France: 10 Best Prepaid SIM Cards Buying Guide (2023)

France – known for the Eiffel Tower, food & culture.

It is also known for its considerable influence over the world, like many French-speaking African nations.

France is the largest country in the European Union and the second-largest in Europe (or actually the largest when overseas departments are included – French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte & Réunion).

Most will probably visit Paris when visiting the country. Others want to see the Alps. While many prefer to enjoy the beaches.

France has a lot to offer – too many to list here (but there are plenty of full-time travel bloggers who can give you amazing travel tips).

What I can offer you, however, is the most in-depth guide to French SIM cards (in English, at least).

But having such a guide is necessary because you have more than ten different SIM cards to choose from when in France.

But why should you even consider a French SIM card? That is because international roaming can be expensive.

While French SIM cards are not the cheapest in Europe, the mobile data rates are low, and the prices are much lower than international roaming rates.

So, how much do SIM cards cost in France?

You can get a French SIM card for 2.99 EUR (3.30 EUR) or 14.90 EUR (16.55 USD) from Orange or 10 EUR (11.10 USD) from SFR, Bouygues Telecom & Free Mobile in their stores. Tourist SIM cards are also available at Relay stores, tobacco stores & various airports, including Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG).

Those prices are not too bad, right? At least you are not in New Caledonia, where SIM cards cost at least 30 USD 🤐 (check out my SIM card price look-up tool for comparisons).

In this guide, I will go over everything you need to know about buying a SIM card in France. Let's get started, shall we?

Original publication: 26th of January 2022. Last updated: 3rd of June 2023.

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Table of Contents

Can You Buy a SIM Card in France?

Anyone living in or visiting France can buy a French SIM card from Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom, Free Mobile & many MVNO with no restrictions.

You do have to comply with the SIM card registration regulations.

Moreover, you need a phone that supports the frequencies used in the country (preferably all of them to have the most optimal experience while in France).

Furthermore, you need to have a SIM-lock-free device.

Where Can You Buy a SIM Card in France?

You can get a French SIM card in Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom & Free Mobile stores. Resellers, like kiosks and tobacco stores, also sell SIM cards (especially for the tourist SIM cards and the MVNOs). They are also available at several airports, including Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG).

You can buy a French SIM card in the following airports (in Relay stores):

• Beauvais – Beauvais-Tillé Airport (BVA)
• Biarritz – Biarritz Pays Basque Airport (BIQ)
• Bordeaux – Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport (BOD)
• Lille – Lille Airport (LIL)
• Lyon – Lyon-Saint-Exupéry Airport (LYS)
• Marseille – Marseille Provence Airport (MRS)
• Mulhouse – EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg (MLH/BSL/EAP)
• Nantes – Nantes Atlantique Airport (NTE)
• Nice – Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE)
• Paris – Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG)
• Paris – Paris Orly Airport (ORY)
• Strasbourg – Strasbourg Airport (SXB)
• Toulon – Toulon-Hyères Airport (TLN)
• Toulouse – Toulouse-Blagnac Airport (TLS)

You can expect to pay the following for French SIM cards:

• Orange France: 2.99 EUR & 14.90 EUR
• SFR France: 9.99 EUR
• Bouygues Telecom: 10 EUR
• Free Mobile France: 10 EUR
• MVNOs (like Lycamobile France): being added later

The following mobile operators also have SIM cards targetting tourists:

• Orange France: 14.99 EUR (Mobicarte Vacances), 29.99 EUR (Mobicarte Vacances Monde) & 39.90 EUR (Orange Holiday)
• SFR France: around 40 EUR (at airports)
• Bouygues Telecom: 39.90 EUR (Bouygues Telecom My European SIM)

For up-to-date EUR:your currency (let's say GBP) exchange rates, use the Wise Currency Converter tool.

Can You Use Your Phone in France?

France uses GSM technology for mobile communications. CDMA phones will not work in France. If your phone has a SIM card slot, then it supports GSMA (99% of the phones do support GSM nowadays).

Traditional European frequencies are used in France, which are mostly used in ITU Regions 1 and 3 (Africa, Asia (including the Middle East), Europe & Oceania).

The Americas (North-, Central– & South America + the Caribbean – ITU Region 2) use American frequencies, which differ from the European ones.

If you bought your phone in Africa, Asia, Europe, or Oceania (ITU Regions 1 and 3), you should not experience any issues with using your phone in France.

If you purchased your phone in the Americas (ITU Region 2) and have a low/medium-end device (without Tri-Band or Quad-Band) support, then there is a possibility you cannot use your phone when in France or can only use slower networks (3G or 2G).

If you have a medium/high-end device with Tri-Band or Quad-Band support, you can use your phone in France (to some extent) – also on 4G/LTE and 5G NR.

Mobile Operators, Networks & Frequencies in France

France has four mobile operator and various Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs – being added later) offering prepaid services easily accessible to travelers:

• Orange France
• SFR France (Société Française du Radiotéléphone)
• Bouygues Telecom
• Free Mobile France

The following frequencies are used in France:

• 2G: 900 MHz & 1800 MHz
• 3G: 900 MHz & 2100 MHz
• 4G/LTE: 700 MHz (Band 28), 800 MHz (Band 20), 900 MHz (Band 8), 1800 MHz (Band 3), 2100 MHz (Band 1) & 2600 MHz (Band 7)
• 5G NR: 700 MHz (n28), 2100 MHz (n1) & 3500 MHz (n78)

You can learn more about frequencies in the video below.

To check whether your phone will work in France, check out this page by Kimovil or this one by Will My Phone Work (outdated, unfortunately, but extremely user-friendly – useful for phones launched in or before 2019. It does not check for 5G NR compatibility).

Again, make sure your phone is unlocked. Otherwise, you will not be able to use any SIM card except the one from your home operator (meaning you have to roam internationally or buy another unlocked phone that does support the frequencies listed above).

If you want to learn how international roaming works, this guide explains it in-depth. If you wonder why it is often so expensive to roam, this article explains the hidden reason they do not want you to know.

VoLTE & VoWiFi in France

Both VoLTE (Voice over LTE (4G) – also known as HD Voice) and VoWiFi (Voice over WiFi – also known as WiFi calling) are available in France. All mobile operators in France offer VoLTE, but not VoWiFi.

This means that your phone does not have to downgrade to 2G or 3G when making a call in France (unlike mobile operators that do not support VoLTE).

The following mobile operators offer VoLTE and VoWiFi in France:

• Orange France
• SFR France
• Bouygues Telecom

The following mobile operators offer VoLTE only in France:

• Free Mobile France

VoWiFi is, as the name implies, calling on a WiFi connection as opposed to on a cellular network.

Free Mobile announced that it wants to finally (bring) VoWiFi to its customers.

However, it is unknown how long it will take before the feature is available.

Free Mobile France will be years behind its competitors because it believed (its) customers did not want/would not use VoWiFi.

5G NR in France

Commercial 5G NR has been available in France since December 2020. It is available on the Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom & Free Mobile networks. SFR and Free Mobile allow prepaid customers to use 5G NR – Orange and Bouygues Telecom do not. MVNOs do not have 5G NR access yet.

Best SIM Card in France

Best eSIM in France

Orange France, Bouygues Telecom & Free Mobile France offer eSIMs to prepaid customers.

SFR France does not offer eSIMs to prepaid customers.

Bouygues Telecom only offers eSIM for its My European SIM tourist SIM (card) – this may also apply to Orange's tourist SIM cards.

Note that the French mobile operators require your identification (passport) for eSIMs and physical SIM cards (will be discussed later).

However, you can also get a travel eSIM from various eSIM providers.

The list below is not exhaustive – many more providers have eSIMs for France.

But these are the ones I have tried and had pleasant experiences with.

Moreover, they are reasonably priced, which I find very important (you will not see me recommending an eSIM I would not buy myself).

