On a hand phone press and hold 0 and plus will come up on the screen.
I always store my contact numbers with the +33 before them (or +44 for British numbers and so on), so that when I am out of the country I can still use them to call or recognise who is calling.
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Hmmm, I can see this might be an issue - just looked at the process for ordering a Free SIM online and they want a French mobile number (nice catch-22 that you canāt order a mobile without a mobile). Not sure if entering ā06 12 34 56 78ā will work.
I can try going to a boutique but donāt have a justicatif for the address on me, not one less than three months old and - of course - everything is online these days - possibly I can print one off from somewhere.
Anyway - my question - how long does a SIM normally take to arrive in the post?
My son and I (both moderately heavy Internet users) are going through 10GB a day without really trying, we havenāt sat down to watch anything on Prime, for example, nor have I updated all the PCs OS-wise. So we really need more than 100GB for a weekās stay.
EDF espace will print out a pdf justification of address you can use on your phone if youāre with them. takes seconds to do.
For SIM by post, recent experience NRJ (take a look, low cost for what you want runs on Bouygues), Lebara, sosh all 3-5 working days.
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Thanks, yes, EDF was my first thought as well.
OK, as I thought - left it a bit late for this trip, not the end of the world and wanted to know if the UK SIM would suffice.
Might try to find a shop.
Have you considered an eSIM? I got one last time we were in France. Pretty instantaneous as I recall.
Dunno if you can get one from the UK.
I need a physical SIM for my little box of tricks.
Thereās a Free shop in Vannes - they do 300Go for 19,99ā¬ & thereās a Bouygues shop in Redon, their offer seems to be 14,99ā¬, Sosh donāt do more than 150Go on a mobile contract and SFR are quite expensive (though they have budget resellers).
Partly tempted to head to Vannes or Redon in the morning armed with my freshly printed justificatif & see what happens.
Echoing what @KarenLot said. Weāve ordered 2 Sosh sims recentlyā¦ Well the first was 6 months ago, the second 3 weeks ago. Both took 4 business days to arrive (to different addresses).
Would it be possible to put the ebay link here that you bought the sim card please?
Thank you.
I use Zadarma to obtain a U.K. virtual mobile number for banking in the U.K. Zadarma provides an App on your mobile phone for both sending/receiving calls and texts. Itās very reasonably priced (I paid Ā£12 for initial phone credit) and still have around Ā£11 after multiple calls, etc with around 8 months use.
As I have a great mobile plan with SFR For data when roaming I can use Zadarma for calls when visiting the U.K. Call quality is great too. I believe you can also get a French virtual number for your U.K. phone with Zadarma.
Edit: I forgot to mention that you have to pay an annual fee for the virtual number. It costs Ā£12. You receive free SMS messages with the number but if you want to make calls you need to buy credit.
Does your bank not accept a French number for verification ? Mine (First Direct) does.
French bank doesn,t accept UK mobile numbers,we were going to open an account with AXA bank but they insisted on 2 french mobile numbers.
Try a different bank, some actually do. Credit Agricole I think for example. Not that I recommend them in any other way 
Nope. But Iām fine having a virtual UK number because other services such as Screwfix need a UK mobile number for click and collect services.
Sigh. So near but, I suspect, so far.
It *looked* like it would be possibly to buy a SOSH eSIM and activate it in the UK ahead of our next trip.
Checked carefully, there was a question in one of SOSHās customer forums where a SOSH representative was emphatic a new eSIM could be activated while abroad etc. They send a QR code with the eSIM then a code to activate.
However it presents the usual catch-22 of wanting an existing mobile number - so I went with the option of entering 0612345678 and then carefully turning off all contact options which might try to use that number.
Except it is clear, now I have the confirmation of the purchase through, they they will use that number to send the activation code.
This is going to be fun - not.
Canāt really āblame SOSH though.
Edit: Thankfully, easy to cancel on-line orders.
They canāt send the SMS to a non-French phone
Bit silly to need some other phone before you can order one online though.
Have a look at Zadarma. With them you can setup a virtual phone number in Europe or U.K. and us your existing phone to use this number via an app you download to your phone. I use their service today for a U.K. virtual number with my French SFR iPhone. The virtual number works for both voice calls and SMS. The call rates are also very competitive.
Hmmm, yes it might help break the catch-22 that you canāt buy a mobile phone or SIM in France unless you already have a French mobile phone.
It is subtly excluding, although I presume going to a physical phone shop in France allows purchase of a phone or SIM de novo.
No good for longer term use though as I also want data - either for the āDIY boxā or my phone (as a backup).
Oh, and a French SIM might actually be useful in the UK as it will roam to any operator - handy if your regular service provider has no signal.
I did - which you can only really do by signing up, which involves giving them your mobile number so one demerit right there. The second demerit is that hereās no mention of how to cancel your account/registration anywhere in their FAQ and the third demerit is the number of Trustpilot reviews saying customer service is poor.
Edit: 4th demerit - if you try to order a French virtual number then you see the āheadlineā rate is advertised as Ā£3/month - until you get to the order page where you realise thatās only if you pay for 12 months. If you donāt itās Ā£6/mo and you still need to pay for at least 3 months up front.
Thatās quite expensive just to receive one SMS
So thatās a no from me - at least for now.
There are other places you can get a āone offā number for pennies (at least in theory) but usually only for long enough to get a single SMS.
Fair enough Billy. The solution work fine for me and have never had any problems, or concerns about their pricing.
You can, actually, as long as youāre there, because we did it.
We provided passport, RIB and a copy of the water bill to prove address. We got a Bouyges eSIM (because Madame didnāt want to give up her UK number).
ESIM accounts seem more expensive than physical SIM ones, and thereās no chance of popping into Leclerc or the like because they do only physical SIMs. If you just want a SIM, it should be quick and easy ā once youāre there!
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