We travel to Europe quite often (every other year) but we seem to have problems with cell phones every time that we visit. We have a very simple phone that we have unlocked so we are free to shop for a SIM card during our stay in France. The problem that we encountered during our last stay was that we had to pay a lot of money for cell phone service that was expensive and limited to 7 days (we will be in France for 9 days). We only need a phone for emergency situations and we will also be visiting in London for a day in the middle of our France trip so we'd like to also use the service while in England. Thanks in advance for your help.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32216 posts
Lois B,
As you don't plan to use the phone frequently or access data, you might consider using a SIM from one of the travel phone firms. Some of these are iRoam, Cellular Abroad, Telestial or Mobal (there are others). Many of these use a U.K.-based number, but have consistent rates across much of western Europe. Billing is usually post-paid, with calls charged to a credit card so no worries about topping up. Some of them can be kept active when not travelling, and used from year-to-year, and a few offer an optional U.S. number (at extra cost) so that it's easy for friends and family to ring through without incurring international long distance charges.
I used a service of that type in the pre-iPhone days when I travelled with a basic phone. It worked well and was cost effective.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, US
1005 posts
I've used Lebara SIM cards in France. They have excellent rates and a website with an English version. Even the customer service people speak English!
Posted by
Boulder, Colorado, USA
437 posts
Tmobile is working well for me on this trip. No SIM card needed and 2G data for no extra charge. So far it has worked great in Netherlands, Belgium and France.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
784 posts
Another endorsement for Lebara. The SIM costs 5€ and you can top it off for 5 or 10 euros and have plenty of minutes. I bought mine at the first tabac I came to, and followed the instructions to reach English-speaking customer service to activate. It took less than 5 minutes.
Posted by
Paris and New York
41 posts
You should also check into the Truphone Prepaid Sim. Not the cheapest, but works everywhere, and is a pleasant alternative to monthly cell service here in the USA.