So here are the 15 best eSIMs for France:

• French mobile operators (three offer eSIMs to prepaid customers – read more in my France SIM card buying guide)
• Airalo France eSIM with six choices between 1 GB and 20 GB (best value for money)
• Holafly France eSIM with unlimited data for 5 to 30 days (unlimited data eSIMs)
• Nomad France eSIM with ten choices between 1 GB and 20 GB (best value for money… too)
• Airalo Eurolink eSIM with 5G NR access in France with six choices between 1 GB and 100 GB (best value for money for 39 European countries) – read my ongoing Airalo Eurolink eSIM review too!
• Holafly Europe eSIM with unlimited data for 5 to 60 days (unlimited data eSIMs for 33 European countries)
• Nomad Europe eSIM with 13 choices between 1 GB and 40 GB (the best of both worlds in terms of pricing and performance for 35 European countries)
• SimOptions Europe eSIMs with seven choices between 8 GB and 24 GB (choice from multiple providers + calling & texting options (the only one in this list))
• Ubigi Europe Plans (most extensive Europe coverage (52 countries), with a liberal definition of Europe in your favor)
• Airalo Discover Global eSIM with five choices between 1 GB and 20 GB (reasonable global coverage (85+ countries) at attractive prices) – read my ongoing Airalo Discover Global eSIM review too!
• AIS eSIM2FLY Global eSIM through SimOptions with 5G NR access in France with one 6 GB option (eSIM with the most 5G NR supported countries (50/123) at a reasonable price but with a short validity)
• Nomad Global eSIM with three choices between 1 GB and 5 GB (extensive global coverage (110 countries) at high(er) prices)
• Ubigi World Plan (most extensive global coverage (175+ countries) at the highest prices)

Because this is the SIM card buying guide for France, I will not spend too much time about travel eSIMs here and throughout this guide (but I will still do here and there).

If you want to learn more about the best eSIMs for France, you better check out my France eSIM buying guide.

It is as helpful and comprehensive as this guide but about eSIMs instead 😜.

SIM Card Registration in France

SIM card registration with your passport information is required in France. It will be done at the point of purchase.

EU Roaming in France

France is part of the European Union (EU).

Since June 2017, those with EU/EEA (European Economic Area) SIM cards can roam for free in other EU/EEA nations, including France.

This means that, in the majority of cases, you do not need to purchase a French SIM card if you already have an EU/EEA SIM card because you can roam without additional costs.

However, conditions do apply. Mobile operators in some countries may impose a roaming Fair Use Policy (FUP).

In countries where local mobile data rates are extremely low (such as in the Baltics and the Nordics), mobile operators may still charge you for roaming in the EU/EEA.

Be sure to head over to the international roaming page to learn whether your mobile operator offers free roaming while in France or if restrictions apply.

Roaming in the EU with French SIM Cards

France and the French mobile operators have largely adopted the roam like at home regulations principles early on.

However, some plans have an EU/EEA roaming cap. But some mobile operators prohibit you from roaming (for) free.

These mobile operators are SFR France (only free voice and SMS roaming – no free data roaming) and Bouygues Telecom (no free roaming unless you get its tourist SIM card).

At least Orange France and Free Mobile France allow for proper EU/EEA roaming.

But remember – the standard Fair Use Policy applies where you should not be roaming over 50% of the time over a four-month period.

If you do so, EU roaming rates will apply. You are then better off buying local prepaid SIM cards in other EU nations.

Using French SIM Cards in French Guiana (Guyane), Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion, St Martin & St Barts

French Guiana (Guyane – not Guyana), Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martin & Saint Barthélemy are French Overseas Departments (Départements et Régions d'Outre-mer – DROM), making them fully part of France.

Officially, Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin are Overseas Communities (Collectivités d’Outre-mer – COM), but I will call them DROM for the purpose of this section for simplification).

They have exactly the same status as mainland France's regions and departments, like the Seine Department covering Paris.

As a result, you can use your French SIM card, and any other EU/EEA SIM card, in those departments as if you were in Metropolitan France.

If you, for some thoughtless reason, claim those departments are not part of France, a French(wo)man will smack you with a bauguette 🥖🤪.

When looking at the EU/EEA country lists of the French mobile operators, they do not list French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martin & Saint Barthélemy separately because… well… they are part of France.

And the same counts for some other EU/EEA mobile operators.

I do list them separately in my lists for completeness.

But… some EU/EEA mobile operators do not mention any of these departments in their lists.

That may be because, just like the French mobile operators, they see the departments as just France, or they conveniently is unknownenly forget they are part of France, and thus part of the EU/EEA.

So, what about French Polynesia, New Caledonia & Wallis and Futuna?

Those are overseas collectivities and not part of the EU/EEA.

Thus, you cannot roam for free there.

I understand I have simplified this section significantly and use the wrong terms for some regions – that was intentional (and may look foolish to the educated). There are whole Wikipedia pages, other articles & YouTube videos explaining France's situation in-depth. Me trying to explain it in full has no significance to this guide and just makes the page longer than it already is (and perhaps complexer than it should be). What matters is that you can use your French, EU & EEA SIM cards as if you were at home in French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martin & Saint Barthélemy.

France Mobile Speeds, Mobile Internet Prices & Insights

Currency in France

France uses the Euro with the symbol EUR (which will be used throughout this guide).

However, prices are often listed as just €. For example, 25 EUR = €25.

For reference, below are some exchange rates between EUR and USD (US Dollars):

• 1 EUR = 1.10 USD
• 10 EUR = 11.10 USD
• 100 EUR = 111.05 USD

For up-to-date EUR:your currency (let's say GBP – (British) Pound (Sterling)) exchange rates, use the Wise Currency Converter tool.

French Prepaid SIM Cards

Below, I will guide you through Orange France, SFR France, Bouygues Telecom, Free Mobile France & many MVNOs that will be added later, and go through:

• Background information
• Mobile coverage
• SIM card types, prices & availability
• Recharge / top-up information
• Combo plans, data plans & special packs (such as social media packs)

With that being said, let’s see what France has to offer to us.

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Orange France

Orange France, just Orange, is the largest mobile operator in France.

It is also the mobile operator with the best network performance.

Orange, as a company, is active in other countries in Africa, the Caribbean, Europe & the Middle East.

Orange uses the following frequencies:

• 2G: 900 MHz & 1800 MHz
• 3G: 900 MHz & 2100 MHz
• 4G/LTE: 700 MHz (Band 28), 800 MHz (Band 20), 1800 MHz (Band 3), 2100 MHz (Band 1) & 2600 MHz (Band 7)
• 5G NR: 2100 MHz (n1) & 3500 MHz (n78) – not for prepaid customers (yet)
• VoLTE: Yes
• VoWiFi: Yes

This is what you will learn about Orange:

* Coverage
* How to Get an Orange SIM Card & SIM Card Price
* Topping Up Options & Methods + Balance Check
* Plans & Packages
* APN/Internet Settings

Coverage – Orange France

Orange has the best coverage throughout France.

This was also confirmed by Opensignal.

It also has the best 5G NR reach with Bouygues Telecom and Free Mobile France, but 5G NR is not available to prepaid customers (yet), so it is irrelevant.

Below is Orange's coverage map produced by Speedtest:

However, click here to see Orange's official coverage map.

SIM Card Price – Orange France

You can buy an Orange SIM card for 2.99 EUR with unlimited local minutes and unlimited local SMS between 21:00 and 0:00 (Mobicarte Mini) or for 14.90 EUR with 10 GB for 30 days (SIM Prépayée Prêt-à-Surfer – a data-only SIM card ¹) in Orange stores. Orange Toursts SIM cards are also sold at airports, including Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport.

¹ officially, this SIM card is not for smartphone use. If the salesperson asks you for what device you need it for, which they usually do not do because they cannot be bothered, tell them it is for a tablet or laptop with 4G/LTE connectivity

Short-term visitors and tourists can also get the Orange Tourist SIM cards – Mobicarte Vacances, Mobicarte Vacances Monde & Orange Holiday.

