France

Providers
There are four physical network operators (MNOs) in France which are listed according to history and their number of subscribers:


 * Orange (by France Télécom)


 * SFR (by Numericable)


 * Bouygues Télecom


 * Free Mobile (by Iliad)

Other providers are virtual mobile operators (MVNOs) or other resellers of the MNOs. You will notice, that prices for data on prepaid are somewhat higher in France than in most other European nations. This is because many locals prefer contracts (called forfaits, see below) to prepaid SIM cards. Unfortunately, most operators ban foreigners from subscribing to a contract. You need to have a French payment system for it. That's why the contracts of many providers like Simyo, Be&You, Sosh, Virgin and those of most MNOs which give better data rates can't be listed here as we don't list options which are inaccessible to foreigners.

Coverage
2G (= GSM, GPRS, EDGE) is on 900 and 1800 MHz, 3G (= UMTS, HSPA, HSPA+ and DC-HSPA+) is.on 900 and 2100 MHz. According to the telecom authority (l'ARCEP), Orange and SFR both cover 99 % of the population, Bouygues is at 96% and Free Mobile at about 75% of the population (not counting the roaming agreement with Orange). In practice, France has a 3G coverage in urban areas and most parts of the countryside. Some rural places with few inhabitants may only have EDGE.

Uptodate coverage maps in 2G, 3G and 4G provided by the network operators can be found here: The four MNOs have rolled out their 4G/LTE nationwide. Orange and SFR use LTE bands on 800 MHz in the countryside and on 2600 MHz in the cities. Bouygues runs now on 1800 Mhz and 2600 Mhz additionally. Free only covers the some cities on 2600 Mhz. Bouygues and Orange have the best LTE coverage at around 80%, while SFR and Free are below 40% in 2015.
 * Orange
 * SFR,
 * Bouygues Télécom
 * Free Mobile.

While Orange and SFR allow access to their new 4G LTE networks only to certain tariff lines, Bouygues has opened all its tariffs to 4G without surchage and Free markets 4G heavily as its backbone.

SIM card activation
Activating a SIM card on a network can take up to 48 hours. You will need to show a photo ID at point of purchase to activate SIMs in France, as it is a legal requirement. A passport or driving licence usually suffice.

Rolling Contracts
This French particularity called "forfait sans engagement" = rolling contract or auto-renewing monthly offer is featured in the following articles and needs some explanation for non-French visitors. A rolling contract is a kind of hybrid tariff between pre- and postpaid: You pay in advance and have cost control like prepay, but you have to enable an automatically recurring payment system. This can be linked e.g. to a French bank account or sometimes to an international credit card. But the contract can be terminated at any time by free will.

These rolling contracts normally give you a much better rate for data in France than regular prepaid cards. The problem is the payment system which is often not accessible for foreigners without French credit cards or bank accounts. Creating a French payment system will set you back more than 40 EUR. To draw a line here, offers which are confirmed to have been purchased at least by a single non-French payment system are shown while providers requiring French-only requisites are taken off the list. Please have this in mind, when you add an offer, that it needs to be accessible for foreigners too!

Summary
The French section has been restructured to be in line with other countries. The first part consists of the four MNOs in the order described above. This is followed in the 2nd part by all resellers, MVNOs or other providers listed in alphabetical order. The last part is devoted to rental agencies, again sorted in alpha order, who rent SIM cards, routers or other devices for those travellers who prefer to rent.

(1) MNOs: (2) Other Providers: (3) Rental Agencies: The order of this listing does not represent any kind of ranking or recommandation.
 * Orange: prepaid voice/data SIM card (Mobicarte), prepaid data SIM card (Let's go)
 * SFR: prepaid voice/data SIM card (La Carte), prepaid data SIM card (Kit á surfer), rolling contracts (forfaits sans engagement)
 * Bouygues Télécom: prepaid voice/data SIM card (Carte XL)
 * Free: contracts, either rolling (forfait sans engagement) or prepaid for one month only (prépayé)
 * La Poste Mobile: prepaid voice/data SIM card (Carte prépayée classique)
 * Le French Mobile: prepaid voice/data SIM card (Euro SIM), prepaid data SIM card (Data SIM)
 * Lebara mobile: prepaid voice/data SIM card
 * Lycamobile: prepaid voice/data SIM card
 * NRJ Mobile: prepaid voice/data SIM card (to be added soon)
 * Virgin Mobile: prepaid voice/data SIM card (Carte prépayée)
 * Bienvenue Télécom: WIFI router rental
 * Cellhire: SIM card and WIFI router rental
 * Dataroam: SIM card rental
 * Moxx: WIFI router rental
 * Travel Wifi: WIFI router rental

Orange
Orange S.A., formerly France Télécom S.A. is a French multinational telecommunications corporation. Back in history, France Télécom was the French public operator. Nowadays its still the market leader with the best coverage and most subcribers. 4G/LTE is accessible for Let's Go, but not for Mobicarte (see below).

