France is a beautiful country famous for its exotic locations and of course the Eiffel Tower. Millions of tourists from across the planet visit this country every year, and why shouldn’t they? The country is world-renowned for its fashion industry, cuisine, art, culture, history, politics, beauty, and whatnot. However, we will talk about something different this time. We sought out the best SIM cards in France that are helpful whether you are a tourist, citizen, or resident.
SIM cards are essential if you plan to stay connected, explore, and navigate your way around the country. Being in France, you would certainly not want to feel lost. There are four main operators and several MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) in France. Without ado, let’s start studying the leading providers of SIM cards in the country one by one.
1. Orange France
Orange France is generally referred to as just Orange, which is the largest as well as the best carrier in France. It is also active in other European countries, Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. Orange operates on 2G, 3G, 4G/LTE, 5G NR, VoLTE, and VoWiFi frequencies. But 5G NR is available only to its postpaid subscribers. It also has the best network coverage in the country, a fact that was authenticated by Opensignal.
You can get an Orange SIM card (Mobicarte Mini) for just €2.99, which gets you unlimited local calling minutes and SMS between 21:00 and 00:00 (9 pm to 12 am) daily. Orange also offers a data-only SIM card (Prépayée Přet-à-Surfer) that lets you enjoy 10 GB of data for 30 days. There are three tourist SIM cards offered by the company for short-term visitors too: Orange Holiday, Mobicarte Vacances Monde, and Mobicarte Vacances. You can also get an Orange embedded SIM (eSIM) in the same price range. However, they are only compatible with eSIM-enabled devices.
2. SFR France
Though most French users refer to it as simply SFR, the full form is Société Française du Radiotéléphone. It is the second-largest telecom company in the country. The company also operates in Belgium, the Caribbean, Luxembourg, Mayotte & Réunion. Additionally, the carrier offers access to 2G, 3G, 4G/LTE, 5G NR, VoLTE, and VoWiFi frequencies. It has the best 4G LTE availability in France, too. You can buy the SFR prepaid SIM card (called Carte Prépayée SFR) for €9.99. This comes with preloaded €5 credit and 50 MB of data valid for 30 days.
Moreover, you can easily get its SIM cards and top-up vouchers in the official outlets of SFR and other stores like local grocery and electronic shops, as well as international airports in the country. But remember, SIM cards available at airports are more expensive than the outlets in the city. SFR provides combo as well as data-only plans to its subscribers, each starting from just €5.
3. Bouygues Telecom
Bouygues Telecom is the third-largest mobile carrier in France. It currently serves the best 5G NR performance, not in terms of top speed, but overall coverage and average speed. But the bad news is you can’t use its 5G NR services with its prepaid SIM card, at least not at the time of writing. Bouygues Telecom operates on 2G, 3G, 4G/LTE, 5G NR, VoLTE, and VoWiFi frequencies. Its 4G/LTE coverage is the best in all the populated areas of the country. Its SIM card (Carte XL) is available for €10, in which €4 credit is preloaded.
It also sells tourist SIM cards named My European SIM, available at Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris. The cost of this SIM is €39.99 which you get 20 GB of data, unlimited local/EU calling minutes and SMS, and international call credit worth €25 to the French Overseas Department, all valid for 30 days. My European SIM is also available in the embedded format and usable in some select eSIM-compatible devices.
4. Free Mobile France
This carrier is better known as simply Free Mobile and is the smallest telecom operator in France. Out of the four main big players, it is the cheapest option. Its prices are so affordable and competitive that it managed to bring the tariff rates of its competitors down by around half single-handedly. Its most expensive plan is just €19.99. This plan was launched in 2013, and it has remained the same to date. The price hasn’t changed, but its data cap has. It went from 20 GB in 2013 to 210 GB in 2022. It is the first carrier to offer free 5G NR services even to its prepaid customers.
Though it is the most inexpensive carrier, its coverage still lags behind its three major competitors, including the 5G NR speed. Free Mobile operates on 2G, 3G, 4G/LTE, 5G NR, VoLTE, and VoWiFi (only announced—not yet available) frequencies. You can get a Free Mobile SIM card for just €10 through a Free SIM machine located near the official outlets. Unlike its other major competitors, Free Mobile SIM cards in France get activated instantly after the purchase. Users don’t need to call or send/receive SMS to activate it.
5. La Poste Mobile
La Poste Mobile is a brand owned by the French Postal System called La Poste. It is an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) of SFR, which means it uses its mobile network infrastructure as it doesn’t have its own. Its SIM cards and top-up vouchers are sold in more than 10,000 post offices (bureaux de poste) in France.
It vends SIM cards on a contract basis too, but not to foreigners. It is also important to remember that there is no international roaming available on its prepaid SIM cards. Furthermore, it has two types of prepaid SIM cards: Classic and International. Only Classic offers data and regular local calls and SMS. International doesn’t offer data but gives cheap international calling rates.