These SIM cards are available at Orange stores, but also from Relay stores (mostly at airports, like Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG), or busy subway/train stations, like Paris Gare du Nord) or some tobacco stores.

The following Orange tourist SIM cards are available:

Price	SIM Card	Data	Local/EU Minutes	International Minutes	Local/EU SMS 1	Validity
14.99 EUR	Mobicarte Vacances	100 MB	120 minutes	N/A	Unlimited	14 days
29.99 EUR	Mobicarte Vacances Monde	10 GB 2	N/A	N/A	Unlimited	14 days
39.99 EUR	Orange Holiday	20 GB	Unlimited	120 minutes	Unlimited	31 days

¹ for calls/SMS within and to other EU/EEA member states and back to France (NOT from France to other EU/EEA member states)
² for worldwide use, although the data allowance may be less in some countries (50 MB, 1 GB, or 5 GB)

Below is an overview of all Orange SIM cards:

Price	SIM Card	Data	Local/EU Minutes 1	International Minutes	Local/EU SMS 1	Validity
2.99 EUR	Mobicarte Mini	N/A	Unlimited 2	N/A	Unlimited 2	6 months
14.90 EUR	SIM Prépayée Prêt-à-Surfer 3	10 GB	N/A	N/A	N/A	1 month
14.99 EUR	Mobicarte Vacances	100 MB	120 minutes	N/A	Unlimited 1	14 days
29.99 EUR	Mobicarte Vacances Monde	10 GB 4	N/A	N/A	Unlimited	14 days
39.99 EUR	Orange Holiday	20 GB	Unlimited	120 minutes	Unlimited	31 days

¹ for calls/SMS within and to other EU/EEA member states and back to France (NOT from France to other EU/EEA member states)
² for between 21:00 and 00:00
³ officially, this SIM card is not for smartphone use. If the salesperson asks you for what device you need it for, which they usually do not do because they cannot be bothered, tell them it is for a tablet or laptop with 4G/LTE connectivity
⁴ for worldwide use, although the data allowance may be less in some countries (50 MB, 1 GB, or 5 GB)

Call 225 to hear your Orange phone number.

You have to make a call 225 to activate your Orange SIM card.

It is also possible to get an Orange eSIM for the same price as a regular SIM card.

Note that the French mobile operators require your identification (EU ID/passport) for eSIMs and physical SIM cards.

Therefore, if you wish to get an eSIM for France without personal detail capturing, you can get France Bonbon eSIMs from Airalo (six options):

1. 1 GB/7 days – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
2. 2 GB/15 days (new) – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
3. 3 GB/30 days
4. 5 GB/30 days
5. 10 GB/30 days – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
6. 20 GB/30 days (new)

Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in May based on data up to the 17^th of May (2023 data only).

No idea what or who Airalo is? Check out my Airalo review, where I share my hands-on experience after using its eSIMs in more than 25 countries over four years.

If you plan on visiting other neighboring European nations, consider the Airalo Eurolink eSIM to be used in 39 European countries with six variants:

1. 1 GB/7 days
2. 3 GB/30 days – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
3. 5 GB/30 days – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
4. 10 GB/30 days – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
5. 50 GB/90 days
6. 100 GB/180 days

Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in May based on data up to the 17^th of May (2023 data only).

Do you think the map above is nice, but you want a country list instead (because you do not recognize the countries on a map🗿)? You can find it in my Airalo review!

• Be sure to check out my Airalo Eurolink eSIM review for my insights!

Many more travel eSIMs will perform well in France.

You can read about them in my Best France eSIMs Compared guide for an in-depth comparison.

Note that Orange offers VoLTE (Voice over LTE (4G)) if your phone supports it and you have enabled it in the settings.

Oh, you can also use VoWiFi (Voice over WiFi).

Top-Up, Recharge & Balance Check – Orange France

Packages, Plans, Bundles & Offers – Orange France

Orange has four data-featured prepaid top-ups that act as plans:

• Max Top-Ups/Plans (combo)
• Les Recharges Mobicarte (combo)
• Orange Holiday Top-Ups/Plans (combo for tourist SIM cards)
• Internet Mobile Top-Ups/Plans (as the name implies)
• Les Recharges Prêt-à-Surfer (data for data-only SIM card)

Click on the links above to jump to the plan you are interested in.

Max Top-Ups/Plans – Orange France

The Max Top-Ups/Plans are combo plans/top-ups with data (without 5G NR access), minutes & SMS.

The following Max Top-Ups are available:

Price	Data	Local/EU Minutes 1	Local/EU SMS 1	Active Validity	Passive Validity
5 EUR	20 MB	120 minutes	Unlimited	7 days	1 month
10 EUR	500 MB	Unlimited	Unlimited	10 days	6 months
20 EUR	2 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	31 days	6 months
30 EUR	10 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	31 days	6 months

¹ for calls/SMS within and to other EU/EEA member states and back to France (NOT from France to other EU/EEA member states)

Les Recharges Mobicarte – Orange France

Les Recharges Mobicarte are combo plans/top-ups with data (without 5G NR access), minutes & SMS.

The following Max Top-Ups are available:

Top-Up	Credit	Active Validity	Passive Validity
5 EUR	1 EUR	6 days	1 month
10 EUR	2 EUR	12 days	6 months
15 EUR	5 EUR	20 days	6 months
25 EUR	8 EUR	2 months	6 months
35 EUR	12 EUR	3 months	6 months
50 EUR	20 EUR	4 months	6 months
75 EUR	30 EUR	6 months	6 months
100 EUR	50 EUR	1 year	6 months

Orange Holiday Top-Ups/Plans – Orange France

The Orange Holiday Top-Ups/Plans are combo plans/top-ups with data (without 5G NR access), minutes & SMS for the Mobicarte Vacances Monde & Orange Holiday tourist SIM cards.

The following Orange Holiday Top-Ups are available:

Price	Data	Local/International Minutes	Local/International SMS	Active Validity	Passive Validity
20 EUR	5 GB	60 minutes	500 SMS	14 days	6 months
40 EUR	20 GB	60 minutes	1000 SMS	31 days	6 months

Internet Mobile Top-Ups/Plans – Orange France

The Internet Mobile Top-Ups/Plans are data plans/top-ups (without 5G NR access).

The following Internet Mobile are available:

Price	Data	Local/EU Minutes	Local/EU SMS	Active Validity	Passive Validity
5 EUR	20 MB	120 minutes	Unlimited	7 days	1 month
10 EUR	500 MB	Unlimited	Unlimited	10 days	6 months
20 EUR	2 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	1 month	6 months
30 EUR	10 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	1 month	6 months

Les Recharges Prêt-à-Surfer Top-Ups/Plans – Orange France

The Les Recharges Prêt-à-Surfer Top-Ups/Plans are data plans/top-ups (without 5G NR access) for the Prêt-à-Surfer data-only SIM card.

The following Les Recharges Prêt-à-Surfer Top-Ups are available:

Price	Data	Active Validity	Passive Validity
10 EUR	5 GB	14 days	12 months
25 EUR	15 GB	1 month	12 months
40 EUR	35 GB	1 month	12 months

EU Roaming – Orange France

You can use your Orange allowances in the following EU/EEA member states without paying roaming fees:

As Orange does not have dedicated EU/EEA roaming allowances, you can use your full allowance without restrictions in other EU/EEA member states.

APN/Internet Settings – Orange France

• Name: Orange France
• APN: orange OR orange.fr

Note: leave anything not mentioned above untouched.

Jump back to the Table of Contents.

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SFR France (Société Française du Radiotéléphone)

SFR France (Société française du radiotéléphone), just SFR, is the second-largest mobile operator in France.

SFR is also active in Belgium, the Caribbean (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Barthélemy & Saint Martin), Luxembourg, Mayotte & Réunion.

