We arrive at CDG on Sept. 20 around 7:15. We'll need to get Euros from an ATM and also want to get a SIM card for our little european phone.
I'm pretty sure the ATMs will be easily found, but what about a SIM card for France? (We'll be in France for about 20 days)
Also can we do all this on the way to finding our reserved driver? Don't want to make him/her wait.
Thanks. haven't been in CDG for about 25 years !!

It may not be as easy to find the SIM card once you disembark. The places I saw where you could purchase SIM cards were past security. However, it's pretty easy to get a SIM card at a tabac or a grocery store, if not an actual phone shop. All of those should be easy to find at your destination after you leave the airport unless you're going off immediately into the countryside.

Look for a shop called "Relay". A TA member recently reported buying a Lebara SIM at CDG at one of their shops. Use http://www.easycdg.com or similar to locate their shops on a map.

Or go the the http://www.Lebara.fr site and order a SIM. Free.
http://www.lebara-mobile.fr/Pre-Pay-Cards On the order form add "USA" after your zip code in the box marked "Postal Code"... it only took about 10 days for mine to arrive in Canada... ;^)

I went on the Lebara site and ordered the SIM card. I received two confirming emails,but the SIM card never came. Went back to the site and discovered the fine print "Offre uniquement valable pour les consommateurs résidant en France." Interesting you got one sent to Canada.

Just now I went back to the site and requested again. When I added USA on the order form after the postal code, it wouldn't accept it. I then added USA after the state with no problem, so we'll see if I get a SIM card this time. Hope so.

Ok, thanks, but what kind of a SIM card is free? Is it one where we then have to buy time on the card, once we get in to Paris?

Lebara has a free SIM offer. I received one here in the USA.

You can purchase time on line from anywhere in the world and be ready with an operable phone as soon as you reach CDG. Otherwise the SIMs sold at CDG, there are several tabacs and magazine stores selling them, must be activated on line.

so, if I understand, I can get a lenses sincere sent to me here in US, then I can buy some time on it, on line, before we fly to France, is that correct?

Yes taconictraveler, that is correct. You can have a SIM sent to you in the USA, register it on line in English, and purchase any additional minutes you may need on the English version of the Lebara web site.

Allow 2 to 3 weeks to receive your SIM.

Sarastro: How did you manage to get a SIM from Lebara sent to you in the USA? It says only for people with a french address. (I can give them my hotel address, and wait til I get there to pick it up, is that a better idea? ) I'd rather get it in the US, and then buy minutes before I leave (home computer easier to manage than iPad or iPhone)

Thanks for any additional help.

<i>Sarastro: How did you manage to get a SIM from Lebara sent to you in the USA?</i>

I asked. There are no guarantees.

Otherwise you can simply purchase one when you arrive. Lebara SIMs are sold at tabacs or magazine stores all over Paris. I purchased a second SIM from a magazine vendor in the métro.

I emailed Lebara last June about them sending me a SIM card to the USA and said that they don't. You may be able find one at a tabac near the hotel where you are staying. It seems that to buy minutes you need to have the SIM in the phone and logged in first, you can't do that until you are in France. The other option is Mobiho (http://www.cheap-mobile.fr/) their site is easier to search for where they are available. The Mobiho SIMs are available from Amazon if you want one before leaving, that way you will have the number if you want to give it to family and friends. You can search for a post I made in June for more info.

I registered my SIM and setup my account from the USA so my Lebara phone operated the minute I arrive in France (though when I arrived in Paris anyone I might have wanted to call in the USA was fast asleep).

At one time, Lebara did list a number of distributors of their products on their website. However, as their SIMs are now sold ubiquitously throughout Paris, it would really be pointless to list the hundreds of locations that now sell their SIMs. Lebara does list the retail chains that do sell their SIMs, Relay and Tabac are two of the larger outlets.

While Mobiho does offer pricing which is cheaper than Orange, SFR, or Bouygues, this is how they compare against Lebara:

Calls to another French mobile:

Mobiho - .39€/minute
Lebara - .15€/minute

Calls to a French fixed line:

Mobiho - .19€/minute
Lebara - .15€/minute

Calls made to others within the same network:

Mobiho - .29€/minute
Lebara - .09€/minute

Calls to the USA:

Mobiho - .18€/minute
Lebara - .09€/minute

SIM cost:

Mobiho - 15€ with 8€ talk credit
Lebara - 10€ with 7.50€ talk credit (free SIMs available on line)

_____

Presently, Lebara is the price leader in France for Mobile phone service. When recharging a SIM on line, Lebara gives additional incentives making the above rates even cheaper.

Going back to the OP's original question: the answer is YES. It is very easy to buy a SIM card at CDG.

At least it was in the terminal I arrived in, the Relay store was easy to find at the top of an escalator. If you know what terminal you arrive in, you can look at the maps ahead of time but they are all over, it isn't hard.

Several months ago I bought a sim card from Le French Mobile online, got it in the mail and used it successfully for the month I was in France.

http://www.lefrenchmobile.com/

Pay attention to the "must be activated online" advice mentioned above. If you want your phone to work on the spot then you may be better off getting a SIM card from a real phone or electronics store where they can make sure your phone works before you leave the store.

French law requires that mobile phones have a traceable owner - one with a name and address. The required information can be provided either on line or by completing a form where the SIM/phone is purchased. The accuracy of this information is left to the purchaser (few of us who purchase pre paid SIMs have permanent addresses in France).

J62, the sim from Le French Mobile was active and ready to go when I arrived in France. Not sure which "above" you refer to. I got one online for just that reason, so I wouldn't have to do it on arrival. You can, of course, quite easily shop for one then but I like to not have to do that and I also like having a phone in case I need to make a call immediately. But mostly because it's one less thing to think about.

See sarastro's post.

>>>, there are several tabacs and magazine stores selling them, must be activated on line.<<<

Last time I was in Germany & bought a SIM card (congstar) it had to be activated online, the website was only in German, and there was about a 12 hr delay until the card was active.

I'm not saying that's true for every SIM card you buy, but it's something you need to pay attention to if you need the phone to be active asap or you won't have internet access. caveat emptor.

J62 - thanks for the heads up. I've bought a number of cards in Europe and Asia and never had that particular requirement. But buying in a store does not necessarily mean a carefree experience. One I got (in India) required the seller to register it and I guess they assumed I'd leave town and be stuck somewhere out of reach. I did not and they were not but even after I went back they still did not do it so they won. I gave up. An unusual case I would hope but better to deal with a recommended source I think and reduce the probability of trouble.

Sarastro and MaineGG: MY LEBARA CARD ARRIVED TODAY!
Hard to believe, cuz I don't think I ordered it more than 5 days ago!
Now, I have another question: the web site seems only to be in French. I can manage it if necessary, but Sarastro: were you able to find the site in English? And did you just use your American credit card to buy time?