Paris Metro Pass - Buying and downloading online

Where did you read this?

If you download the Bonjour app, you can remotely charge a Navigo Découverte or Navigo Easy card, but you must have the card and once it’s loaded, it’s valid for use. There is no rational reason to do this much in advance.

On Samsung phones, you can use the phone as a card, but I prefer to use the cards.

I would recommend all-zone Navigo Découverte Weekly Pass (€ 22.8 + €5 for new pass case) since your stay is withing the same calendar week. It requires a face photo (3cm x 2.5cm) and your name on it. Without these you can get a fine by inspector.

It's good from Monday to Sunday of the same week for unlimited rides on all metro, RER, city buses and Roissybus. All zones (1-5) pass will cover CDG airport & Versailles.

You can buy or refill the card at metro, RER stations, and CDG airport RER station ticket office (between 2C/2E or 2D/2F). Pass will be activated the first time you use it by waving it near the sensor pad at the gate.

You can read the detail here:
https://parisbytrain.com/paris-train-metro-week-pass-navigo-decouverte/

Edit:
Their website says Navigo Découverte is open to everyone; the regular Navigo card is indeed for Paris city residents only.
https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr/aide-et-contacts/passe-navigo-decouverte/quelles-sont-les-conditions-dobtention-dun-passe-navigo-decouverte

Somehow I always assumed it needed to be 'activated'; but what you guys said made sense since it's good only within a particular calendar week. It does not need to count days of use. It's a contactless card, so you simply wave or tap it on the sensor pad at the metro fare gate.

@ Victoria: since you arrive on a Thursday; if you decide to buy Navigo Découverte weekly pass make sure to buy it on your arrival day as Thursday (till 11:59 pm) is the last day to buy it for the same week. BTK, Navigo Découverte is not available for purchase or renew online. New card has to be purchased in person at the Metro/RER ticket office/window. Renew/reload old card can be done by either Metro/RER Navigo ticket vending machine (place card on the purple card reader); or at Metro/RER ticket office/window.

Pass will be activated the first time you use it by waving it near the sensor pad at the gate.

If you are referencing the Navigo weekly pass, the pass value is not stored until it is used. The weekly passes automatically become active either Monday (if you purchased it on the preceding Friday, Saturday, or Sunday) or on the day it is purchased (Monday through Thursday of the current week). Passes loaded onto a Navigo card Thursday through Sunday do not become active until the following Monday.

Though it may be purchased by anyone, the weekly Navigo fare is designed for those commuting to work Monday morning.

The ND is not 'activated' -- it is good for the period it is good for. With every use it records the entry so that if you are stopped by an inspector or need to exit an RER station, the system has recorded this on the pass. When an inspector stops you, they can read the pass to see if you validated it for that ride.

I think the Visite is probably 'activated' the first time it is put through the turnstile since is runs for x days and starts the first day you use it. But you don't wave it over a sensor, you use it like a ticket (unless that has changed recently with the transition to the new system which will not use paper tickets at some point.

This isn't a difficult process. We purchased the Navigo Découverte card at a manned metro station on Sunday. The pass is valid for one week, Monday through the following Sunday. Use the metro map to determine the regions you plan to visit. We bought the pass for regions 1-5. It was great be able to jump on the metro, trains, or busses whenever needed. We were stopped once by an officer who wanted to see our passes.

As mentioned, the card itself is $5 and can be reloaded. You need a small photo of your face to adhere to the card (there is an adhesive square to attach the photo). I don't see an advantage to purchasing the pass in advance. I think there is also an option to purchase the card through a machine at the metro station but we chose to speak to a person.

https://www.transilien.com/en/page-tarifs/the-navigo-decouverte-card

There is no way you could print any kind of Metro Pass at home. Needs a magnetic strip or RFID chip to operate the turnstiles. Closest would be to download a voucher to pick up a Visite at one of the 2 offices (Gare du Nord or Hotel de Ville in the city center) and they won't help you getting from the airport into Paris. And the Visite is the high priced product compared to the Navigo Decouverte previously described.

Just got back from two weeks in France. I would recommend the Navigo Easy pass. Buy it at the first Metro stop you encounter. Load as many trips as you want to start. And go. Its super easy to reload the passes for more trips too. Takes less than a minute at the Metro ticket ATMS and you buy the number of passes you want. No need for photos etc. Easiest way to go and no need to purchase online.