SFR uses the following frequencies:

• 2G: 900 MHz & 1800 MHz
• 3G: 900 MHz & 2100 MHz
• 4G/LTE: 700 MHz (Band 28), 800 MHz (Band 20), 1800 MHz (Band 3), 2100 MHz (Band 1) & 2600 MHz (Band 7)
• 5G NR: 2100 MHz (n1) & 3500 MHz (n78)
• VoLTE: Yes
• VoWiFi: Yes

This is what you will learn about SFR:

* Coverage
* How to Get an SFR SIM Card & SIM Card Price
* Topping Up Options & Methods + Balance Check
* Plans & Packages
* APN/Internet Settings

Coverage – SFR France

SFR has, together with Orange France and Bouygues Telecom, the best 4G/LTE availability in France.

4G/LTE is available anywhere in populated areas.

Below is SFR's coverage map produced by Speedtest:

However, click here to see SFR's official coverage map.

SIM Card Price – SFR France

You can buy an SFR SIM card, called Carte Prépayée SFR, for 9.99 EUR with 5 EUR credit and 50 MB for 30 days in SFR stores. SFR SIM cards are also sold at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) at higher prices.

Back in 2015, the SFR SIM card at the airport cost 40 EUR and gave you 2 GB of data and some other perks I forgot about 💀.

In 2018, you got 5 GB, 60 local/international minutes, and some local/international SMS for 14 days, costing 35 EUR.

In 2022, I assume the price and benefits changed again, but I do not know what it is. You can let me know though.

Moving on… Call 963 to activate your SFR SIM card.

While SFR has eSIMs, they are (currently) not offered to prepaid customers.

Note that the French mobile operators require your identification (passport) for eSIMs and for physical SIM card.

Therefore, if you wish to get an eSIM for France without personal detail capturing, you can get unlimited data eSIMs from Holafly (six options):

1. Unlimited/5 days – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
2. Unlimited/7 days
3. Unlimited/10 days – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
4. Unlimited/15 days
5. Unlimited/20 days
6. Unlimited/30 days – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers

Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in May based on data up to the 17^th of May (2023 data only).

The best part is that you can get 5% off using code PHONETRAVELWIZ on each Holafly eSIM purchase!

No idea what or who Holafly is? Check out my Holafly review, where I share my hands-on experience after using its eSIMs in more than ten countries over two years.

If you plan on visiting other neighboring European nations, consider the Holafly Europe eSIM to be used in 33 European countries, also with unlimited data, with seven variants:

1. Unlimited/5 days – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
2. Unlimited/7 days
3. Unlimited/10 days – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
4. Unlimited/15 days – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
5. Unlimited/20 days
6. Unlimited/30 days
7. Unlimited/60 days

Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in May based on data up to the 17^th of May (2023 data only).

Do you think the map above is nice, but you want a country list instead (because you do not recognize the countries on a map🗿)? You can find it in my Holafly review!

Remember to use code PHONETRAVELWIZ for 5% off each Holafly purchase!

Many more travel eSIMs will perform well in France.

You can read about them in my Best France eSIMs Compared guide for an in-depth comparison.

Note that SFR offers VoLTE (Voice over LTE (4G)) if your phone supports it and you have enabled it in the settings.

Oh, you can also use VoWiFi (Voice over WiFi).

Top-Up, Recharge & Balance Check – SFR France

Packages, Plans, Bundles & Offers – SFR France

SFR has three data-featured prepaid plans:

• Monde (World) Plans (combo)
• Illimité (Unlimited) Plans (combo)
• Internet Plans (as the name implies)

All SFR plans can be activated by texting the Activation Code to 987.

Click on the links above to jump to the plan you are interested in.

Monde (World) Plans – SFR France

The Monde (World) Plans are combo bundles with data (without 5G NR access) and minutes.

Text the Activation Code to 987 to activate Monde Plans:

Price	Data	Local/International Minutes	Validity	Activation Code
5 EUR	300 MB	50 minutes	5 days	MONDE5
10 EUR	500 MB	100 minutes	14 days	MONDE10
20 EUR	4 GB	200 minutes	30 days	MONDE20

Illimité (Unlimited) Plans – SFR France

The Illimité (Unlimited) Plans are combo bundles with data (with 5G NR access), minutes & SMS.

Text the Activation Code to 987 to activate Illimité plans:

Price	Data	Local/EU Minutes 1	Local/EU SMS 1	Validity	Activation Code
5 EUR	2 GB	60 minutes	Unlimited	7 days	ILLI5
10 EUR	10 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	10 days	ILLI10
20 EUR	50 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	30 days	ILLI20
30 EUR	80 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	30 days	ILLI30
40 EUR	100 GB 2	Unlimited	Unlimited	30 days	ILLI40

¹ for calls/SMS within and to other EU/EEA member states and back to France (NOT from France to other EU/EEA member states)
² 5G NR access

Internet Plans – SFR France

The Internet Plans are, as the name implies, data bundles (without 5G NR access).

Text the Activation Code to 987 to activate Internet Plans:

Price	Data	Validity	Activation Code
5 EUR	300 MB	5 days	WEB5
10 EUR	2 GB	8 days	WEB10
25 EUR	20 GB	30 days	WEB25
35 EUR	70 GB	30 days	WEB35

EU Roaming – SFR France

You can use your SFR call and SMS allowances (NO free data roaming) in the following EU/EEA member states without paying roaming fees:

As SFR does not have dedicated EU/EEA call and SMS roaming allowances, you can use your full allowance without restrictions in other EU/EEA member states.

APN/Internet Settings – SFR France

• Name: SFR webphone
• APN: sl2sfr

Note: leave anything not mentioned above untouched.

Jump back to the Table of Contents.

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Bouygues Telecom

Bouygues Telecom is the third-largest mobile operator in France.

It currently has the best 5G NR network performance (but not the fastest speeds – that title belongs to Orange France).

But… you cannot use it anyway as a prepaid customer (yet) 😖.

Bouygues Telecom uses the following frequencies:

• 2G: 900 MHz
• 3G: 900 MHz & 2100 MHz
• 4G/LTE: 700 MHz (Band 28), 800 MHz (Band 20), 900 MHz (Band 8), 1800 MHz (Band 3), 2100 MHz (Band 1) & 2600 MHz (Band 7)
• 5G NR: 2100 MHz (n1) & 3500 MHz (n78) – not for prepaid customers (yet)
• VoLTE: Yes
• VoWiFi: Yes

This is what you will learn about Bouygues Telecom:

* Coverage
* How to Get a Bouygues Telecom SIM Card & SIM Card Price
* Topping Up Options & Methods + Balance Check
* Plans & Packages
* APN/Internet Settings

Coverage – Bouygues Telecom

Bouygues Telecom has, together with Orange France and SFR France, the best 4G/LTE availability in France.

4G/LTE is available anywhere in populated areas.

Below is Bouygues Telecom's coverage map produced by Speedtest:

However, click here to see Bouygues Telecom's official coverage map.

SIM Card Price – Bouygues Telecom

You can buy a Bouygues Telecom SIM card, called Carte XL, for 10 EUR with 4 EUR credit in Bouygues Telecom stores. Bouygues Telecom tourist SIM card, the My European SIM, is also sold at Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG).

The Bouygues Telecom My European SIM card costs 39.90 EUR with 20 GB, unlimited local/EU minutes, unlimited local/EU SMS, 25 EUR international call credit to French Overseas Departments for 30 days.

The eligible French Overseas Departments are French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion, Saint Barthélemy & Saint Martin.

Moreover, unlike the Bouygues Telecom Carte XL SIM card, the My Europe SIM can be used in the EU/EEA for data roaming instead of only voice and text roaming.

Oh yeah, you have to call 654 to activate your Bouygues Telecom SIM card.

Furthermore, the My Europe SIM is also available as an eSIM (the regular Bouygues Telecom Carte XL is not).

Note that the French mobile operators require your identification (passport) for eSIMs and for physical SIM card.

Note that the French mobile operators require your identification (passport) for eSIMs and physical SIM cards.

