French SIM card: Pommier

[mint]

Apologies, I am short of time and I can't find your suggestion, Pommier, of a SIM card that is pay-as-you-go.

I would now like to have a new SIM card for my Samsung SGH-C260 bought from FT but never used again after I was totally ripped off by them (no phone line but still had to pay for "internet access" for 3 months and the money never repaid).

If Pommier or anyone else can help, I would be totally grateful.

[Jay]

I'm happy with this one:

http://www.lefrenchmobile.com/en/order-sim-card-for-france.html

[Frederick]

http://www.lycamobile.fr/en/                 Works for me ... Free sim...account and top up easy to manage on line . They don't take your money and cut you off if you fail to make a call for months

[Pickles]

[quote user="sweet 17"]

Apologies, I am short of time and I can't find your suggestion, Pommier, of a SIM card that is pay-as-you-go.

I would now like to have a new SIM card for my Samsung SGH-C260 bought from FT but never used again after I was totally ripped off by them (no phone line but still had to pay for "internet access" for 3 months and the money never repaid).

If Pommier or anyone else can help, I would be totally grateful.

[/quote]

We are using b-and-you: credit does not expire.

[mint]

Thank you both very much indeed.  I will study your links and see which is best for me.

One further question and please bear with me if it sounds utterly stupid.  The phone is about 5 years old and I have never darkened the doors of a FT shop ever again.

Would my phone be locked?  If so would I have to ask at a FT shop to have it unlocked?

I've never bothered much with a mobile though I still have my Tesco one for use perhaps once a year.  However, I am doing some voluntary work and sometimes it involves walking with people in the countryside and I am being asked for my mobile number.

[Pickles]

[quote user="sweet 17"]

Thank you both very much indeed.  I will study your links and see which is best for me.

One further question and please bear with me if it sounds utterly stupid.  The phone is about 5 years old and I have never darkened the doors of a FT shop ever again.

Would my phone be locked?  If so would I have to ask at a FT shop to have it unlocked?

I've never bothered much with a mobile though I still have my Tesco one for use perhaps once a year.  However, I am doing some voluntary work and sometimes it involves walking with people in the countryside and I am being asked for my mobile number.

[/quote]

If it works when you put another SIM- eg the Tesco one - then it is unlocked. If you have a problem, then buy an unlock code from ebay.

[mint]

Great solution, thank you, Pickles.

The Tesco SIM doesn't fit in the French mobile because the Tesco mobile probably belongs to the Museum of Defunct Technology [:)]

I will ask to borrow my neighbour's SIM card and try out the phone.

With luck, it won't be locked as I never had a contract.  Still it's simple enough to buy a code from ebay[:D]

Another of modern life's little mysteries solved........phew!

 

 

[suein56]

[quote user="sweet 17"] Still it's simple enough to buy a code from ebay[:D]

Another of modern life's little mysteries solved........phew! 

[/quote]

As you phone is a few years old, if you google your particular model you will probably find a video of how to unlock it for free on youtube.

This is what I did with OH's phone.

Sue

[sid]

[quote user="sweet 17"]

The Tesco SIM doesn't fit in the French mobile because the Tesco mobile probably belongs to the Museum of Defunct Technology [:)]

[/quote]

Are you sure, Sweet? I have a Tesco SIM and a pretty old mobile phone and they work fine. As far as I'm aware the SIM shape/size has always been the current size since about 1998, only the capacity varies. [8-)]

 

[mint]

Here's the real position as I see it (in answer to Sid).

We have 2 Tesco mobiles with swappable SIM cards, therefore both are unlocked.

When we first came to France, I had to buy the Samsung from an FT shop because we were waiting for sodding FT to put in a poteau on our site and give us access.  It was mighty expensive but it was our only way to communicate with anybody.

Now the SIM cards from the Tesco mobile do NOT fit the mobile bought from FT.

So, what I propose doing is buy a SIM card in France for one of the Tesco mobiles (the newer one of the two as I know it is not locked), test the "French" phone by borrowing someone else's SIM card which does fit and buy a new SIM card for that phone as well (after unlocking if necessary).

The quest for 2 mobiles at minimal cost is now more pressing because poor OH is not permitted to drive at present (no, not through having too many points but on account of new medication) and it would be useful for making contact with each other when I have to drive him somewhere and perhaps leave him to be picked up later.

