France-SIM card w unlimited data

Can you use Google Fi? That way you could set it up before your trip and know it works. See https://support.google.com/fi/answer/9823429?hl=en It's $17/mos plus $10/GB according to https://fi.google.com/about/

Technically, you don't need a data plan if only Google maps is wanted. You can download all your maps on your phone, with airplane mode on. Otherwise, depending how long you want to be there for, you can get Orange at CDG, where they will set it up for you. If 2 weeks is too short a plan, SFR has 30 day PAYG sim plans. I am pretty sure they are not at CDG and you would need to go one of their offices. They like appointments.

You really don't require unlimited data, but if that is what you want, I am not sure Orange offers it. I went to London for a few weeks and never turned data off, used Google constantly (bus schedules etc) and I never got close to using up all the data they gave me.

Why do you require another phone? You just remove your own sim in any smartalec phone and you can't accidentally use North American data while in Europe. This is the nice thing about Orange at the airport. Everything done properly in no time flat, with minimal time wasted.

Now, for calling home, Google duo works over wi-fi - no phone time needed. Most NA phone companies also allow WiFi calling TO home base and within France, using your own number from home. You can use the airport WiFi (wee fee to the French) for nothing.

So it is a complicated state of affairs, so I take notes and make columns for all the possibilities for the least cost.

In France tho, Orange, because it just works. But make sure you end up near one of their shops (which are all over the place) at the end of two weeks, because Europeans don't like North American credit cards online.

To phoffen:

Thank you for the practical advice, but unless we get lucky we may have some important bz to conduct, and it's too difficult to get folks to call on a strange number. The other option is to move the SIMS in and out, but that seems fraught with peril of loss. Then I'm sunk.
I think having an inexpensive phone to use just when traveling is worth it. Can you recommend a good phone for France? A burner phone: prepaid and done. Then use it again and again and again...
Please explain your quote: "...But make sure you end up near one of their shops (which are all over the place) at the end of two weeks, because Europeans don't like North American credit cards online.". I would prefer just to buy a bunch of GB and be done with it. What's the max GB that Orange offers?

TO JOHN,
I checked out the Google Fi, interesting, but then I saw on your post that it costs $10/GB on top of the $60 monthly cost. And right now I'm getting the spinning arrows on Google Fi, when I put in my home address (they had the wrong one). So not so thrifty...unless I'm missing something here. Totally possible bc the phone thing befuddles my brain.

Hi John again,
Pepperment here. Appears there's some requirement for "group members": who are my "group members? "....Your group members will choose their numbers when they accept email invites to your plan."

Sorry to be so slow on this...

I am unsure if you mean that you have a locked phone through a provider or an unlocked phone and you are paying monthly for service. If your phone is unlocked, most iphones will allow for dual sims. You can add an esim with data only and then just switch sims through phone setting when you want to have data. If it is locked, it may make more sense to pay off the phone with your provider to unlock it and then follow the same process.

Seriously, just buy the SIM card from Amazon before you leave and install it before you land.

Most new phones have dual SIMs, one a virtual SIM and the other a tangible plastic card. Stick a paper clip into the little hole on the side and the drawer slides out. Take out the SIM card and stick it to one of your passport pages with a piece of Scotch Tape so you know where it is. BTW, don't do this unless your phone is powered down. Slide the new SIM card into the phone and power up the phone when you land in France.

Here's the link for the SIM:

https://www.amazon.com/Orange-Holiday-Europe-New-Package/dp/B07RXYH2NW/ref=sr_1_3?crid=36VI16GAE8837&keywords=sim+card+for+europe&qid=1649353072&sprefix=sim+card+for+europe%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-3

FWIW, putting in a different SIM card doesn't affect your apps, like Google Maps. It just tells your phone where to look for cellular data; instead of looking in say, California, it tells it to look in France.

I don't understand why you need any data at all to use Google Maps. Not that I would recommend using Google Maps, they're usually too old and too unreliable.

At the moment I am recommending Organic Maps https://organicmaps.app. It's a lightweight fork of Maps.me, less instrusive, more detailed, and updated every month. It uses open street map data. Just install the ap, then download the Paris and surrounds maps - 32Mb

Google Fi is not $60/month plus $10 per GB of data. It's about $20/month plus $10 per GB of data. And the data is prorated, so you don't pay $20 for data if you use 1.2 GB.

RE: Google Fi- cost depends on the plan you choose and the number of people on it. What it just quoted me would have been about 40.00. month. But I would have had to replace the SIM card in my I phone, I am so not doing that!.

How about adding an E Sim to your current phone? Change phone settings to use the E Sim for data. I believe the US number can remain active in case someone calls you.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209044

A quick search turned up orange travel plans. Orange often comes up in the forums for France SIM cards

https://travel.orange.com/en/detail-data-only/?geozone=FR

20 GB for €30 good for 30 days. May be able to top up if you need additional data.

Google Fi will work on an iPhone through an eSIM. Google Fi on iPhone. No need to remove your physical SIM.