Therefore, if you wish to get an eSIM for France without personal detail capturing, you can get eSIMs from Nomad (ten options):

1. 1 GB/7 days (powered by two different providers with different prices) – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
2. 3 GB/30 days – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
3. 3 GB/15 days
4. 5 GB/15 days
5. 5 GB/30 days
6. 10 GB/30 days (powered by two different providers with different prices)
7. 15 GB/30 days
8. 20 GB/30 days

The best part is that you can get 3 USD/2.70 EUR/2.40 GBP/4.05 CAD off using code ADU123 on your first Nomad eSIM purchase!

No idea what or who Nomad is? Check out my Nomad review, where I share my hands-on experience after using its eSIMs in more than 25 countries over two years.

If you plan on visiting other neighboring European nations, consider the Nomad Europe eSIM to be used in 25 or 35 European countries, depending on the plan, with eight variants:

1. 1 GB/7 days (30 countries – new)
2. 1 GB/7 days (35 countries)
3. 3 GB/30 days (30 countries – new)
4. 3 GB/30 days (35 countries)
5. 5 GB/30 days (30 countries – new)
6. 5 GB/30 days (35 countries) – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers (that was before the 25 countries options were added)
7. 10 GB/30 days (30 countries – new)
8. 10 GB/30 days (35 countries) – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers (that was before the 25 countries options were added)

• Be sure to check out my Nomad Europe eSIM review for my insights!

Many more travel eSIMs will perform well in France.

You can read about them in my Best France eSIMs Compared guide for an in-depth comparison.

Note that Bouygues Telecom offers VoLTE (Voice over LTE (4G)) if your phone supports it and you have enabled it in the settings.

Oh, you can also use VoWiFi (Voice over WiFi).

Top-Up, Recharge & Balance Check – Bouygues Telecom

Packages, Plans, Bundles & Offers – Bouygues Telecom

Bouygues Telecom has only one data-featured prepaid plan: Cartes Prépayées XL pour des Communications en Illimité (XL Prepaid Cards for Unlimited Communications). It is a combo plan with data (without 5G NR access), minutes & SMS.

Note that Bouygues Telecom does not allow for free EU/EEA roaming for prepaid customers (the tourist SIM card does allow for EU roaming).

You may want to consider the Bouygues Telecom My European SIM (e)SIM (card) for EU/EEA roaming (or another mobile operator).

I will list all the prices in EUR (Euro).

To convert EUR to your currency (let's say EUR – Euro) with up-to-date exchange rates, use the Wise Currency Converter tool.

Click on the links above to jump to the plan you are interested in.

The My European SIM does provide better value than the most expensive Cartes Prépayées XL pour des Communications en Illimité plan.

Anyway, the following Cartes Prépayées XL pour des Communications en Illimité are available:

Price	Data	Local Minutes	International Credit	Local SMS	Validity
5 EUR	500 MB	Unlimited	3 EUR	Unlimited	3 days
10 EUR	1 GB	Unlimited	5 EUR	Unlimited	10 days
20 EUR	2 GB	Unlimited	10 EUR	Unlimited	1 month
40 EUR	5 GB	Unlimited	25 EUR	Unlimited	2 months

Cartes prépayées classiques pour des communications longue durée – Bouygues Telecom

Cartes prépayées classiques pour des communications longue durée/Plans are combo plans/top-ups with data (without 5G NR access), minutes & SMS.

The following Cartes prépayées classiques pour des communications longue durée are available:

Top-Up	Local/EU Minutes	Local/EU SMS	Validity
5 EUR	13 minutes	55 SMS	1 month
10 EUR	26 minutes	Unlimited	2 months
20 EUR	52 minutes	Unlimited	3 months
40 EUR	105 minutes	Unlimited	6 months

EU Roaming – Bouygues Telecom

You can use your Bouygues Telecom My European SIM card (tourist SIM card) in the following EU/EEA member states without paying roaming fees:

As the Bouygues Telecom My European SIM card does not have dedicated EU/EEA roaming allowances, you can use your full allowance without restrictions in other EU/EEA member states.

APN/Internet Settings – Bouygues Telecom

• Name: Bouygues Telecom
• APN: mmsbouygtel.com

Note: leave anything not mentioned above untouched.

Jump back to the Table of Contents.

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Free Mobile France

Free Mobile France, just Free Mobile, is the smallest mobile operator in France.

However, it is the cheapest option out there (of the Big Four).

Free Mobile basically singlehandedly managed to drop telecommunication prices in France by around half due to its pricing strategy (19.99 EUR for the most expensive plan).

Not only has that plan remained at 19.99 EUR since 2013 (based on the founder's tweet from that time), it has also added more features to that plan.

It went from 20 GB of data included to 210 GB nowadays – and much more.

Moreover, it may have been the first mobile operator to allow free 4G/LTE access, but it certainly was the first allowing 5G NR access for free and to prepaid customers too.

If you understand French, this tweet is apparently funny – but my French is a bit too basic to laugh at it 🥲.

Anyway, while Free Mobile is the cheapest, its coverage still lacks behind the competitors (will be discussed later), so does its speed (including 5G NR).

But you will not have any issues with Free Mobile in most cases.

Free Mobile uses the following frequencies:

• 2G: N/A – never had it
• 3G: 900 MHz & 2100 MHz
• 4G/LTE: 700 MHz (Band 28), 1800 MHz (Band 3) & 2600 MHz (Band 7)
• 5G NR: 700 MHz (n28) & 3500 MHz (n78)
• VoLTE: Yes
• VoWiFi: No – being worked on (since late 2021)

This is what you will learn about Free Mobile:

* Coverage
* How to Get a Free Mobile SIM Card & SIM Card Price
* Topping Up Options & Methods + Balance Check
* Plans & Packages
* APN/Internet Settings

Coverage – Free Mobile France

Free Mobile has the worst coverage in France.

However, it still has extensive coverage throughout the country.

Below is Free Mobile's coverage map produced by Speedtest:

However, click here to see Free Mobile's official coverage map.

SIM Card Price – Free Mobile France

You can buy a Free Mobile SIM card for 10 EUR at Free machines in Free Mobile stores.

Although some call the Free machines vending machines, they look like the image below – not the typical vending machine I think of when I hear the word vending machine.

The machines are in French, but they display easy-to-understand graphics.

You may ask a staff member to help you out… but they usually do not want to.

I will make a video on using the machine when I revisit France 🇫🇷🥳.

Unlike the other mobile operators of the Big Four, Free Mobile SIM cards are activated instantly upon purchase (no wait needed), and you do not need to call or send an SMS to activate it on the network either.

It is also possible to get a Free Mobile eSIM for the same price as a regular SIM card.

Note that the French mobile operators require your identification (passport) for eSIMs and physical SIM cards.

Therefore, if you wish to get an eSIM for France without personal detail capturing, you can get France Bonbon eSIMs from Airalo (six options):

1. 1 GB/7 days – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
2. 2 GB/15 days (new) – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
3. 3 GB/30 days
4. 5 GB/30 days
5. 10 GB/30 days – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
6. 20 GB/30 days (new)

Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in May based on data up to the 17^th of May (2023 data only).

No idea what or who Airalo is? Check out my Airalo review, where I share my hands-on experience after using its eSIMs in more than 25 countries over four years.

If you plan on visiting other countries in Europe and others in other regions or continents, consider the Airalo Discover Global eSIM to be used in 85+ countries worldwide with five variants:

1. 1 GB/7 days
2. 3 GB/15 days – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
3. 5 GB/30 days – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
4. 10 GB/60 days
5. 20 GB/180 days – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers

Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in May based on data up to the 17^th of May (2023 data only).

Do you think the map above is nice, but you want a country list instead (because you do not recognize the countries on a map🗿)? You can find it in my Airalo review!

• Be sure to check out my Airalo Discover Global eSIM review for my insights!

Many more travel eSIMs will perform well in France.

You can read about them in my Best France eSIMs Compared guide for an in-depth comparison.