Mobicarte (Voice & data SIM)
This is the Orange prepaid SIM card that allows making calls, sending SMS and internet usage in 2G and 3G.

You can buy Orange prepaid Mobicarte SIM online from sites like http://mobipassport.com or velonomad.com, this this can be more expensive. But you get your number before you depart and your card activated to use your service as soon as you arrive.

To buy a SIM from an Orange Boutique (store locator) in France for 3.90 EUR. You must bring your drivers license or passport to register. The bonus of that is that the card will work straight away. If you buy from anywhere else, you will have to send in a copy of your ID and it can take several days to be able to access data.

Dialing #123# for the first time gives you a menu of options on the Welcome / Information ("Accueil") screen. Here you see some options with offers, an entry to access a sort of account overview / usage ("suivi conso"), one to enter Mobicarte top-up codes called recharges ("recharger"), and finally where you manage your account's features ("Mon espace"). If you don't know French, it can be a bit daunting as it seems every menu presents options you can purchase. It is definitely over-complicated, just as every French site. To add credit to your SIM, buy one of the classic recharge vouchers "Les recharges classiques" from a tabac shop, magazine shop, or grocery store (the big ones like Monoprix, Franprix, etc. should have them). These are common everywhere, including airports and train stations (at CDG international terminal, you can buy them at the Relay newspaper stand at the RER-B station). To add credit, dial #123# then find the "recharger" option and enter the 14-digit code.

Default Data rate
Without a data plan, internet is extremely expensive at 0.50 € per minute.

Data Speeds
Orange restricts the maximum speed attainable on Mobicarte to 384 kbps downstream. If high speeds are important to you, it may be better to look at SFR or Orange's prepaid mobile broadband offer ("Let's Go") which does not have this limitation and allows 4G/LTE access.

Data feature packages
If you plan on going to a Boutique to buy a SIM, you can purchases these packs there too. It is recommended that you load the recharge options page on your phone beforehand so you can show them exactly what you want. Some stores have employees who are not familiar with the packs or may not even know that data is available for pre-paid so it is helpful to show them the site, particularly if your French is not very good.

Les recharges max
All free calls, SMS and MMS are domestic only.

Les recharges internet mobile

 * 5 EUR: 150 MB in one week
 * 10 EUR: 500 MB in two weeks

You can buy several at a time and enter a new code to re-enable the feature once the old one expires.

Orange Holiday
For visitors and travellers Orange offers its Orange Holiday (formerly called Mobicarte Holiday). It is sold for 39.99 EUR (or for 30€ if you still got an old Mobicarte Holiday and need a recharge) and valid for 14 days including:
 * 2 hours of international calls from anywhere in Europe to anywhere in the world
 * 1000 international SMS from anywhere in Europe to anywhere in the world
 * 1 GB data within Europe (EU/EEA states)
 * Unlimited Orange Wi-Fi in France

Restrictions
This data plan is for mobile phones and may or may not work on other gear. If you're interested in data for a WIFI hotspot or dongle, you would be better off with the Let's Go option (see below). P2P, VoIP and USENET are specifically banned. VOIP services will fail to initialize properly. There's risk getting your plan cancelled as well as the loss of any call credit remaining on your account if you use P2P, VoIP, or USENET services.

As for VPN, it may or may not work. There are examples when VPN worked, one of them is OpenVPN 2.1.1 on Windows 7 and VPN on iPhone worked in July 2012.

Supposedly you are to be notified by SMS as soon as it is activated but I have never received this in the 5 years I've had my SIM. The safest way to confirm an option is active is by looking at your account online.

Expiration
Mobicarte SIM card credits expire after some time if no recharge is applied during that period. After registering your SIM for the first time and topping it up with credits, the SIM number will stay in operation for 6 months. You can check the expiration date online when you create an account, but you will probably also get an SMS stating the expiration date. If you'd like to keep your number active, add a small amount of credit before the expiration date and it'll be extended another 6 months.

Expiration of recharge credits depends on the amount. Also, recharge codes have a time limit before they must be used. For example, 10€ electronic recharge should be activated (i.e. added to account) within 15 days of purchase.

SIM Sizes
Full, micro, nano SIM available

Tethering
Tethering / WIFI-hotspot is not included in data usage (tested on iPhone and Android Galaxy 4S). iPhone will NOT allow tethering, and you are redirected to a purchase page (25 € for 1 GB, 30 days) if you try to enable it. The page must be accessed over cellular and not WIFI.

