Mobile phone tarrifs

We are coming to France for 8 weeks and I am totally puzzled about mobile phone charges. We want to be able to keep in contact with each other locally, but also be able to take and receive calls and texts from our UK family without it costing us or them a fortune. I am on O2, my wife is on Orange (EE). Can anyone advise us of the best way forward please. Thank you.

I have an O2 pay as you go phone. OH has a French mobile. We have found that it is far cheaper to use the O2 here, and my credit never runs out. However we do no use mobiles much (no signal where we are) so cannot comment for anyone using on a regular basis. Now that there are rules in the UK stopping excessive charges for roaming it might just be as cheap to stick the the phones you have.

Buy something like a Leclerc card. Insert in phone and use their service as cheap as anything comes here.