Lost a cell phone. Need to buy a new one in France

There are no T-Mobile stores in Europe (actually, there is "T-Mobile" in Europe, but even though it's the same parent company, it's not the same company.). You need a T-Mobile US SIM card to make anyone phone work with your T-Mobile phone number. You can't get one of those in Europe.

However, you might be able to buy a phone in Europe and obtain an eSIM from T-Mobile, without getting a physical SIM card for it. Here is more info. Contact T-Mobile US support for help. Just make sure any phone you buy in Europe will work in in the US (a new iPhone should work at home in the US even though it will be the European version).

https://www.t-mobile.com/support/devices/sim-esim#activate

Looks like you can call T-Mobile support internationally by dialing +1-505-998-3793 (free call, if you have access to another phone).

There may be other ways to contact T-Mobile support without calling them, but if you can call, that is probably the easiest.

You need to be aware that iphones sold in US are not exactly the same than iphones sold in other regions. The difference is the support of some 5G and LTE frequency bands.
Refer to https://www.apple.com/iphone/cellular/

Standard voice and 5G/LTE data services will work as expected but that differences will impact advanced features like “Extended Range LTE/5G” and “Ultra Capacity 5G” promoted by T-Mobile US. https://www.t-mobile.com/support/coverage/t-mobile-network
It means that your “European” iPhone will not support that features once back in US. I can’t say, how relevant they are.

Whatever phone you decide for, if it supports eSIM you should be able to get it from your provider as mentioned by Andrew H. Otherwise, you could go for a prepaid data SIM card for the time of your travel.

Valerie, one other thought - if he's just using it for texting, what about getting an iPad mini and just using the wifi (or tethering to your phone) for texting, etc.? if his previous iPhone was backed up to the cloud, he could use that to transfer data to the iPad. I realize it's more cumbersome to bring along, but they're pretty small and that way you could wait and get him a phone once you're back home.

Thanks, all! I somehow thought the technology of acquiring a phone might be more than we can handle.

We are just going to wait it out and do the trip with one phone.

@Mardee...we do have a mini with us for him but it's bigger than our teeny bag for day use:)

T Mobile's parent company is Deutsch Telekom. They have a partner w Orange in France, I believe.

If you have twitter, TFORCE is a GREAT resource (@tmobilehelp) and can point you in the right direction, too.

Valerie, we have purchased unlocked phones in Europe and then bought a US SIM when we returned to the US. Our European phones worked fine here as well. Your just cash out of pocket, of course. No contract.

Well, Valerie, no tech suggestions from me as you know how low my tech skills are, lol. Just wanted to send you a mental hug for support, lol. And an eyeroll....😬🙄💕

Buying an unlocked phone and getting a prepaid SIM in Europe is easy (well, easier in some countries than others).

The hard part is getting that phone connected to your T-Mobile phone number - that's really what I was addressing.

If the phone has been lost/stolen, I would have already contacted T-Mobile anyway to have the number blocked. If I lose my Android, I have the ability to login to it remotely and lock it or even wipe it to protect my privacy. I'm sure you can do something similar with an Apple phone.

Here’s some info from apple support on remotely erasing your device.

https://support.apple.com/guide/icloud/erase-a-device-mmfc0ef36f/icloud#:~:text=Remotely%20erase%20your%20device%20or%20a%20family%20member’s,or%20how%20to%20contact%20you.%20...%20See%20More.

Thank you all. We’re just going to wait it out. It’s only a month - how many times could I lose track of Ron in a month?? LOL.

Hi Pam!!!!!!!

How many times would you like to "lose track" of him? Now you have an excuse! 🤣🤣

"how many times could I lose track of Ron in a month?? LOL"

"How many times would you like to "lose track" of him? Now you have an excuse!"

Both hilarious comments! Valerie, I don't suppose you have any Airtags you can slip in his pocket?

Pam: Your comment,
“ Valerie, I don't suppose you have any Airtags you can slip in his pocket?”
Probably said in jest, but really, an excellent low-cost solution to keeping track of each other.
Yet another reason to buy Air tags!