Hello Everybody
Been with Free Mobile for our 3 mobile phones for around 5 years. We’re on a 9.99€ per month package which includes free calls and texts, and 60GO of data. We don’t need any more data than 60GO.
This is not one of their standard offers, it’s a ‘special’ package they offer us each year - no doubt they offer it to 1000’s of other customers too.
One of our packages has come to the end of it’s year and we’ve automatically gone onto their £19.99 offer with 250GO of data. Our other packages are due to end this month so will also automatically go onto the £19.99 package.
I’ve contacted Free, like I do every year, to ask for a new package, but they’ve point blankly refused to offer me anything other than their standard packages. 2€, 12.99€ or 19.99€ per month.
None of these packages suit us, and we don’t want to pay more than 10€ per month.
Seen a few different providers out there who have good offers, so would like to know if any of you have had experiences with any mobile providers who offer similar packages to what we’re looking for.
Open to all suggestions EXCEPT Orange who are possibly THE MOST incompetent company that I have EVER dealt with (we also don’t want to move our fibre and landline from Orange, as it’s just taken us 3 months to get things rectified with them)!
So, we are looking for a french mobile provider who offers a package with free calls, free texts and around 60GO of data for no more than 10€ per month. We’re looking for 4 mobile packages, as our youngest daughter will move her mobile package away from Free Mobile too.
Thanks
Hi, we moved from Free as well and now use Prixtel. I think it’s 8,49 a month, unlimited calls ect and I think 30 whatever they are data but if you go over it only costs a bit more. We had a 1/2 price deal for 1 year but that doesn’t seem to be the case at the moment.
I’ve just looked and they have changed their pricing starting from 6.99
Ooh, thank you. Exactly the advice we’re after. Will have a look at their site.
Have a good weekend.
Sam
We use Reglo (Leclerc’s own brand) for 9,95€ a month, with 60GO of data, and for what’s its worth, good roaming arrangements in the UK. No complaints whatsoever after 4-5 years or so of using them. I understand that most large Leclerc’s have a dedicated desk in store (where you can get their SIM immediately) or online (as we did to register for a SIM). Good value and easy to understand .The only change over the years has been for Reglo to offer even more data for the same monthly charge! They also do a range of other offers from about 5-20€ a month but the 9,95 one suits us, being relatively light users of data.
Edit. Réglo now seem to have dropped the 9,95 for new customers - there is now a 12,80€ for 120GO or a 7,95 for 20 GO. I thought the 9,95 was too good to last…!
One of the things to bear in mind is whether you can get a signal. We went with Reglo from our local Leclerc and then got our money back because Reglo is with SFR network and there’s no cover where we live. So we changed to Sosh, which is Orange’s cheap arm. Looks like their deal is 9.99€ a month.
When we bought our Réglo SIM we too soon found that there is no SFR signal here. However our phones (presumably like others?) automatically switch to the strongest available signal, which locally is Orange, and which works a treat. I happily defer to more technical people on any aspect of phone technology…but I must admit I thought that it now matters much less which network’s SIM you have, due to the automatic searching and switching functionality (ie to the best available network locally?)
A very interesting point about phone’s searching for signals. Maybe companies like reglo have that flexibility, but think if you’re with one of the mainstream providers they are locked into their network. Here I previously had sfr a couple of years ago. The signal was ok but not great. I now use orange sosh and the signal is much better. It’s a pity as I would like to try sfr red as for +1€/month you can also call landlines in other countries inc UK. Given sosh and red are sans contract I may give red a go to see if sfr’s network has improved.
You mean your French phone or your UK? Normally a French phone in France will only connect to the network that you’re contracted to.
I was referring to our Réglo SIMs, installed in our phones here in France (I have no UK phones etc). Although Réglo uses the SFR network, there isn’t much of an SFR signal where we live in Seine Maritime, so the phone automatically switches happily to the strongest signal locally - which happens to be Orange.
Looking at my phone’s settings, it’s set to automatically choose network. I guess the question that arises is whether I’m just lucky, or whether this is a common feature of mobiles. I’m assuming from your reply that either I’m lucky, or Réglo (and perhaps other Virtual Mobile Networks) do offer this functionality of automatic switching to other networks. It would be interesting to hear if others have experienced similar…
I’m not currently at home, and you can see that the mobile is currently connecting with Réglo (aka SFR). This screenshot shows the choice of apparently available networks that my mobile offers me.
That screen shows the networks that the phone has found, not necessarily the ones that are available to you.
But if Reglo does do that then I’m very interested.
Likewise @George1 , I’d also be very interested, as that would theoretically be the end of signal issues. How do you know you’re connected to Orange as it show’s you’re connected to ‘reglo’?
For the five years we’ve been coming here, first as second home owners and now as residents, the Réglo SIM would consistently show Orange as the network it was connected to. We spoke to neighbours here etc, who confirmed that this was also their experience…In recent weeks, it has been connecting to Réglo/SFR more than Orange.
I don’t know why the Réglo SIM has been historically locking onto Orange (never Bouygues or Free). In my technological innocence, I just assumed this was quite normal in the event of poor SFR coverage, but I’m getting the strong impression from the various questions posed today that its not!. I’ve tried googling to see if switching to stronger networks is a ‘normal’ feature of mobile life here, but unfortunately cannot find anything useful.
I just use pay as you go from LeFrenchMobile and top up as necessary.
Just a quick question, toryroo. Could you keep your old Free phone number when you moved to Prixtel?
Thanks, Sam
Thanks, Wendy, but bit complicated with 4 phones - two of which belong to our daughters, so we pay for them.
I thought that your current Free plan is pretty what we get from them for 2€ per month. Free phoning, texts and 50Go of data. No?
D
Yes, they sorted the cancellation and ported out numbers.
I wold be very leery of advising on mobile contracts as I am ignorant of their differences but I write to comment on your loathing of Orange.
I have used the services of Orange for nearly twenty years. I have only used them for a mobile for the past seven or eight years as I am 85 and pay 2 € a month in case.
The arrangement seems to work. I pay them money they provide services. Is this some kind of regional thing? I cannot find anything good about CA but others here think that they are wonderful.
Thanks Earthdave, but the 2€ per month Free plan is free phone, free texts and 50Mo of data (Mégaoctets), and NOT 50Go of data (Gigaoctets). Very different amounts of data. 50Mo of data does not last very long, even for light data users like myself. I had a 2€ Free mobile package for a couple of years, and never used the data as it ran out with the blink of an eye. Be very careful not to confuse Mo’s with Go’s as you might end up with a big mobile bill!
