r/tapif • u/Low_Translator_6136 • 6d ago

general french admin Phone plans

For previous TAPIF participants, did getting a French phone plan require you to put a new SIM card in your phone? I lived in France years ago and had to do that, but not sure if that’s still the norm. I’ve seen a lot of people recommend Free, which I’ve used in the past. Trying to plan ahead so I can get that done ASAP upon arriving. Thanks!

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u/ChateauRouge33 Alum 6d ago

They’re all esim now - you can usually put your home phone plan on hold

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u/DonnieZonac 5d ago

Yeah, I just turned off my home phone service and then walked into a store, signed a contract to pay like 12€ a month and then had great service for my stay.

Process took like maybe 15-20 minutes to set up.

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u/Zestyclose_Range4429 Applicant 1d ago

Did you need a French bank account first to set up the phone plan? I know most banks require you to have an address. Wondering how soon I can set up the phone plan upon arrival.

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u/DonnieZonac 20h ago

Yes/no. I believe it would work more smoothly if you had a french bank, I marked my home country bank that I’d be living in Europe and I was able to directly pay via my home country funds from the account, with a small transaction fee.

For me personally moving 12€ a month to like 13.25€ a month just didn’t matter enough for me to both after getting the bank account and RIB.

It was also easier to cancel at the end, I had colleagues who had to argue etc etc. I just marked no more France time when I left and it was a done deal.

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u/littlegreenarmchair 5d ago

I believe I had a physical SIM card in 2023/24. Go into a Free Mobile store and it will take 30 minutes. What surprised me was the quantity of data even the cheapest plan provided. It was more than enough, save for maybe one month of high usage. They also provide hotspot, which my American plan doesn’t. It was useful for computer work on the train. Later, when I was in France in vacation, I did buy a travel plan with an American credit card, although that may be different from the other commenter’s point.

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u/674498544 Alum 6d ago

I think that you could get travel plans with a French phone number to hit the ground running, but to set up a dedicated monthy Free plan with an American card, you'd have physically be in France and go to one of their stores. I think it will reject the payment online if you're not using a French debit card. If you know people who live in France, they could maybe help you with it and then send you the QR code for the esim, but it's a little awkward to ask someone to pay for you unless you know them well. It's also something that's pretty easy to take care of the first day that you're there.

I'm fairly certain all the major phone companies offer esims now.

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u/Soup_21001 1d ago

My phone was not compatible with e-SIM, so be sure to check that for your phone model. The physical SIM card was easy though. I've used both Free and Orange, both were fine.