En plus, I don't want to lead a group of people  all round the countryside, getting them all lost and not be able to get back to base [:-))]

And Sue, I will do some googling for a free code, as you have suggested.  Hey, things just get better and better......[:D]

[Department71]

[quote user="Frederick"]http://www.lycamobile.fr/en/                 Works for me ... Free sim...account and top up easy to manage on line . They don't take your money and cut you off if you fail to make a call for months

[/quote]

Well their Q/A states if you don't use it for 90 days the sim is cancelled and they can't re-instate it.

[Pickles]

[quote user="sweet 17"]We have 2 Tesco mobiles with swappable SIM cards, therefore both are unlocked.[/quote]

Err ... no. The mobiles will NOT be locked to the individual SIMs, but (if they are locked at all) to the Tesco network (which is actually provided by O2) so therefore ANY Tesco/O2 SIM will work in ANY Tesco mobile phone. Thus the fact that you can swap between 2 Tesco SIMs in a phone does not mean that the phone is unlocked: you have to try a SIM from another (non-O2) operator.

[Pickles]

[quote user="Department71"][quote user="Frederick"]http://www.lycamobile.fr/en/                 Works for me ... Free sim...account and top up easy to manage on line . They don't take your money and cut you off if you fail to make a call for months

[/quote]

Well their Q/A states if you don't use it for 90 days the sim is cancelled and they can't re-instate it.

[/quote]

I think that with b-and-you you need to make a call or send an SMS once every 6 months.

[mint]

A big thank you to all my advisors.

Pickles, you have explained the locking business very well and I now understand.

OK, the latest:  tried the Tesco SIM on the "French" mobile and the screen says "wrong card", therefore it probably IS locked?  Have I got that one right?

Then I looked at the SIMs on Jay's link and I can see that the printed circuit on the cards is nothing like either of my cards.  So, can I deduce that the printed circuit is peculiar to the service provider?

[Pickles]

[quote user="sweet 17"]OK, the latest:  tried the Tesco SIM on the "French" mobile and the screen says "wrong card", therefore it probably IS locked?  Have I got that one right?

[/quote]

Yes.

[quote user="sweet 17"]Then I looked at the SIMs on Jay's link and I can see that the printed circuit on the cards is nothing like either of my cards.  So, can I deduce that the printed circuit is peculiar to the service provider?[/quote]

No: IIRC, different SIMs may have superficially different layouts, but in fact they are essentially the same (though they may LOOK very different). The pins on the phone that contact the SIM are in a standard layout, and that is all that matters.

[Frederick]

[quote user="Department71"][quote user="Frederick"]http://www.lycamobile.fr/en/                 Works for me ... Free sim...account and top up easy to manage on line . They don't take your money and cut you off if you fail to make a call for months

[/quote]

Well their Q/A states if you don't use it for 90 days the sim is cancelled and they can't re-instate it.

[/quote]

 Strange  ? I have had mine two years don't use it in the winter in the UK and its still up and  running . Just checked... it still has  21 euros on it and it goes to T mobile  and  O2  here in the UK in this area   I have made two calls checked the account and they are shown as charged ... Maybe they have changed things  ?

[Pommier]

I'm late to the debate (and I don't know much about mobiles) but here are the bits I've found out.

UK mobiles are locked to the provider and you have to pay to get them unlocked, but with French mobiles the operator has to give you the unlocking code free. We were with Bouygues and I saw a great offer with SFR so rang Bouygues to get the code which they gave me with no problem. They then said they'd got the same offers with their brand B&You so in the end I stayed with them.

I'm on their €19,90 a month offer which is unlimited calls to mobiles and fixed in France, plus calls to fixed phones in the UK and lots of other countries. We're on this until (if ever) SFR get our phone line/internet working in our new house - they have lent us a 3G key which is better than nothing. Once we've got a fixed phone I'll change to B&You's offer of a SIM card for €4,99 which never expires and which has 15 minutes of calls, so ideal for emergencies.

You probably all know this already, but it was new to me!

Hope it helps someone. 

[mint]

[quote user="Pickles"]

Yes.

