Mobile phone in France - advice please! (1 Viewer)

Apr 22, 2012
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Eight wonderful years!
We are off to the French Alps in May. We don't intend to use a mobile phone much but need to have one that works for occasional use and emergency. We have an i-Phone with contract with O2 but think that coverage (and cost?) may be a problem. Should we buy a cheap phone (Orange??) here with Pay As You Go or is it possible/better to buy one in France (with a French number). Any help gratefully accepted!
 
Feb 16, 2013
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I don't think you will find O2 that bad if you are not useing it a lot this is what you get , copied from O2



While travelling in Europe just pay a 50p connection charge to make and receive calls between European countries then talk for free for up to 60 mins. You'll only pay £1.99 to use 15MB of data in Europe each day. £40 monthly spending limit for data outside Europe.

I know it's not a lot but when added to any wifi available it's enough for us, especially if I can get fon to work:Doh:
 

steveclecy

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Jun 10, 2009
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Coverage in France should be no different than any other operator - O2 will use French operators anyway. As opposed to cost - don't think it will be any advantage at all if you only intend to use for occasional calls/emergencies.

Be aware that internet roaming costs are a different matter - turn off roaming on your iPhone whatever you do. Rely on site WiFi for internet use.

Steve

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Feb 16, 2013
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I don't think you will find O2 that bad if you are not useing it a lot this is what you get , copied from O2



While travelling in Europe just pay a 50p connection charge to make and receive calls between European countries then talk for free for up to 60 mins. You'll only pay £1.99 to use 15MB of data in Europe each day. £40 monthly spending limit for data outside Europe.

I know it's not a lot but when added to any wifi available it's enough for us, especially if I can get fon to work:Doh:

Coverage in France should be no different than any other operator - O2 will use French operators anyway. As opposed to cost - don't think it will be any advantage at all if you only intend to use for occasional calls/emergencies.

Be aware that internet roaming costs are a different matter - turn off roaming on your iPhone whatever you do. Rely on site WiFi for internet use.

Steve

Quite right about switching roaming off unless you need it because if you don't it will connect itself for updates and once it connects your £1.99 will kick in for that day whether you use it anymore or not, but saying that once your £1.99 has gone it won't use anymore that day.
 
Feb 16, 2013
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All due respect, but I have just had a look at the details, and unless you are going to use it a lot , it doesn't seem that much better than the O2 rates, and you have got to faff about changing numbers and stuff, plus two lots of charges if you keep your O2 as well::bigsmile:

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Addie

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Oct 15, 2011
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It would work out quite a bit cheaper - but depends on how often you would use it. Perhaps you might use it more if it was cheaper than O2 which it is.

With a Toggle phone you can register for a French number - free for 30 days which should cover your trip or alternatively pay £5 and have one added for a year..

Calls back to the UK from France - 3p /min landline or mobiles (you pay 24p/min with O2)
Calls within France - 3p/min landline, 9p/min mobile
Incoming calls from the UK using your UK number - free to receive (you pay 7p/min with O2)
Incoming calls from France using your French number - free to receive

In addition you can 'keep your own number' since if you have an O2 phone contract, you can divert your calls from your O2 phone to the Toggle phone and that diversion will come out of your inclusive minutes. Alternatively just set a voicemail asking people to dial your other number and turn your phone off, or don't answer the O2 phone and call people back on the Toggle.

I'd just put the SIM in a cheap phone - eg £10 from Tesco (The Samsung one has a 30 day standby time!) or an old Nokia out of your man drawer.
 

Hollyberry

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Apr 24, 2011
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I only used my UK mobile for the last 5 years I lived in France. PAYG and I could top it up easily. Only really used it for texting as I had landline of course.

Previously I'd had a French PAYG and found it a pain-- if you buy low cost top up and didn't use it ( sometimes given only a week!) it was lost.

Make sure your Internet is switched off and if just for emergencies I'm sure it'll be fine.
 
C

Chockswahay

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I used Joe Mobile last year…………..check out the link below..

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::bigsmile:::bigsmile:

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C

Chockswahay

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Also I have just returned from Spain and Portugal and used Toggle for that……very good but expensive for data so did not use for email etc. However the positive is as Adam says…..your friends and family can call you from their inclusive mobile minutes for no extra charge to them or you :Smile:
 
Feb 16, 2013
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It would work out quite a bit cheaper - but depends on how often you would use it. Perhaps you might use it more if it was cheaper than O2 which it is.

With a Toggle phone you can register for a French number - free for 30 days which should cover your trip or alternatively pay £5 and have one added for a year..

Calls back to the UK from France - 3p /min landline or mobiles (you pay 24p/min with O2)
Calls within France - 3p/min landline, 9p/min mobile
Incoming calls from the UK using your UK number - free to receive (you pay 7p/min with O2)
Incoming calls from France using your French number - free to receive

In addition you can 'keep your own number' since if you have an O2 phone contract, you can divert your calls from your O2 phone to the Toggle phone and that diversion will come out of your inclusive minutes. Alternatively just set a voicemail asking people to dial your other number and turn your phone off, or don't answer the O2 phone and call people back on the Toggle.

