on ebay right now.
I am planning on going to greece this summer and it looks like that the new italian wind roaming option is the best bet for my iphone. (if anyone has a better idea for Greece, i am open for suggestions ;-)

However, since i won't travel via Italy, i can't buy a sim card in Italy.

Does anybody know of an Internet site that sells activated wind prepaid cards to non Italians for a reasonable price?

thank you for your help!

yes, with Poste Mobile there are no data options and the per KB rate is higher (almost the double and with 10KB increments).

1. It can happen also with the other operators (Poste is the same as Vodafone). Usually in a couple of hours it's all working, sometimes also faster. But you can be unlucky. BTW I think 48 hours should be the maximum (unless it's on a weekend).

2. Those prices you listed are without VAT. Adding Italian VAT (20%) you get exactly € 0.588 and € 0.288.