[quote user="sweet 17"]Then I looked at the SIMs on Jay's link and I can see that the printed circuit on the cards is nothing like either of my cards.  So, can I deduce that the printed circuit is peculiar to the service provider?[/quote]

No: IIRC, different SIMs may have superficially different layouts, but in fact they are essentially the same (though they may LOOK very different). The pins on the phone that contact the SIM are in a standard layout, and that is all that matters.

[/quote]

Got that now, thanks again, Pickles![:D]

[Jay]

Your Tesco Sims are the standard size, then there are micro and nano Sims for the newer phones like the iPhone5 and iPad mini. Your old Samsung phone uses the standard size Sim (like the Tesco Sim - as Sid said). If your new French phone is a recent model then it may well use a nano Sim. Check out the different Sims HERE

If you look up the model of your new French phone on Google it should tell you what Sim it takes.

[mint]

Well, some progress.  Not actual progress, you understand.

The Nokia (Tesco):  found a free site.  Got 2 codes to try.  Neither worked and the instructions are NOT to try a third time.  So possibly will have to try an unlocking services provider and pay for it (if I can't get a cheaper new phone that is).

The Samsung (French):  no free site for unlocking this.  So, will take it to an Orange shop and try out what Pommier has said about their having to unlock it for free.

Will get back in the next few days if I find a solution that might help someone else.

Night night, everybody!

[Quillan]

Two things. To get them to unlock the phone they will probably want either the original invoice or delivery note if the phone was sent to you. They can get a bit pedantic even though they can check the phone on their database and of course it is branded as Orange. Secondly it takes the standard sized SIM.

You can change the language on any phone so you can change it to English if you prefer. If you want a manual in English there is a link below. If that does not work send me a message via the Email button and I will send you a copy by return as an attachment. It's only two pages so not exactly high tech but it is a nice basic phone and easy to use.

http://data.manualslib.com/pdf/21/2008/200786-samsung/sghc260.pdf?3a533d7253141c016c932fb78b7912b5

 

[mint]

Q, I haven't had time to come here and thank you properly so here's the missing message to say how much I appreciate your answer.

I think I have now answered my own question.  If Orange will not unlock my phone, I will ring Bouygues (is that what they are called?  please excuse me if the name is wrong!) and does as Pommier did (see her post).

Also, for the "English" phones, one can be happily ditched and the other given away.  I have found some phones that are already débloqué on leboncoin for next to nothing.

I suppose people are practically giving away telephones that "merely" send and receive calls and do not play you music, allow you to show people the photo of your cat, give you your bank balance and switch on your central heating before you get home.

A big thank you to everybody!  As I have always found, if I come on the Forum with a query, I get the advice and information which, even if I reject them, they will have helped me evolve a perfect solution after studying all the replies![:D]

[Jay]

[quote user="sweet 17"]

I suppose people are practically giving away telephones that "merely" send and receive calls and do not play you music, allow you to show people the photo of your cat, give you your bank balance and switch on your central heating before you get home.

[/quote]

Get one that does all that and more - you will wonder what you ever did without it!

[Quillan]

Sweet, if you want an easy to use, big button, easy read screen phone there are loads around that are SIM free for £40 or less brand new from places like Tesco and I am sure you can find them on Ebay and in France even. They are for just making calls and sending/receiving SMS messages and have nice sized buttons. Mrs 'Q' bought one and is very happy with it.

From Tesco

http://www.tesco.com/direct/doro-phoneeasy-505-black/318-1408.prd?recommendationId=e94385b4-ebe6-4a26-aae9-9a5898ede1b0.0&skuId=318-1408

Amazon FR

Clam type

http://www.amazon.fr/Doro-PhoneEasy-T%C3%A9l%C3%A9phone-portable-Tri-bande/dp/B005FZG0Y0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365274750&sr=8-1&keywords=Doro+easyphone

Same as Tesco

http://www.amazon.fr/Doro-PhoneEasy-telephone-portable-noir/dp/B005FQLKB2/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1365274750&sr=8-12&keywords=Doro+easyphone

 

[mint]

My last post on this topic, I promise, as I don't want anybody to lose the will to live through boredom!

Have emailed the seller of the phone which is already unlocked (plenty more sellers out there if this one doesn't work out, though no reason why it shouldn't).

Have ordered a SIM from lycamobile as per Frederick's post.  So, that's one phone sorted and will get the second one sorted some day next week.

Sigh of relief and pleasure but no emoticon for that one......[:)]