Hi Francophiles!
My partner and I will be traveling from Boston to Paris and the driving from there and staying in Normandy, the Dordogne and Lyon in June for two weeks.
We were in Paris 5 years ago, and 5 years in phone tech is an eternity. So we want to know if we should just use our smartphones ( T mobile) and purchase a foreign plan or do what we did before which was buy a SIM card at the airport to replace my T mobile one or get a Google number ( as I've heard one can do but not sure if that works in France) or is there something else better/ smarter to do? Will we need a French phone number for reservations etc? What is best done in 2024?
HS
Posted by
NorthCarolina
1060 posts
There's a TRAVEL TIPS section here on this website and PHONES are one of the topics - I suggest you read all of the TRAVEL TIPS -- the money and other topics are so helpful.
We find it's cheaper and easier just to get the International Plan while we are there. Many times the 30 day purchase is a better deal than the $10/day option - best to get on the T Mobile website - there is usually a great explanation of the differences there.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
My T-Mobile plan covers texting and data in France, with calls at 25 cents/minute or $5/day. I can choose each day whether to pay for that unlimited calling (I never have). So check with the company about what your plan covers there. I hardly ever used the phone for calls, but I used it a lot for texting and data, including GPS.
Posted by
Freedonia
16270 posts
I travel all over Europe with T-Mobile. I don't get the international plan because my trips are too long.
Check to see which T-Mobile plan you have. Some come with a basic international plan.
For calls, I try to wait until I am in my hotel and on wifi. Then I use Skype. 2 cents a minute versus 25 cents a minute for T-Mobile.
I have Whats App and use it occassionally but some of the people I call don't have it and aren't interested in getting it. Or they still use a landline.
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
7937 posts
I’m another T-mobile customer. We switched from Verizon several years ago, partly because of the International Plan that came with it. We keep our same number, at home in the USA or abroad, and as Dick described, calls are 25 cents a minute, but we don’t place too many calls, or for too long. If you call anybody on the WhatsApp app, the calls have no extra charge. Check with T-mobile … you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised at what you’ve already got on your plan.
Posted by
Loire Valley
824 posts
If you're not needing french people to call you there's no point getting another SIM.
Posted by
Chicago
8550 posts
We buy international plans for data and calls from t-mobile and that has worked well. The main thing is having the data plan. We use our computers a lot as well as the phones for navigation.
Posted by
2 posts
You can buy cheap phone number from place like post offices or "tabac".
but not sure it that needed, most places you will stay in offer free wifi.
Posted by
Chicago
1138 posts
I have Tmobile, same plan as Dick above. No need for new phone number. I’ve received and made phone calls in France as easily as in the US.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA
207 posts
Just to throw this out there - I am finding more and more public wifi networks in Europe are texting a verification code before you can access the network, and the texts don't go through to US phone numbers. It's in these instances that I am especially grateful to have an eSIM (Orange) that gives me a French phone number.