Sarastro

I would assume nothing. Most Android phones, using either the Bonjour RATP app or the Île-de-France Mobilité app, and a linked credit card, may be used as a Navigo card replacement. Approaching the turnstiles, the phone must be on, NFC enabled, the app active having a valid fare. Some newer Samsung phones have cardlike circuitry built-in, the phone does not need be on to function as a Navigo card.

iPhones do not have card replacement capability but, properly configured, they may be used to load fares onto a Navigo card.

bilboburgler

there are some sensitivities that I just miss when I read Fodors, I'm sorry, I guess I'm just not in the zone

What was the price for the car service please?

gomiki

bilboburgler, I believe the OP is on a trip in the western US right now. She may not see your question.

aliced

Having been to France six times over the last 30 years, YES, our needs have changed. Was it all the kind French who immediately offered us their seats on the Metro at Chatelet trying to tell us something (at rush hour no less when we struggled in holding on at an exit door) ? Yes, we were amongst the oldest by decades, but at least not dragging luggage. We had fun with that ordeal while leaving Brussels two train stations whose elevators were miles away from our platforms! Now I know why people take tours, but we prefer to plan our own escapades. We used the Navigo Decouverte cards easily and yes, handy, to hop on a bus that magically appears before you headed in right direction! And tho we didnt ride it on this trip, the Route 63 that you pick up at Cluny and take all thru St. Germain over to Trocadero is so relaxing and truly a "sight-seeing" experience. I always suggest it to first-timers. Gives you the overall layout that a Metro cannot. 'Nuf said......

annhig

Just another note about the advantages of having a Navigo card - I discovered that it got me a very worthwhile €5 off the €20 cost of the one day Batobus ticket.

OTOH I found it impossible to load with a new carnet at any of the machines at the entrance to the metro; eventually my companion gently pointed out that I was using my hotel key card which in my defence was pretty similar! But even the real card got no results so I resorted to asking the assistant in the office to do it which she did very happily. Then of course I remembered that I could do it on my phone but I enjoyed the human contact [and chance to use my french] however brief.

And though I have yet to discover the delights of the No 63 bus Aliced, I can recommend the no 66 which went from almost outside our hotel to the Hotel de Ville, and the Louvre - as you say giving an overall idea of the layout that the metro can't.

Christina

People have different feelings about private car service. I have never seen the point since that's what a taxi does and you don't have to prebook and then try to find a specific person at the airport. Or worry if your plane is late, etc. To me, it sounds like more work than a taxi. I've read recently some taxis try to rip people off, I guess, at the airport. I'm not sure how given it is a flat rate and if they are at the official taxi queue there you'd think that would be that. Maybe I misunderstood and it's within the city.

IN any case, I often stay in one hotel that last time refused to order me a taxi. Then they claimed the flat rate was more than it was (I knew what it was supposed to be), when I pushed back about how their private car service cost more than a taxi would. I was tired and caved since I just didn't have the energy to try to figure out how to deal with this on my own. At least I figured if some car service had ties to that hotel, they would show up and not try to rip me off (as I prepaid). To compensate, I didn't tip at all. I know some locals say they never tip anyway, but I usually give at least 5 euro tip for that long drive to the airport if the driver was nice. I don't tip 20 pct or anything.

Long story but bottom line was that that particular service cost about 10 euro more than the official airport flat rate. I think I figured out given the booking in advance fee for a taxi, I wasn't really out all that much money versus a taxi. That was just one car service though, so who knows, maybe yk will say somewhere which one she used and what it costs. I was kind of irritated at the hotel, though, even though I"d been going there for years, although they had new owners. I mainly thought it was outrageous for local Parisian hotel staff to not know what the official taxi rate to the airport was, and of course refusing to order a taxi for a guest isn't great either. I'm pretty sure they flat out refused or were going to really give me a hassle.