I'd just put the SIM in a cheap phone - eg £10 from Tesco (The Samsung one has a 30 day standby time!) or an old Nokia out of your man drawer.

Sorry but how is 50p for an hour 24 p a min
 
Feb 16, 2013
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Plus 15 mg for £1.99 with O2 is £2.25 at 15p mg on toggle

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Addie

Trader - Motorhome Wifi
Oct 15, 2011
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Sorry but how is 50p for an hour 24 p a min

I think you're mixing up the prices. See here:
https://www.o2.co.uk/shop/international/using-phone-in-europe

When you make or receive calls between countries in Europe, there's a connection charge of 50p, then it's free to talk for up to 60 minutes.

So O2 charge 50p per connection of an incoming call if you are on a Contract and 7p per minute if you are on Pay-As-You-Go. Toggle is Free.

If you're on a contract, then of course 50p for an hour would be cheaper for a call back to the UK, but a 15 minute call or less would work out cheaper for that deal.

PAYG - the charges are 24p per minute to make a call.

Plus 15 mg for £1.99 with O2 is £2.25 at 15p mg on toggle

That's not really much of a saving though. £1.99 for 15Mb is 13p per Mb - so Toggle is 15p per Mb and so only 26p more for the equivalent usage. If you end up only using 14Mb or under Toggle would be cheaper.

EuropaSIM is £2.50 for 500Mb so half of 1p (£0.005) vs 13p - but then the SIM is £40 to start with and so doesn't quite fit with the OP's 'Emergency Use' requirement.

Agreed::bigsmile: but I am sure you could do something with the rest even if you used Skype for free calls

I think you might get about 1 minute of Skype for 15Mb - if you're lucky!

Hope that helps.

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Last edited:
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Chockswahay

Deleted User
Addie, I still want a Europasim, any update on stock?:Smile:
 

Addie

Trader - Motorhome Wifi
Oct 15, 2011
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Addie, I still want a Europasim, any update on stock?:Smile:

We will have stock either just before or shortly after Peterborough show but only for sale with 3/4G hardware. I don't think we'll have any SIM Only packages available until into May now.

You could always buy from EuropaSIM directly if it was just a SIM you wanted, we seem to sell our allocation as soon as we get them in :Eeek:
 
Feb 16, 2013
19,505
51,186
uttoxeter
Funster No
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MH
ambulance conversion
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50 years
I think you're mixing up the prices. See here:
https://www.o2.co.uk/shop/international/using-phone-in-europe

When you make or receive calls between countries in Europe, there's a connection charge of 50p, then it's free to talk for up to 60 minutes.

So O2 charge 50p per connection of an incoming call if you are on a Contract and 7p per minute if you are on Pay-As-You-Go. Toggle is Free.

If you're on a contract, then of course 50p for an hour would be cheaper for a call back to the UK, but a 15 minute call or less would work out cheaper for that deal.

PAYG - the charges are 24p per minute to make a call.



That's not really much of a saving though. £1.99 for 15Mb is 13p per Mb - so Toggle is 15p per Mb and so only 26p more for the equivalent usage. If you end up only using 14Mb or under Toggle would be cheaper.

EuropaSIM is £2.50 for 500Mb so half of 1p (£0.005) vs 13p - but then the SIM is £40 to start with and so doesn't quite fit with the OP's 'Emergency Use' requirement.



I think you might get about 1 minute of Skype for 15Mb - if you're lucky!

Hope that helps.

In that case you need one of these
Call Me Number

Friends and family abroad can reach you
without paying international charges.

Free
with International
Favourites
Learn More
How does it work?

O2 gives you a Call Me Number that looks and works the same as a local phone number for the country you select.
Give this number to your friends and family overseas. When they ring it - the call goes through to your O2 mobile here in the UK.
You can give the number to as many people as you like and they can call you as often as they like. They will only pay local call charges and it's totally free for you to receive their calls.

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Addie

Trader - Motorhome Wifi
Oct 15, 2011
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In that case you need one of these
Call Me Number

Friends and family abroad can reach you
without paying international charges.

Free
with International
Favourites
Learn More
How does it work?

O2 gives you a Call Me Number that looks and works the same as a local phone number for the country you select.
Give this number to your friends and family overseas. When they ring it - the call goes through to your O2 mobile here in the UK.
You can give the number to as many people as you like and they can call you as often as they like. They will only pay local call charges and it's totally free for you to receive their calls.

Yes, but that is something different entirely.

It is for when you are in the UK and you have friends/family abroad - not for when you yourself are abroad.

O2 give you a number (eg a Spanish number) for your friends / family to call on instead of using your UK number - so its cheaper for them and consequently free for you while in the UK.

If you were abroad - then standard charges would still apply - eg 7p per minute (PAYG) or 50p for an hour (contract).
 

Minxy

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Anyone interested in free mobile broadband abroad? 2 companies are offering 'try it for free' deals giving 100mb x 3 months totally free of charge which can be used ABROAD!!!!!

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