I will soon be at gare du Nord, and the Marsais area near place de voges. Is there an easy place to get a sim? Or should I try to get one in the UK? I mostly just need data.
Thanks all!
Posted by
Calgary
1650 posts
When we were in Paris, I used a UK based Orange sim card with no problems, and it was not expensive.
I've used a "One Sim" card the last two times I was in Europe. It's an Estonian based sim card, and it works in Europe and other places, too. I've been happy with that option, as well, but it's probably not as cheap as just picking up something in the UK or France.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6501 posts
An advantage of a SIM card bought in the UK is that the prompts and messages will be in English. But you'll pay roaming charges (not excessive) outside the UK.
I suggest you avoid the Orange store on the Rue de Rivoli near the St-Paul metro. We had a bad experience there with a fast-talking, but under-disclosing, salesman.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
784 posts
Last month on my first day in Paris, I went into the first tabac I saw and bought a Lebara SIM card for 5€ and a top up card for 10€. Back at my apartment, I installed the card and, following the provided instructions, reached an English speaking tech. It was all sat up in less than 5 minutes.
Posted by
Los Angeles
1825 posts
You will get more data per dollar by purchasing in the country you are using the sim. If you Google map "Orange" you will see many locations in Paris and the Marais. They offer a 30 euro 2gb unlimited calls and texts good for 30 days, which I assume, you can add 2gb more for 10 euro at time of purchase.
Posted by
Gaston, Oregon, USA
931 posts
Ditto Carolyn. Only I walked into a small electronic store and they helped me set up my LeBara SIM card. (But my brother just bought his at a Tabac store) They had a little brochure that was also in English. I could not find a Lebara card at Gare du Nord in April.
Make sure that you understand how much data you have. I shut off my data, and only turned it on when I needed it. My French Lebara SIM also worked in the Netherlands, although it cost more. My card charged me $.45 for each text outside on France. It was easy to top up, and had free numbers that you could text, and then it would display your balance.
If you want to buy a card in the UK, find a CarPhone Warehouse store. These people are absolutely excellent, and will find the best SIM card for the countries that you are going to visit. That is what we did when we visited the UK and Ireland a couple of years ago. Again, any card that you buy in the UK will cost more to use in France.
Posted by
Paris
9567 posts
To Steve's point: he's absolutely correct that if you buy a SIM card in the UK, it will cost more to use in France (or any other country). However, thanks to the EU's regulations keeping roaming costs down, the additional cost is pretty minimal, and certainly nothing like using a U.S. SIM card in Europe.
What I'm trying to say is that you will pay a little more, but not an excessive amount, if using a SIM card in France that you bought in the UK (at least for texting and calls).