I've been told that to avoid big-time roaming charges (from a Canadian provider), we should get a European sim card in Europe. We fly in to Charles DeGaulle airport and will be in the Loire Valley soon thereafter. Any advice on where to get one (for iPhone) or what to expect as far as purchasing one over there? Or is there a better way to maintain phone coverage while traveling in Europe?
Thanks,
Ben, Vancouver Island
A SIM card with nominal talk credit can be had for as little as 10€. At CDG, any of the magazine stores sell them. SIMs need to be registered before you can purchase additional minutes or maybe even use them. It´s usually rather simple to do. If you go to a boutique; SFR, Bouygues, FREE, or Orange, they will set up your phone for you and explain plan options.
Thank you for the good tips, Tocard.
If you do not need phone minutes, you could also try an e-sim as long as your phone is unlocked. We got data-only sims using Airalo for France for our stay. This was also helpful as we landed at CDG on a Sunday and went directly to Amboise, so our options for buying a sim in person that day were restricted. We used about 3GB of the 5gb we had paid for, over 2 weeks, and it was only $15 - cheaper if you have a referral code (I referred my family members and so we all got discounts). I'm happy to share mine. Several others on this forum have used esims through airalo successfully as well - search to find those posts.
Just make sure if you are visiting more than one country that the plan you've chosen will cover everywhere. or buy multiple e-sims.
There are a wide number of esim cards available, both with phone and data or data only. Most newer phones have esim card capability.