It is possible to achieve tethering on Android devices by using the WIFI hotspot in conjunction with a proxy app, e.g. proxy server by Ice Cold Apps. The use of a 3rd party tethering app on an Android phone, or a jailbroken iPhone may just get you around this.

Let's Go (= Data-Only Sim)
Let's Go is a data-SIM only offer from Orange France. It is designed to be used in a tablet, portable WIFI hotspot (MiFi) or USB dongle. SIM cards are available from Orange Boutiques throughout France (locator above). Just ask for the 'Pochette prêt à surfer '. They will want to know what device you will use it in and what size you require. Starter pack costs € 9.90 and includes 500 MB valid for one month. At the time of purchase in the boutique, you will need to provide a passport or driving licence which is a requirement under French law. It takes on average 24 hours to fully update the system with your details and during that time you will not be able to top up. However the original data allowance will work as soon as you walk out of the shop.

Data feature packages
There are four values of recharges:

All packages include unlimited Orange WI-FI from hotspots in France and 30 TV channels debited on the data volume. With Let's go, Orange lets you join their 4G/LTE network on high speed.

To obtain a recharge you must again visit the Orange Boutique and ask for a rechargement por Let's Go sim. There may be some faffing about whilst they work out amongst themselves exactly what you want, but show them your SIM or documentation with your Orange internet number and they will soon get there. Often they will print out a sheet of paper for you which contains a telephone number for you to ring to activate the top up and a 14 digit top up number. It is possible to activate your top up online, but only after you have topped up by telephone once. Crazy, but that's how it is.

If you do not wish to top up by visiting the Orange shop, then you become limited to topping up your account using vouchers for the standard PAYG telephone service called Mobicarte. You can then convert the account balance online to Let's Go packages. The Orange site is far from user friendly, so this is not recommended unless you are well versed in French. Let's Go top-ups are often available on eBay and may well prove to be a good option for you to save messing about in shops upon arrival. But you will pay a premium for this option in so much as you will be paying extra for the time of the seller to obtain the vouchers etc. Note, you can also buy pre-activated Let's Go SIM cards on eBay.

Restrictions and allowances
The Let's Go SIM card does not allow the use of Peer to Peer downloads eg. Torrents, or the use of some binary newsgroups. However for email, browsing and almost everything else it works just fine. You can receive SMS on your SIM which can be viewed in the control panel for your device, but the option to send SMS will not be available.

On the other hand, tethering is not restricted and VoIP is allowed.

Domino 3G Key
Orange sells it's own portable 3G WIFI hotspot called a Domino. Currently it is a Huawei E5331. This allows you to set up wifi for multiple device, i.e. to get around the issue of not being able to tether with the Mobicarte, and means you don't need to set up data service on your phone. Cost is 44.90 EUR for the device + 500 MB valid for a month Recharge options with "Let's Go" vouchers. It seems the SIM card stays valid for one year, vs. 6 months for the Mobicarte.

Authentication: the blurb inside says you need to provide authentication, i.e. fill in a form and send a photocopy of a passport to Orange. If you buy from an Orange boutique, they should activate it for you. If you get it from elsewhere, then you will have to mail off copies of your ID docs. The device is locked to Orange France and won't be of much use elsewhere unless you get it unlocked, but for less than one Euro you will be able to purchase an unlock code on Ebay.

Topping Up
In order to top up by phone, call 0800&#x20;224 from a mobile or landline. Free from Orange lines, a fee may be charged from others. You will be immediately asked by a female voice in French to enter your Orange number. This is the telephone number assigned to your SIM and normally begins with 06 or 07.

You will then be presented with two options, the first to top up by credit card. Ignore this, the second option is to top up using voucher. Press 2 on your keypad. The same voice will ask you for your 14-digit voucher number. Enter that and depending on which service you got connected to, you may have the number read back to you with the option to confirm or try again.

You will then have a confirmation in the same voice but with a triumphant timbre to it. The process should take about 30 seconds from start to finish. The top up should then be applied to your SIM and you will be ready to go.

Orange online account
You will automatically have an account created for you on the orange.fr website, you can log into your account using the SIM telephone number. Once done, you can edit your personal information, email address etc. You can even set up an Orange France email address if you like. It is important to note that you cannot top up online using a credit card that is not registered in France. But you can buy top-ups in the boutique using foreign cards.