Note that Free Mobile offers VoLTE (Voice over LTE (4G)) if your phone supports it and you have enabled it in the settings but no VoWiFi (Voice over WiFi) yet.

After years delay, compared to its competitors, Free Mobile announced that it wants to finally (bring) VoWiFi to its customers.

However, it is unknown how long it will take before the feature is available.

Top-Up, Recharge & Balance Check – Free Mobile France

Packages, Plans, Bundles & Offers – Free Mobile France

Free Mobile has only one data-featured prepaid plan: Forfait Mobile Free. It is a combo plan with data (without 5G NR access), minutes & SMS.

It acts as prepaid and postpaid plans, depending on what type of SIM card you chose when you bought it at the Free Machine.

And make sure to select forfait sans engagement (non-binding agreement/contract) on the machine!

You can activate a plan on a Free Machine, online, or on the Free Mobile – Mon Compte app:

Price	Plan	Data	EU/EEA Data	Local/EU Minutes 1	Local/EU SMS 1	Validity
2 EUR	Forfait €2	50 MB	Shared with data allowance	120 minutes	Unlimited	1 month
14.99 EUR	Série Free 80 Go	110 GB	16 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	1 month
19.99 EUR	Forfait Free 5G	210 GB 2	25 GB 3	Unlimited	Unlimited	1 month

¹ for calls/SMS within and to other EU/EEA member states and back to France (NOT from France to other EU/EEA member states)
² with 5G NR access
³ besides EU/EEA roaming, it can also be used in Australia, Canada, Israel, New Zealand, South Africa & the United States

EU Roaming – Free Mobile France

You can use your Free Mobile allowances in the following EU/EEA member states without paying roaming fees:

Be aware that, in some cases, the EU/EEA roaming allowance is lower than the domestic allowances.

APN/Internet Settings – Free Mobile France

• Name: Free
• APN: free

Note: leave anything not mentioned above untouched.

Jump back to the Table of Contents.

La Poste Mobile France

Coverage – La Poste Mobile France

La Poste Mobile is an SFR France MVNO, meaning La Poste Mobile uses the SFR France network and does not have its own mobile infrastructure.

To find out what to expect in terms of coverage with La Poste Mobile, jump to the SFR France Coverage section.

SIM Card Price – La Poste Mobile France

You can get a La Poste Mobile SIM Card for 9.90 EUR with 10 EUR credit in La Poste post offices. La Poste Mobile SIM cards are not sold at airports, such as Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG).

Registration can be done in La Poste post offices or online (1/2).

La Poste Mobile has no eSIMs.

Note that the French mobile operators require your identification (EU ID/passport) for (future) eSIMs and physical SIM cards.

Therefore, if you wish to get an eSIM for France without personal detail capturing, you can get unlimited data eSIMs from Holafly (six options):

1. Unlimited/5 days – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
2. Unlimited/7 days
3. Unlimited/10 days – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
4. Unlimited/15 days
5. Unlimited/20 days
6. Unlimited/30 days – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers

Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in May based on data up to the 17^th of May (2023 data only).

The best part is that you can get 5% off using code PHONETRAVELWIZ on each Holafly eSIM purchase!

No idea what or who Holafly is? Check out my Holafly review, where I share my hands-on experience after using its eSIMs in more than ten countries over two years.

If you plan on visiting other countries in Europe and others in other regions or continents, consider the Nomad Global eSIM to be used in 110 countries worldwide with three variants:

1. 1 GB/7 days
2. 3 GB/30 days
3. 5 GB/30 days – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers

Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in April based on data up to the 20^th of April .

Do you think the map above is nice, but you want a country list instead (because you do not recognize the countries on a map🗿)? You can find it in my Nomad review!

Remember to use code ADU123 for 3 USD/2.70 EUR/2.40 GBP/4.05 CAD off your first Nomad purchase!

Many more travel eSIMs will perform well in France.

You can read about them in my Best France eSIMs Compared guide for an in-depth comparison.

Note that La Poste Mobile offers VoLTE (Voice over LTE (4G)) if your phone supports it and you have enabled it in the settings.

Oh, you can also use VoWiFi (Voice over WiFi).

Top-Up, Recharge & Balance Check – La Poste Mobile France

Packages, Plans, Bundles & Offers – La Poste Mobile France

La Poste Mobile has only one data-featured prepaid plan: Recharge. It is a combo plan with data (without 5G NR access), minutes & SMS.

I will list all the prices in EUR (Euro).

To convert EUR to your currency (let's say GBP – (British) Pound (Sterling)) with up-to-date exchange rates, use the Wise Currency Converter tool.

The following Recharges are available:

Price	Data	Local Minutes	Local SMS	Validity
5 EUR	100 MB	Unlimited	Unlimited	7 days
10 EUR	500 MB	Unlimited	Unlimited	15 days
20 EUR	2 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	60 days
30 EUR	4 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	90 days

APN/Internet Settings – La Poste Mobile

• Name: Web La Poste Mobile
• APN: sl2sfr

Note: leave anything not mentioned above untouched.

Jump back to the Table of Contents.

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Lebara France

Coverage – Lebara France

Lebara is an Orange France MVNO, meaning Lebara uses the Orange France network and does not have its own mobile infrastructure.

To find out what to expect in terms of coverage with Lebara, jump to the Orange France Coverage section.

SIM Card Price – Lebara France

You can get a Lebara SIM card for 5 EUR to 50 EUR with the same value in credit or with a plan from Lebara resellers, including grocery stores, gas stations & electronic shops.

Registration can be done by the Lebara resellers or online.

Lebara has no eSIMs.

Note that the French mobile operators require your identification (EU ID/passport) for (future) eSIMs and physical SIM cards.

Therefore, if you wish to get an eSIM for France without personal detail capturing, you can get eSIMs from Nomad (ten options):

1. 1 GB/7 days (powered by two different providers with different prices) – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
2. 3 GB/30 days – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
3. 3 GB/15 days
4. 5 GB/15 days
5. 5 GB/30 days
6. 10 GB/30 days (powered by two different providers with different prices)
7. 15 GB/30 days
8. 20 GB/30 days

The best part is that you can get 3 USD/2.70 EUR/2.40 GBP/4.05 CAD off using code ADU123 on your first Nomad eSIM purchase!

No idea what or who Nomad is? Check out my Nomad review, where I share my hands-on experience after using its eSIMs in more than 25 countries over two years.

If you plan on visiting other neighboring European nations, consider the Airalo Eurolink eSIM to be used in 39 European countries with six variants:

1. 1 GB/7 days
2. 3 GB/30 days – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
3. 5 GB/30 days – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
4. 10 GB/30 days – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
5. 50 GB/90 days
6. 100 GB/180 days

Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in May based on data up to the 17^th of May (2023 data only).

Do you think the map above is nice, but you want a country list instead (because you do not recognize the countries on a map🗿)? You can find it in my Airalo review!

• Be sure to check out my Airalo Eurolink eSIM review for my insights!

Many more travel eSIMs will perform well in France.

You can read about them in my Best France eSIMs Compared guide for an in-depth comparison.

Be aware that there is no VoLTE or VoWiFi with Lebara.

Top-Up, Recharge & Balance Check – Lebara France

Packages, Plans, Bundles & Offers – Lebara France

Lebara has two data-featured prepaid plans: Forfaits Mobile Mensuels (combo) & Pass Internet 4G+ (data).

I will list all the prices in EUR (Euro).

To convert EUR to your currency (let's say GBP – (British) Pound (Sterling)) with up-to-date exchange rates, use the Wise Currency Converter tool.

Forfaits Mobile Mensuels (Monthly Mobile Plans) – Lebara France

The Forfaits Mobile Mensuels (Monthly Mobile Plans) are combo bundles with data (without 5G NR access), minutes & SMS.

