iliad Italy SIM Guide and Carrier Comparison (Sept 2026)
A phone plan is the second thing to sort out after landing in Italy. I went with iliad's GIGA 250, €11.99 a month for 250 GB. Here is how buying it in Milan actually went: the documents, the on-camera check, and the few things I only found out after using it for a week. Then a comparison of iliad, ho., Very, Kena and the big three.
After landing in Italy, the other thing worth sorting out early, right after the tax code, is mobile data.
Before flying I bought a 14-day pan-European eSIM as a fallback, which I do recommend. You will not have a local number the moment you land, and you need data to look things up and get the confirmation email while setting the local one up.
Why iliad
After a bit of digging, iliad looked like the friendliest option for a broke student. It sits where a challenger brand usually sits: cheap and generous, but maybe not as rock-solid as the old incumbents.
I went with GIGA 250:
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Monthly | €11.99 |
| Activation | €9.99 (one-off) |
| In Italy | 250 GB (4G / 5G) |
| EU roaming | 18 GB |
| Calls & SMS | Unlimited within Italy |
Non-EU countries are not covered. I found this out the fun way on a trip to Switzerland. Luckily the eSIM I bought back home was still valid.
Buying it in person
The iliad point we found was tucked inside a Unieuro, an electronics chain. It took us ages, and we ended up asking a Decathlon employee for directions. iliad mostly operates as a store-within-a-store or a self-service kiosk, so check the exact spot on Google Maps before you set out.
We went to the iliad Corner inside the Unieuro at Portello. The assistant was really friendly, though not much of an English speaker:
What to bring:
- Passport
- Tax code (knowing the number is enough, no need for the certificate)
- Your address in Italy
The process is simpler than expected. Find the staff member at the kiosk and they run through the whole thing with you: say which plan you want, pick eSIM or physical SIM, fill in your tax code and address, and choose a brand-new number.
Part way through there is an on-camera identity check, where the assistant asks you to read a passage aloud to the camera. After that you get a confirmation email, and the line works about ten to fifteen minutes later.
After a week of use
Speed has been genuinely good, and 250 GB is effectively unlimited. The price is advertised as per sempre, so it will not creep up after a few months, and the eSIM was issued on the spot with no waiting for a physical card.
The one shame is that the website and app are mostly Italian. I could not find an English toggle anywhere.
Also worth knowing: you top up the monthly fee yourself in the app. I paid by card at the counter without linking it for auto-renewal, so every month is manual.
People also say coverage is weaker in the south and in rural areas, so if you are not in a big city like Milan or Rome, check the coverage map before you commit.
How iliad compares
The Italian market really has two layers: three network owners (TIM, Vodafone, WindTre) and the MVNOs that rent those networks (ho., Very, Kena and others). iliad is the odd one out, a late entrant that built its own.
Here are the main options as of September 2026, all with unlimited calls:
| Plan (network) | Monthly | Data in Italy | EU roaming | Activation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iliad GIGA 250 (own) | €11.99 | 250 GB | 18 GB | €9.99 |
| iliad GIGA 150 (own) | €7.99 | 150 GB | included | €9.99 |
| ho. 250 GB (Vodafone) | €8.95 | 250 GB | included | from €2.99 |
| Very 300 GB (WindTre) | €7.99 | 300 GB | around 20 GB | free SIM |
| Kena (TIM) | €5.99–7.99 | 200–300 GB | 12–15 GB | varies |
| TIM / Vodafone / WindTre | from €15 | varies | varies | varies |
A few things the table does not show, but that matter:
- Activation price depends on where you are coming from. ho.'s €2.99 is for new numbers or ports from a list of small operators; porting in from TIM, Vodafone, WindTre or Fastweb costs €29.90. Very's cheap tiers are the same deal, limited to new numbers or ports from iliad, PosteMobile and CoopVoce. A student who just landed and takes a new number normally gets the cheapest tier.
- Roaming allowances vary quite a lot. iliad's GIGA 250 gives a dedicated 18 GB, while MVNOs mostly land between 12 and 20 GB. If you travel around Europe often, this column matters more than the domestic one.
- MVNO promotions move fast. This table is a September 2026 snapshot, so prices may well have changed by the time you read this. Check the official site before signing up.
Which one to pick
- Travelling around Europe often: iliad. The most generous roaming allowance, a price that stays put, and enough retail points to get help in person
- Only using it in Italy, cheapest wins: Very or Kena, which give you more GB for the same money
- Best possible coverage, heading south or into the countryside: go straight to TIM or Vodafone. More expensive, but more reliable
- English support is non-negotiable: honestly no Italian carrier is good here, but the big three's shops are more likely to have an English-speaking assistant. With MVNOs you are basically on Google Translate
One last thing: every carrier needs your tax code first, so the order is always tax code, then phone plan. Here is how to get the tax code.
An aside: the café next door
We sat down at Ristò right afterwards. The cappuccino is excellent and the yoghurt is worth ordering too, so it is a good stop if you are making the trip out to Portello anyway.
