SIM card

I bought this card through Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FI1JW72/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It works in many European countries (including France). It has 12 GB data, and I used my google maps as a GPS on my phone. It worked perfectly. You cannot make phone calls or texts directly to the US, but using data you can make those calls/texts through WhatsApp. The card was $20, and it is good for a month. I put it in my phone before I left. I think it worked well and was a good value.

If you need to get a SIM ahead of time that has a French number, I'd get the Orange SIM from Amazon. Yes, there are bad reviews of pretty much every SIM out there - including your current home mobile service. Every company has had some dissatisfied customers, and the unhappy people tend to complain. Enough people have had success with Orange that I would be OK with it.

The only downside of the Orange card from Amazon is that it's a bit expensive, to me.

One of the RS forum blogs the questioner is advised to use "your own GPS because it is in English". Could someone please advise me on what that means? If you have a French SIM card, how do you use your own GPS?

I don't think the poster was talking about a smart phone. If you use say Google Maps or Waze as your GPS on your phone, it will work the same way in France that it works at home - except the units (km vs miles) will be local to wherever you are driving.

FYI, technically GPS on a phone doesn't even need mobile data. The GPS function of a smart phone works without any internet connection. But...in order to make it useful (show maps, directions, etc.), the phone needs to download some map data. It is possible to download the map area ahead of time "offline" and then keep the phone in airplane mode and use the phone as a GPS that way. Works pretty well (e.g. Google Maps), though you won't have traffic info. You can try this with the SIM to save data and take the phone off of airplane mode if you need to to get traffic info, etc.

We would like to purchase the cards here in the states rather than in France because we will not have time after arriving.

The Orange boutiques at CDG are in Customs at the exits in both terminals 1 & 2. It takes very little to no time to purchase a SIM. Having someone available to make sure your phone is working properly is a huge advantage.

Orange - limits to 14 days - which is not good because we will be there for 19 days.

If you want coverage for more than 14 days, purchase an extension, also available at the boutique.

DO NOT buy at CDG - there is only one store that sells orange which offers assistance and it is at terminal 1.

I strongly disagree with this statement. There is more than one boutique. Another important reason you want to purchase at an Orange boutique is they will help you with SIM registration, a government requirement. If you attempt to purchase a SIM outside of France, it might only work for a short time in France until it is registered. If your French is sufficiently strong, you can call the toll free number and do this upon arrival. Otherwise, I would let Orange do this for you.

THere are very bad reviews for all of the plans that i read about,

Statements such as this are unfortunately of little value unless you link to their source. Answers to concerns from unknown sources are not possible.

There is an Orange kiosk at Terminal 2E near baggage carousel 32. It takes less than 10 minutes for the friendly, English-speaking vendor to install the SIM and activate it. She has always secured my original SIM for me as well. I did need to top off my SIM for voice while in Paris last time, so went to the Orange store near Opera and I found this to be a frustrating and time consuming process. Wish more voice minutes were included in the initial purchase.

There is an Orange kiosk at Terminal 2E near baggage carousel 32. It takes less than 10 minutes for the friendly, English-speaking vendor to install the SIM and activate it. She has always secured my original SIM for me as well. I did need to top off my SIM for voice while in Paris last time, so went to the Orange store near Opera and I found this to be a frustrating and time consuming process. Wish more voice minutes were included in the initial purchase.

You can always make calls without the SIM. Put $10 credit on Skype for example and you can call local phones in France for a few cents/minute (assuming you have a smart phone). You can roll the Skype credit over til next time - at least you don't have to worry about being unable to make calls because the SIM expired and you don't have time to top it off - at least you can make calls while on WiFi, anywhere, with Skype. WhatApp is popular in Europe to make calls for free to others who have it. And Google Voice can be used for making free calls home to the US without any calling minutes.

Thanks all for your reassuring advice.

We were in Italy but bought a SIM card for my iPhone. We used it for GPS as the SIM card is giving you data. Nothing changes on your phone, same contacts, Apps, etc. Just the ability to make local calls and to access data while out and about.

We always use the UK-based Three SIM cards from Amazon with unlocked iPhones and get excellent coverage in France - solid 3G signal everywhere. You do get 12GB of data for 30 days, enough for GPS navigation, WhatsApp, Google Voice calls, and more without running out in 19 days. Calls and text within Europe are included but not to the US. A version of the card from TSIM solves the calls to US issue.

For the same price or perhaps $3 more (sometime), they register a brand new Three SIM card on their system to allow calls to US via a call to their UK number. You receive a new sealed Three SIM card with a TSIM label that has instructions:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PW9FFS6

Good luck!

We are in France now but will log it down for the next vacation. There was no orange boutique at terminal one where we arrived. What's more it was so early AM nothing was opened. So we bought something at the TABAC and have not installed it yet. Next time we will purchase ahead of our trip.

BTW, we are in the Loire Valley at a beautiful private residence on a biking trip. Loire Life Cycling. We are the only Americans in the group. The rest are British so getting a bit of exposure to British culture as well.

l. I did need to top off my SIM for voice while in Paris last time, so went to the Orange store near Opera and I found this to be a frustrating and time consuming process. Wish more voice minutes were included in the initial purchase.

For anyone reading this thread in the future, you can go into any Tabac or Monoprix or Relay or similar and buy a top-up card. For Orange it is called “Mobicarte”, you will see a variety of companies and varieties on little cards - like a stand for gift cards in the States.

You buy your card and then scrape off the code and enter it in your phone. This probably does require a little bit of French but probably anyone you run into could help you do it.

P.s. Janet I hope you are having a wonderful time on your Loire bike trip!