ORANGE V SFR COSTS.

[chirpy]

Hi ,

I have a mobile phone which is mainly for emergency calls when away from home.

THIS WAS USING O2 IN THE UK.Now when living in Fance a   SFR chip is used.

When in UK last year my phone gave problems and I bought a new one with a sim card using Orange provider as pay as u go.

What is the cheapest option in future using my phone in France?Should I call uk orange and get top ups or change sim card in new phone and use the SFR sim card?

THANKS .

[nectarine]

Using a UK SIM in France is expensive, you pay to receive calls as well, so it makes sense to have a French SIM or your time in France.  SFR may be cheap but, be warned, if you prepay for time then it has to be used within - I think - two months or it is all lost and the SIM card can no longer be used, and the whole lot is useless.  Far better is to go to the Leclerc supermarket and buy on of their SIM cards with pre-pay time.  Once it is activated then it lasts for one year and, when you top it up then that new time lasts for a further year.  That's the best SIM card for occasional use, in my experience.

[Maricopa]

Something else to consider is network coverage.  SFR is very patchy, certainly where we live, whereas Orange is pretty much widespread.

[Jay]

[quote user="nectarine"]Using a UK SIM in France is expensive, you pay to receive calls as well, so it makes sense to have a French SIM or your time in France.  SFR may be cheap but, be warned, if you prepay for time then it has to be used within - I think - two months or it is all lost and the SIM card can no longer be used, and the whole lot is useless.  Far better is to go to the Leclerc supermarket and buy on of their SIM cards with pre-pay time.  Once it is activated then it lasts for one year and, when you top it up then that new time lasts for a further year.  That's the best SIM card for occasional use, in my experience.[/quote]

Nectarine is quite right. I had a pay as you go Orange mobile and you get time limits of 1, 2 or 3 months depending on the value of the top up you buy - absolutely useless. I lost so much using them I decided to get a contract phone which worked out better for me over the year. I am about to look at the Leclerc SIM/top up deal as it looks good.

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

I use the Orange top up, but buy about 6 months worth twice a year. That way if I need to make a long emergency call, I know I have enough credit to make the call (as opposed to just topping up with 10 euros worth). And in 6 months I'm far more likely to use all the credit as opposed to topping up with just 10 euros a month.

I also use the phone to check emails when I'm out too, so invariably lose nothing over the 6 month period.

[BobDee]

Interstingly, SFR now send out mailings if your mobile number is about to be lost if you havnt topped up in the last six months. Sadly their website that should allow you to top up on line using a credit card hasnt been working for the last few days.

IMHO, SFR is generally a pain ,  and I really cant understand how they can get away with their short term top up validity. Vodafone UK and Vodafone Spain both have validities well in excess of six months. I use a UK based mobile in the car for emergencies and keep about £10 of credit on it. Still cheaper than keep paying SFR. Even with an "expired" SFR card, you can still receive calls and use their incoming voice mail facility.

Leclerc would seem the best bet. Only trouble is that you have to physically visit a store to sign up. None in my area unfortunately.

BobD