Technical Settings

 * APN, Password and Username for Mobicarte: orange


 * APN for Let's go: orange.fr Password and username: orange

SFR
SFR is the 2nd largest network in France and the biggest rival of Orange. It used to belong to Vivendi, but has been sold to the cable company Numericable. It has good coverage nationwide in 2G, 3G and 4G/LTE similar to Orange. SFR is the local partner of Vodafone in France. 4G/LTE is not accessible for prepaid yet, but only to rolling contracts.

La Carte
Their prepaid SIM is simply called la Carte. The starter pack called “Kit SFR la Carte” is available online to be send to a French postal address or at their shops (shop locator). The start-up price has been reduced to 1.99-3.99 EUR, but it comes without credit in mini, micro or nano size.

When you buy it in their shops, let them activate it there showing your photo ID. Bought online or at other shops, you can activate it on their website or by calling 963 for free (in French only).

Recharges can be bought at many places like bureaux de tabac, Relay and big chains like Auchan, Carrefour, Leclers, FNAC. They can be bought online too, but you need at least an European credit card with a chip for payment. For an English recharge menu call 958. But it’s best to purchase your recharges at the automated top-up terminals in some SFR shops. Otherwise it may take up to 24 hours until the recharge actually is activated.

Recharges Ilimitées
These recharge packs all include domestic calls, unlimited domestic SMS, a data quota and unlimited SFR WIFI:

Recharges Internet
Only one package is offered for data-only: Data is cut off when quota is reached. Speed is 3G up to DC-HSPA (42 Mbps), but no 4G/LTE.
 * 9 EUR including 1 GB in 7 days.

Welcome Carte
Like Orange and Bouygues, they have a tourist SIM for visitors. It’s sold for 15 EUR (plus 1.99 EUR for the card), is valid for 10 days and preloaded with: All the recharges whether Ilimitées, Internet or Welcome can be renewed anytime to get more data or validity. No tethering or use in modems allowed, strictly for smartphones. The free WIFI must be subscribed once by calling 963 for free.
 * 1 hour of voice to France and Europe
 * 500 SMS to France and Europe
 * 500 MB of data
 * Unlimited SFR WIFI

Prepaid data-only SIM
SFR offers a prepaid data-only SIM for tablets and modems too. The starter kit is called “Kit prêt à surfer SIM standard”. It only comes in regular size SIM, but these can be cut. It’s sold for 9.90 EUR with 200 MB valid for 15 days.

It can be recharged with the “SFR Connecté Partout prepayée” vouchers: These recharges must be bought in the shops and loaded on the card on your SFR account online. Speed is up to DC-HSPA and 42 Mbps in 3G. Data is cut off when reached quota.
 * 3 EUR: 200 MB, 1 day
 * 10 EUR: 1 GB, 7 days
 * 35 EUR: 4 GB, 30 days

Rolling Contracts
SFR also offers cheaper “forfaits sans engagement” = rolling contracts (see Basics above) for data in modems, routers or tablets. They can be terminated anytime. Unlike prepaid, they have access to 4G/LTE with speeds up to 115 Mbps. Free unlimited WIFI is included after calling 963.

The starter pack for “SFR Connecté Partout forfait sans engagement” is sold for 1 EUR only in their stores, when you make the rolling contract. You can add one of these three packages: For EU roaming on Vodafone networks, SFR offers these discounted weekly add-ons called Pack Séjour Internet:
 * 1 GB – 7.99 EUR per month
 * 5 GB – 14.99 EUR per month
 * 12 GB – 24.99 EUR per month.
 * 500 MB - 9 EUR
 * 1 GB - 15 EUR

The problem is like always that SFR likes to see a French credit card or bank account linked to it, though some SFR shops are willing to mark your payment method as "other" to allow you to come in and pay by cash or credit card in person. With international cards they accept at least American Express credit cards on your name as a confirmed payment method. If you only have a Visa or MasterCard from out of the country, your only option is to pay in store; for foreign cards paying over the phone is only possible with AmEx and not at all online.

Cancellation is not as easy as previously said; it is not possible online, you must call SFR customer service at 1023 (domestic landline or SFR mobile) or +33610001023 (from overseas). Wait for two French voice prompts, press 3 for tablets/mobile internet, press 4 for termination, press 2 to be directed to a SFR customer service person (whose English ability will be hit or miss). The cancellation process should take less than an hour, though instead of cancelling straight away the line will be set to automatically cancel in the next few days. It is advised to provide your address overseas as any refund of excess charges will be mailed in the form of a cheque. The dedicated English-language customer service line is only for La Carte customers.

