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Sim card for France

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Old Jun 6th, 2013 | 12:33 AM
  #1  
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Sim card for France

Can I buy a sim card in France, just to use for a month while I'm there? I would like to use internet, and make local calls. Which provider would be best?
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Old Jun 6th, 2013 | 07:32 AM
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Order a free one from lebara.fr and have it sent to you ahead of time. Then top it off once in France.
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Old Jun 6th, 2013 | 09:52 AM
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Thanks, I will do that!
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Old Jun 6th, 2013 | 10:27 AM
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Lebara website says that SIMs are only shipped to French addresses. I tried to order one (to be shipped to Canada) but didn't get it. Other people report getting it shipped to the US.
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Old Jun 6th, 2013 | 10:38 AM
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I turn on European roaming. It costs me €2 a day for 20 minutes of calls in, 20 minutes of calls out, 20 SMS, and 35MB internet. It only charges if you actually use the phone to call or internet. If you use WiFi it obviously doesn't charge you. That's with Vodafone, but I'm sure the other providers offer a similar deal.
You are in the Netherlands aren't you?
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Old Jun 6th, 2013 | 10:41 AM
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Mine came to me here in the USA in five days. Everyone in the USA I know who's ordered one has received one.
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Old Jun 6th, 2013 | 01:30 PM
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I got one earlier this year at my US address.
You need to be aware that you must use the Lebara SIM within 90 days of its issuance, so don't order it too far in advance of your trip. I got my confirming email from Lebara on January 29, and arrived in France April 24, so close to 90 days.

Upon arrival, I bought a Lebara "ticket" for €5 at the Relay store near the SNCF/RER station at CDG. I entered the "code recharge" on my unlocked phone and was good to go. After two weeks, having made a few phone calls, I still had more than €4 credit on the phone. My old-fashioned dumb phone doesn't do internet, so not sure how that would work with Lebara.
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Old Jun 6th, 2013 | 03:25 PM
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Lebara now includes free G3 access with each recharge. If there´s a lower cost alternative to Lebara´s voice, SMS, or G3 services, I´d sure like someone to post the information so we can all benefit. Up to now, I have found no competitor, generally available (Free is not available to those without a French bank account), that can match Lebara.
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Old Jun 6th, 2013 | 10:34 PM
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I'm in Belgium - I always turn off roaming outside of Belgium, it's too expensive. A phone call within Europe is 35 cents/minute.

I have a French address, so will have the Sim send there. They do say on the site, only French addresses. I mainly want 3G access, so that I can use Whatsapp and Viber.

Thanks for the information, very helpful!
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Old Jun 7th, 2013 | 05:43 AM
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<i>They do say on the site, only French addresses. </i>

Well don't let the Lebara people who write on the internet site tell the Lebara people who send the SIMs that SIMs should not be sent to users in the USA because because a lot of us who now have Lebara service on our mobile phones would be without it.
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