I'm hoping the expat forum members living in France may be able to help with this one!
Can anyone recommend a cheap pay-as-you-go SIM only package from one of the French mobile operators please?
What I'm looking for is a SIM that I can pop into a bog standard Nokia I already have to make local calls, receive calls from abroad, and send/receive texts when I'm in France (which is becoming more frequent, both for work and holidays) without getting hit for roaming charges by O2. Is there, for example, a giffgaff equivalent that people have found useful?
Better again if I can call outside France at reasonable rates, but this isn't so important as my O2 rate for calling home is OK, or else I'd use FaceTime/Skype.
All suggestions gratefully received!
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I assume O2 doesn't do an equivalent add-on to Vodafone that allows you to use your UK tariff overseas. Vodafone Eurotraveller charges £3/day when you use the phone to make a call, text or use data. But then you get charged no more because you then use your inclusive minutes. You also don't get charged for incoming calls.
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Thanks Mapmaker - I'm based in Ireland, but on my O2 plan, I can get a similar deal. It costs 80 cent per call to connect (for both incoming and outgoing calls), and then 30 cent per minute to make all calls.
The other attraction of having a local phone is that some people have my mobile number for work - though its my private phone - so when I go on holidays I'd rather have a new number that I give only to those people who need to be able to contact me while I'm away.
So, the question now is can I get a PAYG SIM on which the credit doesn't expire quickly? Presumably I'd have to put some credit on a new SIM to activate it, so I'd rather it not be cut off before now and the next time I'm in France.
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Historically the deals in France were very poor - for the major players the expiry period was very short (dependent on how much credit you bought) if not used very much. Despite living in F for about 5 months a year, I was forever throwing away credit. The final straw was when Orange junked my credit at 00.01 on the day it was due to expire - not at 23.59 :(
The attraction of having the phone was for other F locals to call me on a F mobile number, not a UK one.
(I then gave it up when the O2 rate structure changed). However since my pattern of stays in F has now changed to less frequent, but for longer periods, it may make sense for me to look again at the available tariffs.
However I believe that Intermarche now do a deal that is more attractive - I will try to find the deals and link them. Currently en route, but not due in in F until next week, so somebody else may find the link first.
Last edited by: pmh on Wed 27 Mar 13 at 15:33
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It is not Intermarche - it is Leclerc
have a look at
www.leclercmobile.fr/prepaye-reglo-mobile/compte/recharger-votre-compte.aspx
Credit is good for 12months I think but what the rates are for foreign call is not immediately obvious.
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Many thanks pmh - the Formule MINI looks like it might do the job for me, so long as I'd be back in France often enough to top it up within 12 months (and don't need to give a credit/debit card number up front to set it up).
Calls made to foreign numbers when you're in France are charged at 39 cents/minute for Europe, the US and North Africa. Likewise, if you're elsewhere in Europe, and call another non-French European number, that's also 39 cents/minute. Those prices compare well with the rate O2 would charge me on my current O2 plan.
If this is of use to anyone else, the full details are at tinyurl.com/c7l2fff
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This may be of interest:
tinyurl.com/c2kpsck
GiffGaff is part of O2 (just a lot cheaper!!), so again this may be of interest:
tinyurl.com/cutq73c
GG will sent a free SIM if you request it.
giffgaff.com/index/offer
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I have a Leclerc pay as you go sim in my French 'phone. It is valid for twelve months as long as you top it up before the due date. They also charge €1.00 per month.
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French PAYG SIM - rtj70
