The Lebara SIM is free. If one pays 10€ for a SIM at Relay, the typical charge, it includes 5€ of usage credit.

Typically, Lebara now charges .15€ per minute to call almost anywhere. Texts are .15€.

https://mobile.lebara.com/fr/fr/inte...nal-call-rates

Another possible option is le French Mobile which has lowered their rates significantly. There may be other advantages with this company as well such as being able to keep your French mobile number over periods of non use.

http://www.lefrenchmobile.com/

Sarastro means 0.15 euro per minute. It is quite important to put the zero because the decimal is not very visible.

I have just used t-mobile plan in Europe during the free 4G LTE promotion.

While the 4G/LTE promotion was available in many countries in Europe, France was not one of them. https://newsroom.t-mobile.com/news-a...ess-summer.htm. I was greeted with ẅelcome 4G/LTE messages elsewhere, but in France it was welcome to France with 2G.

When operating in 2G (signal says 3G, but my network meter says 20KBs) the phone went through battery like crazy. Both of our phones got warm due to additional power usage in France while on 2G. The power usage got more sane once entered Germany, but still more power than at home in the U.S.

I understood that .15 euro and 0.15 euro are the same thing. And that is not cheap at all.

You´re right of course kerouac. However, if any mobile company actually charged 15€ per minute, I probably would not recommend anyone using their services.

The OP can try Lyca SIM, which includes these rates for calls to the US:

Top up and call United States from France
Landline - 5cts per minute
Mobile - 5cts per minute
SMS - 15cts per SMS
To get these rates simply text TARIFS SPECIAUX TO 2525

http://www.lycamobile.fr/en/call-usa

You can get the SIM at tabacs and some chain stores. They have a store locator page where you can type in 75007 for the 7th arrondisement:

http://www.lycamobile.fr/en/storelocator

You will have to top up and activate and add data bundles (depending on how much data you want, which you may want if the Wifi in your apt. isn't strong).

Now it's kind of tricky to do this and if you buy the SIM from a tabac or a grocery store, I don't think those people will help you. I'm not sure what kind of help is available from Lyca if you don't speak French.


So in that case, there might be more of an advantage in going to an Orange, SFR or Bouygues stores, where they can activate and add the data bundles you want, assuming you find a clerk who will speak English, which is often the case in big cities.

When you go into the stores, you may want to take a number or someone may come up to you for your name and what you're interested in and they will put you on a list. Often the stores can get busy.

But you will pay more from the "big" telecoms than you would from an MVNO like Lycra or Lyca. For instance Orange has a tourist SIM:

For visitors and travelers Orange offers its Orange Holiday (formerly called Mobicarte Holiday). It's sold for 39.99 EUR and is valid for 14 days including:

- 120 minutes of international calls from anywhere in Europe to anywhere in the world
- 1000 international SMS from anywhere in Europe to anywhere in the world
- 2 GB data within Europe (all EU/EEA countries)
- unlimited Orange WiFi in France. However, don't count on the Orange WiFi. Activation never worked for me (demanded purchasing credit) and the sales people in the stores were unhelpful saying that WiFi access is not included. It is definitely stated online and in the literature that it is included, but you don't want to spend a long time in the store arguing with someone you may not share a language with on your vacation.

If you still got an old active Mobicarte or need a recharge, they offer a recharge Orange Holiday for 20 EUR including 1 hour of EU calls, 500 interntl. SMS unlimited Orange Wi-Fr and 500 MB data, all validd for another 14 days. Line stays active for another 6 months thereafter.

SFR has a slightly better deal:

Like Orange and Bouygues, they have a tourist SIM for visitors. It’s only available from Tabacs and Relay stores (not SFR shops) for up to 20 EUR, is valid for 14 days and preloaded with:

- 1 hour of voice to France and Europe, the US and China
- 500 SMS to France and Europe, the US and China
- 1 GB of domestic data
- unlimitede SFR WiFi

All the recharges whether Ilimitées, Internet or Welcome can be renewed anytime to get more data or validity. Tethering and modem use is now allowed. You can buy an add-on for more allowances for 20 EUR including another hours of calls, 500 SMS and 1 GB all valid for 14 days.

I got the info. from this site, which has links to Orange and SFR where you can browse what they're currently offering (though you must read French whereas the Lycra and Lyca sites have English versions).

http://prepaid-data-sim-card.wikia.com/wiki/France

<i>I understood that .15 euro and 0.15 euro are the same thing. And that is not cheap at all.</i>

All things are relative. While 0.15€ per minute is not as cheap as what Lebara once charged, it is much less than the 0.40€ per minute Orange is charging:

http://boutique.orange.fr/mobile/rec...rte#classiques

Finding Lebara SIMs at Relay stores within CDG is just hit or miss. I always look. Sometimes they've had them (Terminal 1), sometimes not.

Last September, my "bring your own phone" with T-Mobile was fine for phone calls, but not data.

I found a Lebara SIM in one of the Relay shops at Gare Montparnasse, but did have to check one shop after another. If not found at any of those, my plan was to try Gare de Lyon, where I've heard they're usually always available.

The Lebara SIM cost 9,50 which includes 5,00 credit, plus another 2,50 when you top up. The SIM is already activated, so you can make calls right away. You do have to register the SIM in order to top up. You can do this by calling the number in the kit or online (have your passport number handy).

If you register online, you'll be brought to a top up screen. My advice would be not to do that. Rather, first sign up for MyLebara. If you've previously had a MyLebara account, you'll need to use an alternate e-mail address to establish an account for the new SIM.

Once you've set up MyLebara, then go ahead and top up. Advantage of setting up MyLebara ahead of topping up is being able to access all transactions and activity.

(Note, when I topped up immediately after registering, you have to re-enter the phone number, which I did incorrectly, so lost that amount.)

If, for some reason, you need to phone the owner ahead of having your SIM, just about anyone anywhere will allow you to make a call on their phone, other travelers, a front desk clerk, etc.

BTW, if you sign up for a new service, you'll need to have your passport with you. It's the law in France that you have to register a cell phone number.

The OP is probably already in Paris.

So he or she either figured it out or has no Internet access since he/she hasn't checked back into this thread since the date she created it.

Thank you all for your replies. Unfortunately, my flight was 3 hours late leaving Philadelphia and 2 hours late arriving Paris. So, I didn't have time to visit a Relay store at CDG. I got to my neighborhood as quickly as possible and stopped in the corner café I had already determined would be my local. One very nice waiter with great English allowed me to use his mobile to call my landlord. Whew! It was all stressful to say the least but turned out well. The following day I found a Orange store just up the street and was able to purchase their Holiday Plan. Their 2 week plan isn't as good as the Lebara 30 day plan I had this summer. But, it is what it is and I'm now connected!

So, I thank you all for your advice and comments!

Holiday plan is valid only for two weeks, as I posted above.

You could try one of the grocery stores for a Lyca SIM but you may have to set it up yourself, including activating it and making any settings changes.

SFR and Bouygues also have holiday plans for visitors which may be cheaper than Orange's, if your Orange plan runs out and you still need service.

<< One very nice waiter with great English allowed me to use his mobile to call my landlord. >>

Whenever I've been in Paris, everyone is very generous with allowing travelers to make a call on their phone. I've seen it everywhere.

Thank you, Dee_Dee for reporting. It's always nice to know everything worked out.

Remember you can use Google Hangouts Dialer to make FREE phone calls back to the US (smart phone). Free on WiFi, anyway; if not on WiFi, it will use your mobile data, and if your phone can't connect to fast mobile networks (4G or 3G) in Europe, it may be too slow to make calls that way on mobile data.