I'm going to the Pyrenees for a week of cycling in the mountains. I want to be able to use my U.S. cell number during the trip both during the day and in the evening at the hotels. It looks like with Orange and other providers that they give you a French phone number. Is there a way to use my U.S. number and have regular phone, web, text services as I do in the U.S.? I'm not planning to use a lot of minutes, but as the need might arise. Reading posts, this is a very confusing topic.
Posted by
Connecticut
679 posts
Perhaps the simplest and most convenient way to be able to have service with your U.S. number is by securing an international plan with your cell phone carrier (if possible). It is not necessarily the cheapest path. Depending on the amount of data your carrier provides you would then be able to determine if an eSIM would be necessary. I have used a vary of options and have found that a good eSIM for data is superior to that provided by my carrier. Therefore I combo my international cellular plan with an eSIM plan. Instead of an eSIM you could also pair your cellular plan with an Orange (or other similar) sim. This would position you to make local (France) calls at an attractive rate.
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
2575 posts
This Monday Night Travel talk covers the basics about cell phone usage overseas, it might help you understand the options. The phone discussion starts at about the 8 minute mark. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqHMHmA7I6I
There is also a current thread on a similar topic that has some information too: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tech-tips/cell-phones-abroad-31671b6d-23ab-4b7c-8f21-01f2dfaaa39c
Posted by
Phoenix🌵
2975 posts
Bruce, does your US cell phone company offer an international plan?
I use Verizon and have an iPhone 13 Pro Max. Verizon offers two plans $10/day or $100/month. I travel solo and it’s important that my husband to be able to easily reach me using the landline. (He has an old flip cellphone and refuses to upgrade.)
To save money, some days I leave the phone in airplane mode and use Google Voice to text or call the US.
To call international numbers, I just downloaded WhatsApp. If you are unfamiliar it uses WiFi or cellular, who you are calling has to be in your contacts and have the WhatsApp app.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
thanks for the advice. I was just trying to avoid the $10/day Verizon fee, fwiw. Sounds like the way for me to go is to get the esim and give people the French phone number; that isn't really a big deal if i do it in advance.
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
2575 posts
If your phone is unlocked and has an eSim capability, Google Fi has decently priced plans that work overseas and have a US phone number. You do have to set it up more than a few days ahead as they can block you from international coverage if you do it too close to your travel days.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
7866 posts
You need to verify that your phone has dual SIM capability, either a second hard SIM or an eSIM, and that you can add a second SIM under your contract terms.
If so, then you can get a SIM while there for Data, and maybe calls, while retaining your US number on the original SIM.
Since you have Verizon, verify what constitutes use during the day (receiving calls?, switching to the second SIM, etc.) that would trigger the $10 fee.
Posted by
SoCal
890 posts
People who have Google Voice can make calls back to the US for a penny a minute or so, using a data-only SIM (essentially using Voice as a VOIP). It's worked out well for me, avoiding the overpriced Orange offerings. I see no need to have a French phone number.