More info

 * APN: sl2sfr /or/ slsfr /or/ wapsfr /or/ websfr - (if one does not work, try another)
 * English speaking customer service: 1026 available Mon-Sat 8-20 hrs (this is for la Carte only)

Bouygues Télécom
Bouygues Télécom is the 3rd largest network operator in France. Unlike the other players, its 4G/LTE is mainly on 1800 Mhz, 2600 Mhz and 800Mhz which is open for all prepaid users without surcharge. In 2015 it has the best 4G coverage in the country: coverage map Their prepaid card Formule 20/20 has been discontimued in January 2015. They now only sell Card XL and Classique prepaid SIMs. The classic line doesn't include data. So it's not mentioned further.

Prepaid Card XL
Their prepaid line is available in their stores (store locator) with 12 months validity after the last top-up in these starter packs: All packages include 4G/LTE speed, unlimited domestic calls and domestic texts. The bonus credit can be used for international calling. Recharging of 10 € or 20 € can be done online, by calling 630 or by buying a prepaid card in stores (e.g. 'tabac') in France. Be aware that the 2 € reload can only be topped up by a French credit card which must be added online or by calling 630. International credit cards do not work. When topped up after the validity of the old package has expired, the new top up will be effective right away giving more validity. So you can topup 4 times 2 € for 2 days each and get 2 GB data for 8 € in a week (but only top up after 2 days or when the 500MB data has been used, it does not add up). They give a bonus of 10 € for top-ups of more then 50 € within two consecutive months.
 * 2 €: including; unlimited domestic text and voice, 500 MB data and 1 € for international calls, valid for 2 days - see remarks further below
 * 10 €: including: unlimited domestic text and voice, 500 MB data and 5 € for International calls, valid for 10 days
 * 20 €: including unlimited domestic text and voice, 500 MB data and 10 € for international calls, valid for 30 days

All other options are not accessible to foreigners without a French bank card or account.

More info

 * APN: mmsbouygtel.com (this is for web too, not only MMS)


 * Website in French only

Free Mobile
Free Mobile shook the French market when it arrived on the scene in early 2012 by very low prices and new marketing methods.

Coverage
Free Mobile is the smallest network and still in the process of growing up: as of January 2015, the 3G coverage is above 75% of population whereas all of its other competitors cover 98+% of population. But as Free Mobile both uses the Orange network as a roaming network for 3G data, texts and voice and its own, the service is equal to Orange's and 3G speed is reported to be even faster than their competitors.

Free Mobile also offers 4G/LTE, but their network is the smallest right now with a low coverage (~50% of population). Take care: in their offers, you have plenty of data on their 4G plan, which is only activated if a 4G/LTE 2600 MHz enabled device is detected, if not you will only have 3 GB of data. Free mobile is not roaming on the 4G LTE network from Orange, roaming only applies to their 2G and 3G networks.

Free Mobile owns a 15 Mhz band of 2600 MHz spectrum, allowing a theoretical 4G speed of 150 Mbps with compatible devices (LTE cat4). Download speed of 140+ Mbps have been reported. To cut a long story short: Free Mobile is a very good option if you have a LTE 2600 MHz enabled device, if not, their 3G plan is not so cheap.

Rolling Contract offer
Free Mobile offers only one 1 month rolling contract ("forfait sans engagement") for 19.99 EUR per month. It includes:


 * unlimited calls to France and landlines of lot of countries and mobile lines of a few countries;


 * unlimited SMS to France from France and from the EU;


 * unlimited MMS in France;


 * 3 GB of data in 3G (Orange roaming + Free Mobile network);


 * or 20 GB of data in 3G (Orange roaming + Free Mobile network) and 4G (Free Mobile network) if a compatible 4G device is detected (you can check the effective data allowance in your account);
 * automatic connection to EAP-SIM wifi networks "Freewifi_Secure", emitted by all the set top box of the operator (more than 5M hotspots);
 * if you keep the contract running during 60+ days : unlimited calls + texts (to France and the country visited), and 3GB of 3G data (debited from your national allowance) from these foreign countries : Belgium, Spain, UK, Germany, Austria, Greece, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania, the French West Indies and French Guiana (35 days per calendar annum per country).

Tethering is allowed. The SIM comes ready for all phones/dongles (micro + ,ini). A nano SIM is on offer when you order online or within stores.

Free Mobile mobile is a contract without commitment: no fines for cancelling early and no activation fees. All credit/debit cards, not limited to French issued ones, should function fine - though this is contested by some forum users. (Automatic direct debit on a French bank account is also possible, as well as some other countries).

Prepaid SIM offer
Starting from 2014, it is also possible to buy an one month only (and not rolling) SIM from their automated vending machines in Free stores (see below), so you won't have to worry about cancellation after your leave !

