If that’s the case (I can’t confirm it currently), maybe take a look at TIM, which is the largest carrier. You’ll pay a bit more by the time you buy the SIM, get it activated, and purchase a package — it’ll likely be around 20 euros for the month if you buy one of the “international” foreigners-only packs that provide 30GB of data, with or without calls, for 9-12 euros, plus the cost for the SIM and activation. Details here (in Italian).

Hi James,

I’m pretty sure you get a French number with the Orange SIM. EU roaming rules means it works all through the EU without additional costs, but if you prefer an Italian number, you may need to wait until you arrive unfortunately.

And yep, we get a few dollars for referring you. Don’t buy it unless it meets your needs, though! ?

I didn’t take a photo of the packaging, unfortunately.

The retailer charged 5 euros for the SIM pack and activation. I’m sure if they were asked, they’d say the SIM was free and the activation was 5 euros — as mentioned in previous comments, it’s up to them to set the charge for activation.

I purchased the Lyca SIM from a phone store in the suburbs of Verona. I haven’t tried the store at Fiumicino airport.

If you speak Italian, you may be able to fill in the forms and activate the SIM yourself – but the vendor still needed to take photocopies of my passport, so I’m not sure how that part would be handled if you were doing it yourself.

Was it a Lycamobile store or just a store selling Lycamobile SIM cards? Lyca Italy lists their retailer at the Fiumicino airport as Exactta. This store seems to have really bad reviews online.

The Lyca Italy website says the SIM cards are supposed to be free at their retailers. Thanks for the heads up. I’ll be sure to ask what their fees are and make sure to pay in cash so there are no surprise charges.

The Lyca Italy website lists Exactta (Fiumicino airport, terminal 3 arrivals) as a retailer. Have you ever tried getting the free SIM card from them?

The Lyca Italy website says to “Register and activate your SIM at your local retailer.” What do they do exactly when activating? Lycamobile USA SIM cards can be activated by customers themselves. That’s why I’m wondering what it is about the activation/registration process of Lyca Italy SIM cards that necessitate that retailers do it.

Yep, it looks like the “National” packages have been upgraded since I last looked, and unless you only need a small amount of data, they’re currently a better deal regardless of whether you need calls and texts or not. I’ve updated the details in the post to reflect that – thanks!

I can’t tell you whether you’ll pay extra fees or not, unfortunately — each Lycamobile outlet is independent, and sets its own prices for the SIM and activation. I’d expect to pay something extra beyond the base cost of the package, but often it’s only a few euros (I paid €5, for instance).