My SIM in Italy
 

I currently have WIND SIM. I have a few questions... :)

1. I bought it in February (in Forlì with no need for the Codice Fiscale), and I'm back in about a week. I assume it hasn't yet expired?
2. Where could I buy a topup in Ancona Airport? A convenience store?
3. When leaving Italy in February, I didn't disactivate my plan (10GB Internet). Do I have to do this when I land so I don't get billed for it when I top up?
4. I'm thinking of the All Inclusive Ricaricabile plan. I've read online that tethering is possible with this plan. Anyone able to confirm?
5. If I activate the plan on October 27, will it be valid until November 27?

Thank you for all your help!

Jan

Let's go with the answers:
1) yes, Wind sim-cards are valid for 12 months. You can also try to use it in Canada and it should roam. Check *123# for your credit.
2) At any Tabacchi or newsstand
3) This could be a problem... your credit is surely now at 0 euros and if you refill you could be charged for all the unused data traffic of these months... My suggestion: buy a new card.
4) Any data option with Wind can be used for thethering, no problems.
5) Options are valid 30 days and recur automatically. You can also deactivate it after a couple of days and it will still be usable for the whole 30 days. Remember to do that, so you do not need to buy a new one the next time.

Thank you Effendi.

I did check my credit which is indeed at 0 EUR.

What I think I'll do is that I'll simply enter the country, check if the plans were cancelled, do the text messages, and then reload the card. I'd prefer to keep the same number, plus I don't really have the time to go and buy a new card (plus the additional cost!).

Beware that you could end up paying all the rates for internet since February! Which means 20€ per 8 months (160€!). Or maybe, if you are lucky, just one monthly rate (20€). A new card costs 10€ including 5€ of credit. Better to buy a new card, believe me.

I wouldn't believe it. Wouldn't the plan cancel automatically when there was no credit in my account? That's what Vodafone Germany does. Plus I couldn't have used the plan for those six months, right?!

You always have to deactivate the option.
It depends on how much credit you had at the moment of the renewal of the option: if you had, for example, 10 euros, you would loose those 10 euros plus other 10 euros at the moment you refill. If you had 5, 5+15 and so on. If you had 30, you would loose 20 at the first renewal plus other 10 at the second renewal and other 10 once you refill. And so on.
It works this way in Italy... :(
Go and buy a new card, so you know how much you will pay.

Thanks for your help Effendi...

Crazy Italians, I guess!! ;) :p

Wait a second!!! I used up all credit on the SIM because when I was flying home I data roamed in Munich - until the card stopped working... So perhaps there wouldn't be any problem! Care to confirm?

Honestly I don't know... I searched on internet and I read that Wind can only take you 1 month maximum. But if your credit was already at zero when the option should have been renewed it could be possible that you'll end up paying nothing...
Good luck! :D

Thank you!
Could you please point me to where you read this? I don't speak Italian but Google Translate could do the work for me...

PS - Trieste is such a beautiful city, you are privileged to live there! That's actually the last place I was with the WIND SIM! :)

Here is the link:
Meccanismo del rinnovo delle opzioni in caso di mancato credito residuo nelle sim prepagate | Mondo Mobile Web, il pianeta della telefonia | Risparmio | Offerte | Promozioni

I'm from Genova but recently moved to Trieste. Both are nice cities by the sea, a bit sleepy, but nice places! ;) If you pass here again let me know.

So in the end I decided not to risk 20 EUR. I am now just using the Vodafone SIM you can buy at EuropaSim and I'm very happy with it. 2€ per day for fast Internet. And I don't know why, but tethering DOES work!! Tomorrow I'm going to Innsbruck (in Perugia now [chocolate festival is on!]) so I'll find out if the roaming option on their website works as advertised (2€ = 100MB).

hi
super please inform back:cool:

Chr

Hey!

Yes indeed it works!!

I can even log in to My190 and see the plans they have activated for the Internet. I can see my usage etc.

Interesting is the way of debiting the credit, though. They take away 1 EUR, and then later in the day another 1 EUR.

I also read on the My190 site that there is some option activated that you cannot pay for more than 60€ of web data. Not sure whether you can disactivate this option, but it could be limiting for some.

Cheers from Innsbruck, roaming on the A1 3G network!

janyyc

it's an Italian (EU) law. Of course you can extend your limit.

Ah, OK. Thanks for the info. :)

hi
janyyc:
from :Europa SIM-Card - Mobile internet in Europe, everywhere, anytime, for just ? 2 per day with 100 MB included
chr

Right - that's the point - I'm using an iPhone and tethering works without problems and doesn't incur the use of additional credit.

hi
ok thanks for info! and it will olso work on usb stic/modem!
What is the benefits to register the Europa sim on orange i home page?
How to register your SIM-Card on Vodafone.it - Europa SIM-Card

and the romning data limit all 100mb for 2 euro is working ok?
chr

Unfortunately, I do not know whether I works on a USB stick, since I don't have one to test it out. I just use my iPhone 4/5.

Yes, the 100MB/2€ works as advertised. I'm happy with the card.