nukesafe

The only real advantage for me is that (hopefully) my phone will work in CDG as soon as I turn it on. That way I can call our landlord, as he has requested, to tell him when to meet us at the apartment. He manages a lot of apartments and would rather not wait around all afternoon if we get hung up at the airport.

Sarastro

Purchased Lebara SIMs cost 10€ which includes 7.50€ talk credit.

Lebara SIMs are not as widely available outside of Paris are they are within Paris. There is no huge advantage in having one sent to you other than knowing you have one and its number before you arrive in France.

In Arles, inexpensive telecommunication options will be much more limited. You can ask at Auchan, Carrefour, Géante, Intermarché, Centre Leclerc, or other such stores for SIMs as they usually have their in-house branded SIMS and plans which are usually much cheaper than SFR, Orange, or Bouygues.

FairfaxCA

DebitNM, your phone should go back to Verizon when you put their SIM card back in. Or maybe if you had to change from CDMA to GSM using a menu setting then you will need to undo that. If it is just a cell phone you might be able to leave the Lebara card in. If you have a smart phone then you need to put Verizon’s SIM back in. I have older Verizon phones that only operate on 900 & 1800 HZ with a GSM card so we just go into the menu while on the plane to switch over. Another thing you may want to do is have the calls to your Verizon number forwarded to your land line so you can retrieve the messages, we can get ours online. Oh, thank you for all the information you provided about the Andrews FCU chip & PIN cards. I have mine and will try it next week at a gas pump then post back if it works or not.

Sarastro, you have been so patient to keep reposting Lebara’s fees instead of just directing people to their website.

For anyone who does wants a Lebara SIM but finds the process too trying you can buy them for $20 plus somewhat reasonable shipping. $20 is only 16 Euro so that isn’t much worse than 10 Euro in France but not as good as free. See my post from earlier this morning. As Sarastro mentioned they are not readily available except in Paris and Relay shops at CDG. During a month in France last year I didn’t notice their decal many times.

d_claude_bear

Ok, so we have a late afternoon and evening in Paris beoire taking the train to Arles.

If we want to get two Lebara SIMs before leaving the US, how far in advance of departure should we use their website to request them? How long are they good for?

DebitNM

You are welcome, Fairfax re: Andrews FCU credit card. Good suggestion for the voicemail, but no land line (

I ordered my SIM cards from Lebara in the spring and I had no trouble getting it activated today.

tomboy

The above is unclear to me.
My unlocked HTC phone and the mid-August SIM card is not yet activated.

To activate it, do I:
1) go online on my computer to set up a "my Lebara" account?
2) go online on my smartphone to set up a "my Lebara" account?
Do these two constitute "activation"?

If not, once I have a "my Lebara" account, what do I do?
The instructions (french) which came with the SIM say, "Activez maintenant votre ligne. Connectez voous sur www.lebara.fr/activation et remplissez le forumlaire en ligne." Google translate tells me that means "select your line. (whatever that means....nothing to me). Log on to w3etc and complete the form online."

It then sas I'll need THE number in the box at the bottom of the instructions (there are TWO, not ONE...votre numero de mobile XXXXX and votre numero de carte YYYY), my contact number, and my address.

What is my contact number? Is that in the new, unlocked phone, or is that the numero de mobile of the SIM as above?

DebitNM

I activated my SiM first, using my computer. The number they want is: voter número de mobile ( that is your actual phone number).

You cannot set up your Lebara account until the card is activated. One the card is activated, you can then set up your Lebara account. They will send you a text message with a security code that you need to complete the account set up.

So -
1. Unlock the phone, if needed.
2. Activate the SIM card.
2. Create "my Lebara" account.

Hope this helps

DebitNM

And you do rea
I've you can see the Lebara website in English, don't you? Upper right hand corner, near the shopping cart - it says "Francais" click it to make it English.

DebitNM

Sorry, iPad issues. That should say, "you do realize you can see...."

tomboy

now i'm in a pickle
i'm on the computer, half way thru activating,
it has activated the phone
now i'm trying to get a 'my lebara' account
i put in address, #, e-mail, etc.
now it says "we have sent you a code by SMS

but the first message Lebara sent upon activation was that, "SMS indisponible" or, SMS unavailable

how do I enter a number I can't get because they sent it to a number that can't receive it?

tomboy

it says it sent an email with the pin, but it has not as yet arrived in my hotmail account.

DebitNM

Do you have the Lebara SIM card in the phone?

When I put the Lebara SIM in my phone, my phone went from being a Verizon to a T Mobile. Did you set the phone to GSM Mode? It took a few minutes for the text to come.

Sarastro

it has activated the phone

Specifically what does this mean?

If your phone is activated, the required first step, then try this website to charge your phone:

http://help.lebara.fr/#tab:homeTab:c...32:Src:article

Otherwise, if you are unsuccessful, it may be prudent to wait until you are in France to complete the charging process.

DebitNM

The email also took a few minutes. Check your spam folder.

The email contains a link that you click to confirm the "my Lebara" account.

DebitNM

There is no pin, at least I didn't have anything mentioning a pin

DebitNM

I would not top up or add € to the phone until just before you leave for France. € 10 expires in 30 days, € 20 in 45 days.per the site

tomboy

OK
I leave Tuesday, but I think I'll wait til I'm there to add $


But this 'my lebara account' thing has me stumped

DebitNM

You don't really need it, I think it's really useful for those using it on a regular, long term basis.

nukesafe

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I ordered two Lebara SIM cards on September 1st. They arrived today, and I will have the delightful task tomorrow of sorting through all of the (sometimes) conflicting advice you have been so generous to give.

I'll let you know how it goes ---------- if I don't slit my wrists in frustration.

Sarastro

nukesafe - Make sure you activate each SIM before attempting to top it off with credit. You should be able to do this from the USA using the Lebara website by opening a new account and registering the new phone numbers. I use www.lebara.fr (it is of course in French).

You should also be able to top off your new SIM from the same website. If you have difficulties, you can try this site:

http://help.lebara.fr/#tab:homeTab:c...32:Src:article

If all else fails, and hopefully it will not, you can always register your phone in France or always purchase a recharge ticket, from any magazine store or tabac. Call the recharge number,(I think it is 2323, follow the instructions and input the recharge numbers found on the ticket you just purchased.

Let us know how the works for you.