Wikimecum:Phones/Calling the US
Whats the Best?
What is the best way to communicate with friends and family while in Venice? Students in the past recommend bringing a GSM phone (i.e., the kind that takes a SIM card) with you to Venice. You may either bring your own from home (if you have one already, why not?), or you may plan to buy a phone in Venice for around 40 euros. The VPC has been known to have phones in the past, but likely will not be able to lend you one. At any rate, any VPC phones not already assigned to an apartment or advisor are lent on a first-come, first-served basis, and will certainly be in limited supply. If you choose to bring a phone from home, you will need to call the service provider and ask for the phone's unlock code. To do this, you will need the IMEI number, which, on many phones, can be found on a sticker underneath the battery. Be sure to do this before leaving, or you risk bringing a phone that can't be used with European carriers. If you bring the phone that is currently on your If you purchase a phone in Venice, you will not need an unlock code.
IF YOU HAVE AT&T
If you're network provider is AT&T, they tend to make you jump through hoops in order to get the unlock code/process. Students have seen everything from having to submit a form and wait a week to receiving the unlock code, but not the unlock process. Yes, there is an actual process (aka steps needed to take to get to the unlock screen) in order to unlock a phone. But this may not be true for ALL AT&T phones, so if you receive the unlock code with ease, make sure you find out if there is a process seeing as phones differ. In one particular instance, a student called and was first told to call the company that made the phone. So he called the company, only to find out that they didn't have the codes because its a software thing done by the wireless provider (aka AT&T). So when he then called back and was told to submit a form and wait a week. After a few tries, he called his mom and told her about it, who called AT&T, said it was ridiculous that they couldn't pull up the code from their records, demanded the code, and promptly received it fifteen minutes later. So don't let them make you jump through hoops. You must be stern with the phone receptionists in order to receive your code.
Mobile Phone in Venice
Once in Venice, visit a Vodafone store (there is one on Strada Nova near the VPC, and one close to the Rialto Bridge, San Marco side). Here, you can buy a SIM card (which will come with a PIN number) for circa 10 euros. Or 21 euros, which comes with 20 euros already on the card. Once you put the SIM card into your phone, you will be prompted to enter the PIN. The Vodafone card should come with 5 euros on it already (unless you bought the 21 euro card), and you can go to any tobacco store to recharge the card (instructions here). You will only be charged for outgoing calls. We recommend using your phone to call people in Venice (e.g., teammates, Fabio, and the VPC). You may also use it to call home (dialing 00 1 {area code} {7-digit number}), but you will incur very high rates while doing so. It makes much more sense to give your number to people at home, and to have them call you.
Cheaper Alternatives
People back home can use either an international calling plan or calling card to call you. However, the best deal is probably Skype. With Skype, people from the US/Canada/anywhere can "Skype Out" and call a cell phone from their computer, which only costs them around 20 cents/minute to call an Italian number. Or you can buy an international plan for your Skype account, which will cost you about 12 euro (total) a month, but gives you unlimited calls to and US/Canada phone. Also, when you have internet access, Skype to Skype is free and very convenient. (You can download Skype for free from [www.skype.com www.skype.com]). If you plan to use Skype, make sure your computer has a microphone, or buy a microphone or USB headset (recommended) before you leave. More information on free/easy ways of calling home can be found here.
If you do not want to use a cell phone, you may use a payphone. This isn't recommended, however. It's inconvenient, has the potential to leave you out of touch in an emergency, and doesn't permit you to receive incoming calls. You, your teammates, and your family will all find it more convenient to go the cell phone route.
We used our phones all the time to reach our friends and family. Following the tips above will help to make communication easy and simple while you're in Venice.