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So you have just arrived in Paris and you are wandering if you should get a French phone number or not.
Well a French mobile phone number will make your life much easier when planning to go out with your Erasmus friends. French mobile phone companies have some very good package offers, but before making your choice we would like to give you some advice ;)
First let's talk about the phone you're gonna use:
In any case you should have an unlocked phone. It means that you can use a SIM card from any phone company and you will be able to use your cellular in France as well as in your home country after Erasmus.
If you already have a phone and need to get it unlocked, try unlocking it at home by calling your phone provider before you come to France.
If you are in France and your phone is locked you can a basic phone in France, with call and text messages, for around 20€. Just make sure the phone is unlocked before you buy it so you can use the phone in your home country after Erasmus. Look for the term "désimlocker" in French to find unlocked phones in shops.
Here is a list of shops that sell unlocked phones:
Find a cheap mobile phone company:
Good news for all of you. Since 2011, France has some amazingly cheap mobile phone deals for calling and text.
If you're staying in France less than 6 months you can probably live without smartphone options like internet or e-mail. So we will focus on the basics: phone calls and texts!
Prepaid phone plan is your best option if you're staying in France for a short period of time. A prepaid phone is easy to set up, and doesn't require any special paperwork.
For approximately 4 to 20 € per month you will get credit to call other fixed or mobile French numbers as well as unlimited texts to numbers in France.
We recommend La Poste mobile. It's easy to subscribe your phone package or pre paid card directly in the Post office. You can top up your credit in the Post Office when you need to.
La Poste Mobile website (1)
If you are staying in France for more than 6 months, you will maybe want some options with your cell phone package like internet access or international calls.
We recommend signing up for a contract-free mobile phone plan ("forfait sans engagement"). Contract free mobile phone plan offer best deals than prepaid package but are a bit more difficult to sign up which is why we don't recommend them if you are staying for only a short period of time ;)
Another advantage of signin up for a phone plan is to have access to the phone provider's Wifi hotspots, which you can use instead of using up your data allowance. You can learn more about mobile phone plan options in this guide.
You're now ready to get in touch with your friends and families as you discover France :)
(1) All the phone providers listed here can proposed you free-contract mobile phone package ("sans engagement" in French) so you can cancel your package without any fees as soon as you will leave France.