Cell Phone Questions
 

I am considering buying a used prepaid cell phone that was purchased in France from Bouygues Telecom, I believe. My question is this - since we will not be going to France until October, how can I find out if the minutes left will have expired by then? And will the sim card have to be replaced or can it be reloaded? The Bouygues website is in French - so I haven't been able to get any answers from them. One of the other French telecom sites stated that their minutes expire in two months time, which made me think that the same might be true at Bouygues. If anyone knows about these prepaid phones, I would appreicate any help.

I can't tell you specifically about the phone company, but yes the pre-paid minutes do expire and the phone number does to. Each company has different rules.

The good news is that once you are there, and the phone number did expire, all you need is a new SIM card. Usually they are free with a purchase of minutes.

Is this phone unlocked? If it isn't then you are stuck with Bouygues, if it is unlocked, then you could buy minutes (packaged together with SIM card) from any phone compnay.

There is a misconception that every phone bought in Europe is unlocked. It's simply not true. Even the pre-paid phones are locked to the company that sells them in many instances.

blh - When we got to France (Paris) last month, we took our own cell-phones that we use everyday and went straight to La Samaritaine department store where they removed our simcards - inserted a new french one, gave us a number and some airtime and away we went. Every so often when the money got low on them we called in at the nearest Tabac and bought another "top-up card". On arriving back home we have just done everything in reverse and kept our french sim-cards and number somewhere safe, but whether they will still be valid in two years time is another question which I can't answer. But, we were told the sim-cards we got in London, never expire.
I can only see one drawback and that is if your own cell phone is not compatible. We had Nokia's.
If I find out anything new I will post again.

AA - I am thinking that this prepaid phone is probably not unlocked - therefore minutes would have to be purchased from Bouygues - and I have no idea how much the cards cost or how much minutes to the US cost - and if incoming calls are free on prepaid phones.

tod - Our cell phones are not unlocked and are digital rather than GSM. I have been doing some research on the GSM phones that are or can be unlocked - but it gets confusing!

If anyone has any other advice - I would like to hear it!

If all else fails, visit one of their Paris locations and ask your questions.
(locations in many other towns as well)

PARIS 2ème
Metro Place de l'Opéra - Ligne 8
75002 PARIS
Tel : 01 47 42 09 71 / Fax : 01 40 60 00 51

Bd Haussmann,
75002 PARIS
Tel : 01 40 06 95 47 / Fax : 01 40 17 96 13

Check out the telestial.com web site you can purchase the sim card online before you go or get information about sim cards cards .

Generally French prepaid plans expire after 2 months but the sim card and number remain valid for receiving calls for another 6.

Telestial.com is a rip off...you pay almost triple the price and for example you can't actually get your French number till you arrive in France and call a special number.

Don't use them.

xyz123 - do the prepaid phones have free incoming calls? If I buy this Bouygues prepaid phone, should I be able to just add minutes when I get to France to make calls to the US? Would I have to locate a Bouygues store, or would the tabacs, etc., sell minutes for any brand phone? I am assuming this is a locked prepaid phone - so guess the questions is do tabacs sell cards for all phones or just unlocked phones?

In Paris, you should be able to get a top up card from most any tabac. The top up has nothing to do with the phone and everything to do with the SIM card and yes you will get free incoming calls; but do remember the calling party pays somewhat more to call a mobile number..There is no free lunch here.