You have basically two ways to get these SIMs :
 * They can be ordered online to be sent to a French postal address, or at brick and mortar locations which can be found in Paris (e.g. @ Metro Madeleine) and other locations throughout France called "Free Centers". Default online payment is with bank account details. To pay by debit card, under 'paiement de votre commande ' on the right hand side, under the box there is a link which says "payer par carte bancaire". It will then change the box to one that allows you to enter the details of any card. Your bank may charge a transaction fee for using this.
 * Free also provides a SIM distribution circuit trough completely automated machines located both in their "Free center" stores and "Mag press" shops (map). You just need a debit card to use them, and you can get SIM within 2 minutes, very conveniently. There is an additional fee of 10 € to cover SIM issue charge and ATM maintenance though. This adds up to 29.99 EUR for the package. More than 898 machines are available as of January 2015. They sell both rolling contracts and one-month plans. Be sure to get the correct SIM for your phone because reissuing the SIM costs 5€. Out-of-France credit cards are accepted.

More Info

 * APN: free
 * Website in French only

La Poste Mobile
La Poste Mobile is the MVNO of the French Postal System called La Poste. It uses the network of SFR in 2G, 3G and 4G/LTE (for details see SFR). It is sold in more than 10,000 postal offices (bureaux de poste) throughout the country, where you can find top-up vouchers too.

Prepaid Card
Their prepaid cards are sold in two different tariff lines called classique (classic) and internatational. While the international cards gives better rates for international calls, it doesn't contain data. Only the classique line can be loaded with data and both lines can't be mixed. Start-up price is 9.90 € with 5 € credit included. Top-ups can be found at post offices and many press kiosks.

Data feature packs
All data packs for the classic line are matched with a recharge. There are again two lines of vouchers: recharges triplées and recharges illimittées. Again, only the triple recharges contain data: Calls are limited to 129 per month with 3 hrs max, SMS to 250 per month. Data is on 4G/LTE too, but limited to 14.4 Mbit/s. All data use outside of the recharge packs is charged at 0.50 €/MB.
 * 10 EUR: 100 MB and free domestic calls and texts in 10 days
 * 20 EUR: 300 MB and free domestic calls and texts in 30 days
 * 30 EUR: 2 GB and free domestic calls and texts in 30 days

More info

 * APN: sl2sfr
 * La Poste also sells forfaits, but not to foreigners

LeFrenchMobile
LeFrenchMobile managed by the Transatel group runs on the good Orange network on 2G and 3G but not 4G/LTE and it's an MVNO designed for foreigners travelling to France. Its customer service is in English, Arabic and French. Their website is also available in Russian, Japanese and German.

Availability
The SIM cards are available in 3 types (Nano as well as a combined Normal/Micro SIM). Furthermore it is possible to buy 3G USB dongles and Wifi hotspots such as AutoBox and HomeBox with SIM cards included.

Purchase online via their website. Delivery is free within the European Union and €2 to the rest of the world. Payments can be made with any international Visa or MasterCard. Top-up online through the website.

Data SIM
Their Data SIM can be used in tablets, smartphones and laptops. Purchase price for the SIM is €19 with 1GB included valid for 30 days. These following top ups are available:

Euro SIM
EuroSIM is available for calls, texts and internet data. Purchase price is €15 which includes 2hrs of calls to other LFM users, or 1hr call in France and the rest of EU (and many more world countries) or 171 texts. You can also get the SIM at €30 to have more communications included and benefit from their Free SIM offer.

Top-up online or in Tabac shops and newsagents that sell PaySafeCards. A bonus credit is given to any online top-up over €25. Credit for the EuroSIM has no expiry date.

These following data packages are available (for domestic use in France): European Data bundles are also proposed: 200MB for €19 and 1GB for €49 available in all European Union countries. To activate a data bundle text one of the codes above to 22213.

Technical settings


 * APN (for Data SIM): mobiledata
 * APN (for Euro SIM): netgprs.com
 * Username and password: tsl

Additional Information


 * SIM cards have a 'Refer a Friend' scheme which can get an existing client and a new client credit €20 bonus credit to share. To do this send an email with both names and numbers to info@lefrenchmobile.com within 14 days of the sale of the new SIM card
 * Though their prices may be higher than SIM cards bought within the country, their products can be ordered from overseas and will be delivered already activated to any foreign postal address. Arriving in France, they can be used right away without having to activate them.
 * Available to purchase in British Pounds here on eBay for a surcharge.

Lebara Mobile
Lebara mobile is a British-based MVNO with operations in several countries. In France, they resell Bouygues Télécom's service in 2G and 3G only. The website and customer service are available for a change in both French and English, making it a good choice for those with limited French language skills.

