Hello everyone,

We are traveling to France for 15 days (including 6 days in Paris). Flying into Nice, making our way up to Paris, and then flying out from there. I had a question about eSIM choices and the Navigo weekly pass.

We planned to go with a data-only eSIM like Airalo or Saily. But while looking into using public transport in Paris, I came across mentions that the IDF Mobilités app / Navigo Semaine pass requires SMS verification.

Because of that, we are now considering the Orange Holiday (Orange Travel) eSIM, since it includes a French number along with data, and costs roughly the same as the data-only options. We are now leaning toward getting the Orange eSIM so we can receive SMS verification and register for the Navigo weekly pass. The weekly pass timing also aligns perfectly with our days in Paris.

Has anyone run into any issues using Orange Travel eSIM compared to Airalo/Saily? Does the Orange eSIM reliably work for receiving SMS verification codes (specifically for IDF Mobilités / Navigo)? Has anyone successfully used it to sign up for the Navigo Semaine pass?

Would love to hear your experiences or any gotchas we should be aware of. Appreciate any recent experiences or tips.

Thanks in advance.

I can't help you with either Airalo or Navigo, but I have used Orange travel eSIMs in France, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, and Spain. I have found their product to be reliable.

When you purchase one, they will send you an email with a QR code and installation instructions. You can order it well in advance, but do not install it until you are about to leave home, as their clock starts ticking on installation, not activation. Installation is simple and quick, but bear in mind that you can only use the QR code once.

I turn off my primary (or home) line just before leaving, and then activate the Orange service on arrival at destination. One thing I have noticed is that it can take several minutes for the activation to complete, and don't forget to enable data roaming on your Orange eSIM.

If you are travelling to France, they will probably give you a French mobile number. It varies, depending on destination; when I went to Spain earlier this year, there gave me a Polish number. No worries, though, it worked perfectly in Spain.

I've had the same experience using Orange eSIM's twice; once in France in 2022 and recently in Italy. Worked fine both times. Only difference with me is that I've used my iPhone in dual SIM mode, so that I could still get calls and texts on my US number (turning off US data, however).

I’ve also used both Airalo and Orange esims over the last some years without any issues at all. Sometimes you get a French number, but more often it’s from an East European country, but that makes no difference at all. Though I don’t have any experience with Navigo.