Forfaits Mobile Mensuels can be activated online:

Price	Data	Local/EU Minutes 1	Local/EU SMS 1	International Minutes 2	Validity
2 EUR	N/A	120 minutes	N/A	N/A	30 days
4.99 EUR	1 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	N/A	30 days
9.99 EUR	10 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	30 days
9.99 EUR	40 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	N/A	30 days
14.99 EUR	90 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	240 minutes	30 days
19.99 EUR	150 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	30 days
24.99 EUR	250 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	30 days

¹ for calls/SMS within and to other EU/EEA member states and back to France (NOT from France to other EU/EEA member states)
² to Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, the Faroe Islands, Finland, French Guiana, Germany, Greece, Guadeloupe, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Martinique, Mayotte, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Réunion, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Kingdom & the United States

Pass Internet 4G+ Plans – Lebara France

The Pass Internet 4G+ plans are data bundles (without 5G NR access).

Text the Activation Code to 22241 to activate Pass Internet 4G+:

Price	Plan	Data	EU/EEA Data	Validity	Activation Code	Deactivation Code
4.99 EUR	Pass Internet XS	1 GB	Shared with data allowance	30 days	WEBXS	WEBXS*STOP
9.99 EUR	Pass Internet S	3 GB	2 GB	30 days	WEBSML	WEBSML*STOP
19.99 EUR	Pass Internet M	10 GB	5.1 GB	30 days	WEBMED	WEBMED*STOP
29.99 EUR	Pass Internet L	20 GB	5.6 GB	30 days	WEBLRG	WEBLRG*STOP
49.99 EUR	Pass Internet XL	40 GB	9.7 GB	30 days	WEBXL	WEBXL*STOP

Pass Internet 4G+ auto-renew. To disable auto-renewal, text the Deactivation Code to 22241.

APN/Internet Settings – Lebara France

• Name: Lebara
• APN: fr.lebara.mobi

Note: leave anything not mentioned above untouched.

Jump back to the Table of Contents.

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Lycamobile France

Coverage – Lycamobile France

Lycamobile is a Bouygues Telecom MVNO, meaning Lycamobile uses the Bouygues Telecom network and does not have its own mobile infrastructure.

To find out what to expect in terms of coverage with Lycamobile, jump to the Bouygues Telecom Coverage section.

SIM Card Price – Lycamobile France

You can get a Lycamobile SIM card for 5 EUR to 50 EUR with the same value in credit or with a plan from Lycamobile resellers, including grocery stores, gas stations & electronic shops.

Registration can be done by the Lycamobile resellers or online.

Lycamobile has no eSIMs.

Note that the French mobile operators require your identification (EU ID/passport) for (future) eSIMs and physical SIM cards.

Therefore, if you wish to get an eSIM for France without personal detail capturing, you can get France Bonbon eSIMs from Airalo (six options):

1. 1 GB/7 days – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
2. 2 GB/15 days (new) – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
3. 3 GB/30 days
4. 5 GB/30 days
5. 10 GB/30 days – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
6. 20 GB/30 days (new)

Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in May based on data up to the 17^th of May (2023 data only).

No idea what or who Airalo is? Check out my Airalo review, where I share my hands-on experience after using its eSIMs in more than 25 countries over four years.

If you plan on visiting other neighboring European nations, consider the Holafly Europe eSIM to be used in 33 European countries, also with unlimited data, with seven variants:

1. Unlimited/5 days – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
2. Unlimited/7 days
3. Unlimited/10 days
4. Unlimited/15 days – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
5. Unlimited/20 days
6. Unlimited/30 days
7. Unlimited/60 days

Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in March based on data up to the 7^th of March.

Do you think the map above is nice, but you want a country list instead (because you do not recognize the countries on a map🗿)? You can find it in my Holafly review!

Remember to use code PHONETRAVELWIZ for 5% off each Holafly purchase!

Many more travel eSIMs will perform well in France.

You can read about them in my Best France eSIMs Compared guide for an in-depth comparison.

Be aware that there is no VoLTE or VoWiFi with Lycamobile.

Top-Up, Recharge & Balance Check – Lycamobile France

Packages, Plans, Bundles & Offers – Lycamobile France

Lycamobile has three data-featured prepaid plans:

• Pass National (combo)
• Forfaits (combo)
• Data Bolt-Ons (data)

I will list all the prices in EUR (Euro).

To convert EUR to your currency (let's say GBP – (British) Pound (Sterling)) with up-to-date exchange rates, use the Wise Currency Converter tool.

Click on the links above to jump to the plan you are interested in.

Pass National Plans – Lycamobile France

The Pass National plans are combo bundles with data (without 5G NR access), minutes & SMS.

Dial the Activation Code to activate Pass National:

Price	Plan	Data	EU/EEA Data	Local/EU Minutes 1	Local/EU SMS 1	Validity	Activation Code
9.99 EUR	Pass National S4	10 GB	9.25 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	30 days	*139*4099#
14.99 EUR	Pass National Bonanza	35 GB	13.9 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	30 days	*139*112#
19.99 EUR	Pass National L Plus	60 GB	18.55 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	30 days	*139*3021#
24.99 EUR	Pass National XL	70 GB	23.15 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	30 days	*139*3025#
29.99 EUR	Pass National XXL	80 GB	27.8 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	30 days	*139*3030#
34.99 EUR	Pass National XXL	250 GB	32.4 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	30 days	*139*3035#

¹ for calls/SMS within and to other EU/EEA member states and back to France (NOT from France to other EU/EEA member states)

Forfaits (Plans) – Lycamobile France

The Forfaits (Plans) are combo bundles with data (without 5G NR access), minutes & SMS.

Forfaits can be activated online:

Price	Plan	Data	EU/EEA Data	Local/EU Minutes 1	Local/EU SMS 1	International Minutes 2	Validity
9.99 EUR	Forfait Lyca S	10 GB	9.25 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	N/A	30 days
9.99 EUR	Forfait Lyca S Plus	40 GB	9.25 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	N/A	30 days
14.99 EUR	Forfait Lyca M	50 GB	13.9 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	30 days
19.99 EUR	Forfait Lyca L	80 GB	18.55 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	30 days
24.99 EUR	Forfait Lyca XL	250 GB	23.15 GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	N/A	30 days

¹ for calls/SMS within and to other EU/EEA member states and back to France (NOT from France to other EU/EEA member states)
² to Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, the Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Frenc Guiana, Germany, Greece, Guadeloupe, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Martinique, Mayotte, Mongolia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Réunion, Romania, Singapore, Slovenia, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Kingdom & the United States

Data Bolt-Ons – Lycamobile France

The Data Bolt-Ons plans are, unlike the name implies, data bundles (without 5G NR access) that can be purchased as standalone plans (they are not add-ons).

Dial the Activation Code to activate Data Bold-Ons:

Price	Data	EU/EEA Data	Validity	Activation Code
9.99 EUR	10 GB	9.25 GB	30 days	*139*5004#
19.99 EUR	20 GB	18.55 GB	30 days	*139*5006#
29.99 EUR	30 GB	27.8 GB	30 days	*139*5007#
49.99 EUR	60 GB	46.3 GB	30 days	*139*5008#

APN/Internet Settings – Lycamobile France

• Name: Lycamobile
• APN: data.lycamobile.fr
• Username: lmfr
• Password: plus

Note: leave anything not mentioned above untouched.

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Réglo Mobile France

To be written.

Coverage – Réglo Mobile France

Réglo Mobile is an SFR France MVNO, meaning Réglo Mobile uses the SFR France network and does not have its own mobile infrastructure.

To find out what to expect in terms of coverage with Réglo Mobile, jump to the SFR France Coverage section.

SIM Card Price – Réglo Mobile France

You can get a Réglo Mobile SIM card for 10 EUR with 5 EUR credit in E.Leclerc stores.

Registration can be done in E.Leclerc stores.

Réglo Mobile has no eSIMs.

Note that the French mobile operators require your identification (EU ID/passport) for (future) eSIMs and physical SIM cards.