Start up
Lebara mobile SIM cards can be ordered free of charge through Lebara's website, mailed to a French postal, address. Some users report that after a delay of 1-2 weeks, they may be mailed to a foreign address, if it is typed into the online form. Alternatively, they can be purchased for 10 EUR (including 5 EUR of credit) from many French tabacs (tobacconists and kiosks), including the Relay outlets for instance at Charles de Gaulle airport. Print-your-own Eurostar tickets include a voucher for a free sim with €1 of credit and 100 MB in a couple of shops at the Gare du Nord station. R echarges are available through the same channels,or by international credit card online. The SIM is a dual-cut standard and micro SIM, nano SIMs are available on request. Credit lasts from 30-90 days depending top-up amount. SIM cards that have not been used or topped up for 90 days will expire.

Activation
New SIM cards must be activated by providing a mail address, phone number, and ID number (e.g passport). Foreign details are OK. SIM cards ordered online and received in the mail will be pre-activated as the phone company has these details from the online form. SIMs bought from a shop can be activated by calling 2333 from your phone.This activation should be instant. You can select English on the voice menu (option 2). When you activate your SIM you are requested for your name, passport number and address. You can ask on the same call to buy your data package or any additional asistance.

Data feature packages
These monthly packages are on offer: All packages renew automatically if there is credit. To stop, send *STOP to 22241. Default data rate outside packages is 0.15 EUR per MB.

When adding funds to the account, among the "free bonuses" is data
 * top up of €10 = 100 MB free
 * top up of €20 or more = 1GB free

Technical Settings

 * APN: fr.lebara.mobi
 * User: wap
 * Password: 1234

Affiliate Program
You can order your SIM card from an existing member through the links below, and get the SIM card for free (instead of 1 € in physical stores) plus a 5 € credit. The member also receive 5 €. Delivery takes about 2 to 3 days to a French postal address. For international addreses just enter your city and country in the "city" field. The SIM will be posted with both your country and "France" in the address, but will be delivered to the correct address. For European Union countries delivery takes about seven to ten days.

Here are links. (Contributors to this page are encouraged to add additional links in alpha order for a healthier proposition. Readers are encouraged to pick a link randomly.
 * Link 1: http://l3b.in/U626PR
 * Link 2: http://l3b.in/W3C4AY

More info

 * Check credit balance and data allowance: *133#
 * Support line: 2300 (Option 2 on voice menu for English)
 * Website switch to English on top left

Lycamobile
Lycamobile is the biggest competitor of Lebara (see above) on the ethno market from Britain. It has a very similar prepaid offer like Lebara and acts as a MVNO on Bouygues Télécom's network in 2G and 3G too. The website and customer service are available in both French and English, making it a good choice for those with limited French language skills. Lycamobile actively blocks tethering from iPhones as well as Android phones and also 3g modems. The only way to use Lycamobile is on a smartphone.

Start up
Lycamobile SIM cards can be ordered free of charge through Lycamobile's website, mailed to a French postal, address. Alternatively, they can be purchased from many French tabacs (tobacconists and kiosks) and chain stores including Relay, Monoprix, Carrefour and others (store locator). R echarges are available through the same channels,or by international credit card online by entering *131*#. The SIM is a dual-cut standard and micro SIM, nano SIMs are available on request. Credit lasts from 30-90 days depending top-up amount. SIM cards that have not been used or topped up for 90 days will expire.

New SIM cards must be activated by calling 323 (in French) from your phone or online here (in English) providing a mail address, phone number, and ID number (e.g passport).

Data feature packages
Default data rate outside of packages is 0.09 EUR per MB.

Technical Settings

 * APN: data.lycamobile.fr
 * User: lmfr (that's lowercase L, not capital i)
 * Password: plus

More info

 * Check credit balance and data allowance *131#
 * Support: 322 (0.15 EUR/min), in English 9 am - 9 pm (- 6 pm on weekends)
 * It does not seem possible to tether with Android. Not even with a rooted phone! NB: Their terms and conditions exclude tethering explicitly.
 * Website switch to English on top left "Langue"

Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile started in France 2007 as a MVNO on Orange. It has used roaming on SFR and Bouygues in the meantime. In 2014 it was acquired by Numericable who also owns SFR network. From 2015 on it solely uses SFR’s network. 4G/LTE is not opened for prepaid, but for contracts and coverage is only at 50% in 2015 (see SFR above).

Virgin Mobile sells prepaid cards with inflated prices for data and much cheaper contracts (forfaits) which can or cannot be suspended (forfaits sans engagement, forfaits bloqués). Unfortunately, all forfaits remain inaccessible to foreigners who don’t have a French bank card or account. For this you need to live in France. This is why we don’t list their contracts. This exclusive policy was confirmed by their customer support in 2015. Anyone who can get a contract (not a prepaid card) without a French payment system, will please report this to us.

