I own a Vodaphone cellphone which I bought in the UK to use when I visit there, and friends and family have taken it there to use too.
I know it will work in Italy, but I'm wondering how to get it topped up there? It's just a basic pay as you talk model; with a card that you take to a shop offering the top-up service, pay an amount, then 10 mins later you have more talk-time on the set.
Would a Vodaphone shop be able to do it for me, if there is such a thing?
Sorry if this seems like a silly question!

Once you get to Italy, you will get a welcoming text message telling you to set the connection to Vodaphone Italy (Or Omnitel). It will also give you a number for balance enquiries etc. This will allow you to top up your phone using a credit card.

I topped up my vodaphone this way from Tuscany the week before last.

Thanks, Tim.
Are the calling charges very expensive compared to the UK?
The main reason we would carry it at all, is so that my elderly Mum can call us from Canada if she needs to.
I know the only charge when doing that in the UK, is from our end in Canada, no charge to receive long-distance at the UK end.
If you have any info I'd be plesed to hear it.
Thanks.

I have a pay-as-you-go Orange UK (no signal here at home so not going for a contract) but they have "partner" firms in various continents.

On their website is a page which will give you details of the charges for various countries. Maybe your cell phone company has something similar?

Just in case it`s of any use the Orange charges relating to Italy are:


Service Make/Send Receive

calling £1.20 60p per min

Answer Phone £1.20 per min

text message 40p free per message

photo message (up to 50kb) 70p free per message

photo message (over 50kb) £1.00 free per message

video message £1.00 free per message

450 customer services - automated free per min

450 customer services - representative 60p 60p per min

452 information line £1.20 per min

450 top-up/453 balance/112 emergency free free per min

GPRS £10.00 per MB

3G data £10.00 per MB

Video Calling £1.20 60p per min

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The good old text message remains the best value.

I am a bit of an idiot as far as mobile/cell phones are concerned. I do know that when my beloved phoned me fromm the UK, It "Ate" credit on my phone at an alarming rate - probably aroun £1.50 a minute. I believe this is because I had not changed my supplier manually to omnitel, so the phone just picked up the first signal it found - TIM. The indignity of it - Ripped off by my namesake phone company .

What I should have done (apparantly), is signed up to "vodaphone passport" on the website before I left the UK, and it would have been significantly cheaper to accept incoming calls.