mobile phones

[dinks]

what do the french call Pay as you Go mobile phones

What is the french for pay as you go

And can you obtain them as you can in the uk

[Washy]

Hi there Dinks, do you know I have a mobile and I am not sure what they call pay as you go!!  Mobicarte I think.  I know it was dead easy to sort out.  I went into an electrical/household shop in Quillan which displayed an Orange sign and showed them my old UK mobile phone a Nokia 3310.  I explained I wanted a new French SIM card for it and she asked if it was unblocked?  It was as I had used it before in France when on holiday.  The assistant then fitted a new SIM card for me and set me up with a new Mobicarte, she also installed this for me and activated the phone by making a quicky call to her mate at the other end of the shop.  Cost was about 30 euros for the new SIM card, then whatever you want to pay for the Mobicarte, I put on 30 euros which seems to have lasted ages.  All works well and of course I still have my old mobile phone which I understand and can use quickly.  Top up cards are available everywhere and the notices are self explanatory, with just the usual scratch off number on the back to enter when you have rung the service centre number. Easy peasy.......

Oh and the handbook I received with the Orange SIM card has a section in english as well if you are not sure of your french instructions.

If you are sdtill in the UK with the mobile you propose to bring out to use get it unblocked before you leave, there is a charge for this, about £10.

[Graham & Brenda]

As a very light user, I will not buy a French PAYG 'phone until such time as they stop the thieving practice of cancelling paid for air time if it is not used by the end of the month (or 2 months or whatever). It used to be like that in the UK years ago and it is one quirk of living in France that I find very hard to accept. It is hard enough paying bank charges!!

If anyone hears of a company breaking ranks on this, please post here.

Sorry, rant over,

Graham

[Richard-R]

It's got worse.Orange used to send a text one week before the credit ran out so i would use the remaining credit to make international calls, now the sods a have stopped the text service and i lost €30 because i checked the credit after it run out. The great French mobile rip off.

[Catalpa]

[quote]As a very light user, I will not buy a French PAYG 'phone until such time as they stop the thieving practice of cancelling paid for air time if it is not used by the end of the month (or 2 months or w...[/quote]

Whaaaat? Is this really standard practice???

I'm a very light user - I've had my current mobile for 15 months and still have money left from my original £30 credit. I do want to buy a French SIM and PAYG is the route I intended to go... but not if this cancelling of credit is normal.

Bug...er... bother.

Carole

[Will]

Pay as you go is sans abonnement.

There is a very wide choice of offers on French mobile services. If you are looking for doing it on the cheap, then forget  French mobiles. Monthly subscriptions are about 18€ upwards, depending on how many hours are required. Cards can last up to 6 months, for these you pay about 90€ upwards.