Prepaid Card
Their prepaid card (carte prépayée) can be purchased online or in a shop (locator) for 10 € as SIM only (SIM seul) or with a basic phone from 19.99€ without credit included.

You can choose between three prepaid tariff lines called Illimiday, Very Long and Very Much.

Data Feature Packages
Data outside of packages is 0.10€ per MB. For every recharge you get a certain data allowance depending on the tariff line which you have chosen. Recharge vouchers are available at their stores and a lot of other outlets. Online top-up is available too for French bank cards. Because of their inflated prices, you should better turn somewhere else.

Modem use, VoIP, Peer-to-peer, newsgroups and spam (!) are all prohibited.

More info

 * Check credit: #144*
 * APN: virgin-mobile.fr

Bienvenue Telecom
They provide access through a Mifi router called "miniBox" establishing a Wi-Fi connection. Up to 10 devices can be connected on a 4G/LTE connection in France. The miniBox is delivered within three hours by express anywhere in Paris, in two days anywhere in France. After the rental, it need to be returned by mail. Standard delivery is 6€, by express 9€. Internet plan comes with a FUP of 1 GB per day. Beyond this limit you can still use the service without any additional fees but it will be throttled. MiniBox has a minimum autonomy of 6 hours in intensive use.

Bienvenue has a partnership with Bouygues Télécom and uses their network in 2G, 3G and 4G/LTE. For coverage information, please refer to Bouygues below.
 * Website: http://bienvenuetele.com

Cellhire
Cellhire offers an international data SIM card for France and most other countries around the world. It's a 4G French data SIM card with 3 GB of data, on a 30 day rolling contract on the Orange network. It costs £29.99 for 30 days rental. When the 3 GB bundle runs out, the speed is reduced but you can continue to use data at no charge.

A 3G MiFi device can be added for £10 or a 4G MiFi device for £19. You'll need to pay £10 in advance as a refundable deposit.

4G coverage is limited and isn't available everywhere in France. Delivery is available to the UK for £4.99 and includes return delivery. To other places, rates may be higher, check with them. The 30 day rolling contract will continue until you return the SIM and MiFi.
 * Website: Cellhire.co.uk

dataroam
Dataroam provides an international SIM card rental service in France (as well as many other countries). They sell a French 30 Day data SIM cardfor £49.99 (56.99€) which gives 3GB of data for a period of 30 days on a rolling contact basis on the Orange network. There is an additional £10 (€10.14) set up fee. The 3 GB plan cannot be used in a smartphone (without heavy surcharges).

They also have similar packages for iPhone (£49.99 per 30 days) and Blackberry (£29.99 per 30 days) which include minutes and texts. The data SIM card can be sent to any UK or French address. You will need to provide proof of ID and the SIM card needs to be returned to conclude the rental contract.
 * Website: Dataroam.co.uk

MOXX


Moxx rents out mobile WIFI hotspots (4G mifi) on a short term basis for travellers in France (for 3 days to 6 months) with internet access. Their mifi is only 9 * 6 cm of size and allows to connect up to 10 devices.

You can order online via www.moxx.fr for a flat rate at 6.99 € per rental day. Delivery is by mail within France, takes up to three days and is free if you book for at least one week, otherwise 7€, Rendez-vous delivery within Paris for 9 € or by express (means same day delivery) for 24 €. Return is by mail in an insured, prepaid and registered envelope. Moxx connection uses the network of Bouygues Télécom (coverage see above) in up to 4G where available and allows VoIP. Their "unlimited" internet has a Fair Use Policy of 10 GB (for the rental period) after which speed will be throttled.
 * Website: https://www.moxx.fr
 * Whatsapp / Viber: +33 652 000 659

Travel Wifi
Travel Wifi rents personal WIFI hotspots (also called Mifi) giving up to 4G speed connection on the Bouygues Télécom network (for coverage see above).

To rent your mobile hotspot, book it on their website. The hotspot is delivered via standard mail in France or courier services inside of Paris to any French postal address. Clients can also choose to pick up their device at Travel Wifi's office in Paris city center. Once you have received your hotspot, the connection is unlimited in up to 4G speed! The WIFI signal can be shared with up to 10 devices at the same time. The return is in a provided prepaid envelope, that you need to drop in a mailbox.

They have charges according to the rental duration: For 3 days, the price is 10€/day. A week is 8€/day going down to 7€/day for 20 days, 6€/day for 30 days or longer.