I just found out my cell phone won't work in France. Has anyone purchased a cheap phone with pre-paid minutes for use in France? If so, where might I find one upon arrival? Are they easy to find in the airport, or are they just as easy to find around town? We'll be staying in the Latin Quarter and I assume there should be kiosks nearby. However, we're staying in a rented apartment, and I really want to have it when we arrive at the apartment that first day in case we can't get in or there is some scheduling problem with the landlord and are stuck out on the street. Thanks!
Posted by
Green Bay
20085 posts
Most people here would say buy a used, unlocked 4-band phone on ebay. then get a SIM card in Paris, either at the airport, train station, or a shop or even Tabac in town. They seem to be every where, but hours will vary. The airport is sure to have some, about 15 euro with 15 minutes starter time, if I recall.
Posted by
Portland, Oregon
5687 posts
You need an unlocked GSM phone, probably a quad band "world phone." Ask friends or family who might have an old T-Mobile or AT&T phone laying around (they use GSM; Sprint an Verizon use a different technology called CDMA) that they might ask their carrier to unlock for you. It still must be a "world" (quad band) GSM phone though even if unlocked. As noted above, you can buy such a phone on eBay too. Then you can buy a French SIM card when you get to Paris. (GSM phones use a little SIM card to identify the phone, Sprint and Verizon don't use SIM cards at least not in their older phones.) You have to take the battery out of the phone and insert the SIM card that way.
If you will have a tablet or laptop with you, you could also use Skype (when connected via WiFi) to make cheap phone calls within France. You can buy a little headset for it otherwise it will be like a speaker phone. You'll also either have to buy $10 USD worth of Skype credit to make calls (which are only a few cents a minute) or buy some sort of unlimited-for-the-month plan if you think you'll be making a lot of calls. Skype is free computer to computer but it costs money to use your computer or tablet to call actual phones. In your case, it could be the most practical thing just to use Skype in this way if you'll only be making the occasional phone call. (There is WiFi at CDG airport - first 15 minutes free - if you are flying in there.)
Posted by
Savannah, GA
1336 posts
You could go to a tabac and many of them sell Orange mobicarte (a cheap BIC (yes, BIC like the pen) phone). If not Bic there are other cheaper models. Even La Poste sells mobile phones
Posted by
OP
11 posts
Thanks, everyone! Very good to know. I am leaving Wednesday, so there won't be time to get a from online, but I will look for the cheap phones once I get to Paris.