Hi,
I'm leaving for France tomorrow, and already have an unlocked phone. Last year, we were unpleasantly surprised at how expensive the French SIMs were (as compared to the UK ones, which are cheap).

Does anyone have information on inexpensive SIMs for France?

Thanks!
Michaela

From what I understand, it is true that French cell phone rates are generally a good bit higher than in many other European countries.

In an earlier post here I mentioned the Roam Simple card for France, which I had seen recommended on another travel board. I don't have any direct experience with the card, and it probably won't help you anyway if you are leaving tomorrow, as I think it has to be mailordered.

Someone recently emailed me that she was going to be using the Roam Simple card in France soon and would post about her experience when she gets back. So I'll be looking forward to hearing that report.

- Roz

We bought SIM cards in March in Paris. We actually got a "2 for 1" deal so we ended up with 2 Virgin Sims (for France) for 30 euro, which included about 5 euro worth of calling time on each one. My husband just walked into the first Orange store he saw--they are everywhere.

I told Roz I would report back about the Roam Simple mobile phone plan she heard about earlier this year.

I was in France for the month of June. I bought the Roam Simple sim card in advance through their web site (very easy, and it arrived quickly). I did not buy a phone because I already have an unlocked mobile phone from previous trips to France. But if you need a phone, you can buy one through their web site.

In the past I bought sim cards through Cellular Abroad (also very easy). The problem with the card through Cellular Abroad is that the sim card is for limited minutes. When you run out of minutes, you have to go to a Tobac and buy a re-charge card. In the past it was annoying to run out of minutes and have to rush and buy a re-charge card (sometimes repeatedly).

The Roam Simple plan is different. The calls are charged to your credit card after you place the calls. You are only charged for the calls you actually place (incoming calls are free). You never run out of minutes, and you don't have to buy re-charge cards.

Another problem with my old sim card was that it expired if you didn't use it for 6 months (and you lose the phone number assigned to you, too), which meant I needed to repeatedly buy new sim cards. And each time I was assigned a new phone number, which was confusing to my friends in France.

With Roam Simple the sim card doesn't expire (a real advantage). You just have to pay a renewal fee once/year. And you keep your same phone number. Again, a real advantage. The mobile phone service they use is the Orange company in France. I had no problems using this service while I was in France last month.

I definitely recommend Roam Simple if you want to use a mobile phone in France!

Kathleen

Hi Kathleen,
Thanks for the info on the Roam Simple plan. How much does it cost per minute to make calls? How about SMS messages?

I ended up buying a Virgin Mobile card. This year it was a bit cheaper than before: 10 or 15 euros for the SIM which included 5 Euros of talk/SIM time. The card does expire after 6 months of non-use, so that's inconvenient.

The Virgin Mobile service was very good, however, and it was always easy to find out how much time was available on the SIM (free call), and checking voicemails was also free.
Michaela

Kathleen,

Thanks very much for reporting back on your experience. As you requested, I've made a shortcut to this topic in the France forum.

The calling rates for the Roam Simple card in France are shown from the link I gave above. However, you do have to dig down to see the renewal rate, which I hadn't been aware of until you mentioned it. After the initial $19 fee, the card apparently costs $29 a year (over and above what you are charged for the calls). So it would be an individual decision as to whether this is worth it for you, rather than just buying a prepaid card.

- Roz

AS Roz mentioned, the rates for calls are listed on the Roam Simple web site. The rates are similar to the rates charged with Cellular Abroad and the re-charge cards. Yes, there is an annual fee. But, as I mentioned before, with "expiring" sim cards with other plans, I had to purchase new sim cards (after 6 months of not using the phone) for a much higher amount than the Roam Simple annual fee.

I go to France one-two times/years, so the Roam Simple plan with the renewal fee is cheaper for me--plus easier because I can keep the same phone number, and I don't have to deal with expiring sim cards and needing to buy re-charge cards. If you don't go to France on a regular basis, this plan may not be economical for you.

For myself, I am very happy with the plan, and I appreciate Roz's initial post about this option!

Kathleen