Therefore, if you wish to get an eSIM for France without personal detail capturing, you can get unlimited data eSIMs from Holafly (six options):

1. Unlimited/5 days – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
2. Unlimited/7 days
3. Unlimited/10 days – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
4. Unlimited/15 days
5. Unlimited/20 days
6. Unlimited/30 days – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers

Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in May based on data up to the 17^th of May (2023 data only).

The best part is that you can get 5% off using code PHONETRAVELWIZ on each Holafly eSIM purchase!

No idea what or who Holafly is? Check out my Holafly review, where I share my hands-on experience after using its eSIMs in more than ten countries over two years.

If you plan on visiting other neighboring European nations, consider the Nomad Europe eSIM to be used in 25 or 35 European countries, depending on the plan, with eight variants:

1. 1 GB/7 days (30 countries – new)
2. 1 GB/7 days (35 countries)
3. 3 GB/30 days (30 countries – new)
4. 3 GB/30 days (35 countries)
5. 5 GB/30 days (30 countries – new)
6. 5 GB/30 days (35 countries) – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers (that was before the 25 countries options were added)
7. 10 GB/30 days (30 countries – new)
8. 10 GB/30 days (35 countries) – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers (that was before the 25 countries options were added)

• Be sure to check out my Nomad Europe eSIM review for my insights!

Many more travel eSIMs will perform well in France.

You can read about them in my Best France eSIMs Compared guide for an in-depth comparison.

Top-Up, Recharge & Balance Check – Réglo Mobile France

Packages, Plans, Bundles & Offers – Réglo Mobile France

Réglo Mobile has only one data-featured prepaid plan: Les Forfaits Illimités. It is a combo bundle with data (with 5G NR access), minutes & SMS.

I will list all the prices in EUR (Euro).

To convert EUR to your currency (let's say GBP – (British) Pound (Sterling)) with up-to-date exchange rates, use the Wise Currency Converter tool.

Call 437 to activate Les Forfaits Illimités:

Price	Data	EU/EEA Data	Local/EU Minutes 1	Local/EU SMS 1	Validity
4.95 EUR	6 GB	5 GB	Unlimited	“Unlimited”, 5000 SMS	30 days
9.95 EUR	60 GB	10 GB	Unlimited	“Unlimited”, 5000 SMS	30 days
14.95 EUR	120 GB	14 GB	Unlimited	“Unlimited”, 5000 SMS	30 days
19.95 EUR	150 GB 2	19 GB	Unlimited	“Unlimited”, 5000 SMS	30 days

¹ for calls/SMS within and to other EU/EEA member states and back to France (NOT from France to other EU/EEA member states)
² with 5G NR access

APN/Internet Settings – Réglo Mobile France

• Name: Internet RegloMobile
• APN: sl2sfr

Note: leave anything not mentioned above untouched.

Jump back to the Table of Contents.

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Syma Mobile

Coverage – Syma Mobile

Syma Mobile is an SFR France MVNO, meaning Syma Mobile uses the SFR France network and does not have its own mobile infrastructure.

To find out what to expect in terms of coverage with Syma Mobile, jump to the SFR France Coverage section.

SIM Card Price – Syma Mobile

You can get a Syma Mobile SIM card for 10 EUR with 5 EUR credit from Syma (Mobile) stores.

Registration can be done in Syma Mobile stores or online (1/2).

Syma Mobile has no eSIMs.

Note that the French mobile operators require your identification (EU ID/passport) for (future) eSIMs and physical SIM cards.

Therefore, if you wish to get an eSIM for France without personal detail capturing, you can get eSIMs from Nomad (ten options):

1. 1 GB/7 days (powered by two different providers with different prices) – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
2. 3 GB/30 days – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
3. 3 GB/15 days
4. 5 GB/15 days
5. 5 GB/30 days
6. 10 GB/30 days (powered by two different providers with different prices)
7. 15 GB/30 days
8. 20 GB/30 days

The best part is that you can get 3 USD/2.70 EUR/2.40 GBP/4.05 CAD off using code ADU123 on your first Nomad eSIM purchase!

No idea what or who Nomad is? Check out my Nomad review, where I share my hands-on experience after using its eSIMs in more than 25 countries over two years.

If you plan on visiting other countries in Europe and others in other regions or continents, consider the Airalo Discover Global eSIM to be used in 85+ countries worldwide with five variants:

1. 1 GB/7 days
2. 3 GB/15 days – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
3. 5 GB/30 days – most popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers
4. 10 GB/60 days
5. 20 GB/180 days – very popular with Phone Travel Wiz readers

Note: Phone Travel Wiz reader popularity ranking was updated in May based on data up to the 17^th of May (2023 data only).

Do you think the map above is nice, but you want a country list instead (because you do not recognize the countries on a map🗿)? You can find it in my Airalo review!

• Be sure to check out my Airalo Discover Global eSIM review for my insights!

Many more travel eSIMs will perform well in France.

You can read about them in my Best France eSIMs Compared guide for an in-depth comparison.

Top-Up, Recharge & Balance Check – Syma Mobile

Packages, Plans, Bundles & Offers – Syma Mobile

Syma Mobile has only one data-featured prepaid plans: Internet Options. It is, as the name implies, a data plan (without 5G NR access).

I will list all the prices in EUR (Euro).

To convert EUR to your currency (let's say GBP – (British) Pound (Sterling)) with up-to-date exchange rates, use the Wise Currency Converter tool.

Text the Activation Code to 20555 to activate Internet Options:

Price	Data	Validity	Activation Code
5 EUR	5 GB	30 days	5G
10 EUR	10 GB	30 days	10G

APN/Internet Settings – Syma Mobile

• Name: Symamobile
• APN: symamobile.com

Note: leave anything not mentioned above untouched.

Jump back to the Table of Contents.

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Vectone Mobile France

To be written.

Coverage – Vectone Mobile France

To be written.

SIM Card Price – Vectone Mobile France

To be written.

Top-Up, Recharge & Balance Check – Vectone Mobile France

To be written.

Packages, Plans, Bundles & Offers – Vectone Mobile France

Vectone Mobile has two data-featured prepaid plans: France Package (combo) & Mobile Internet Bundles (data).

I will list all the prices in EUR (Euro).

To convert EUR to your currency (let's say GBP – (British) Pound (Sterling)) with up-to-date exchange rates, use the Wise Currency Converter tool.

Click on the links above to jump to the plan you are interested in.

France Package – Vectone Mobile Vectone Mobile France

The France Package are combo plans with data (without 5G NR access), minutes & SMS.

Price	Data	EU/Roaming Data 1	Local/EU Minutes	International Minutes	EU/Roaming Minutes 1	Local/EU SMS	EU/Roaming SMS 1	Validity	Activation Code
0.99 EUR	100 MB	100 MB	100 minutes	N/A	5 minutes	100 minutes	20 SMS	30 days	*8107#
2.99 EUR	250 MB	250 MB	250 minutes	N/A	20 minutes	250 minutes	60 SMS	30 days	*8185#
4.99 EUR	3 GB	500 MB	300 minutes	N/A	30 minutes	300 minutes	100 SMS	30 days	*8108#
7.99 EUR	4 GB	800 MB	500 minutes	N/A	60 minutes	“Unlimited”, 1000 SMS	150 SMS	30 days	*8188#
9.99 EUR	10 GB	1 GB	“Unlimited”, 3000 minutes	100 minutes	70 minutes	“Unlimited”, 1000 SMS	200 SMS	30 days	*8109#

Mobile Internet Bundle – Vectone Mobile France

The Mobile Internet Bundle are combo plans with data (without 5G NR access).

Price	Data	Validity	Activation Code
0.99 EUR	100 MB	30 days	*8102#
2.99 EUR	500 MB	30 days	*8103#
3.99 EUR	1 GB	30 days	*8104#
4.99 EUR	2 GB	30 days	*8192#
9.99 EUR	4 GB	30 days	*8106#
29.99 EUR	10 GB	30 days	*8149#

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The Preferred Way to Stay Connected When Traveling in France

Getting a SIM card from Orange or Free Mobile would do you well when considering a French SIM card.