French or Worldwide Sim Card

cheekymole

rainbowtrout,
their paperwork states that "the number is based in the UK" so shouldn't it be like dialling a UK mobile number?

redux

Sorry, I seem to have forgotten to come back to this

Callback converts an incoming to an ouitgoing call, this avoiding local tariffs. The various global SIMs work this way too, but it is possible to use separate callback.

Basically, you trigger an incoming call to your phone, then get either a dialtone, or the pre-defined destination number already ringing. The trigger might be an sms you send, or via wap/grps, or dialling a trigger number.

One suggestion is Voipcheap sms callback with either an ekit SIM or a French one. The call tariff will be the cost to call your mobile, plus the destination

But I think I will also get a French SIM, as some of the others probably will. The one that's interesting me at the moment is - there are add-on options on SFR La Carte, costing €5 for either weekdays or weekends, then calls to SFR and landlines are 30 cents for up to an hour.

This would combine very well with a DialNow account's landline access number, so that on top of the 30c, calls to UK landlines will cost another 0.4 pence a minute, UK mobiles 4 pence a minute.

A DialNow account can be set up in one of several countries, and will recognise the mobile phone number first registered on the account, and access from other phones is possible using a PIN as well.

http://www.sfr.fr/offre-sfr/particulier/sfr-carte/

http://www.dialnow.com/en/rates.html

One thing is though - if not topped up regularly French SiMs will expire faster than ours do, some after a couple of months, some after 6 or so, so if you won''t be quite as regular through the winter, you might need to check through this - the PPGSM site I mentioned before has info on this validity in the network details, and you can also check on the network websites

Oh, and I forgot to say a bit more on the IoM numbers. They come out of some UK network minutes but not all, and actually the CS staff don't know this. But cheap calls providers will almost all count them the same rate as UK mobiles

rainbowtrout

No--although it says a UK number, almost all of these international sims are based either in the isle of man or Lichtenstein I think which makes it international rates to call from the UK (and excluded from most mobile inclusive minutes). To be fair to ekit this piece of misleading advertising is quite common across the board. The number I got starts with 07924 which is IoM. I don't really know of a international sim that gives you a truly UK number--may be others could share their experience?

MunkyMunky

You can also hire a French SIM card from a company called Cellhire

http://www.cellhire.co.uk/countries/france-sim-card.aspx

It is an Orange France SIM card and offers free incoming calls which you said was a priority.

There's no minimum contract and you can pay in arrears rather than upfront. SMS to French numbers is 15p. They'll deliver it to your door and you can have your own number forwarded to it so that your friends don't need to remember a new number.

iceburn

Other option you can do, is take a vodafone pay as you go, and add passport, it will than cost you 75p to recieve the call but nothing else for upto 60 minutes per call. The number ppl will be calling would be a geniue UK mobile number / vodafone so will come out of inclusive minutes. Can get the simcard for free, the minutes do not expire. Also if you make calls whilst in France, it will cost 75p plus what it would cost as if you were in UK (not including stop the clock.)

http://www.abroad.vodafone.co.uk/index.cfm?do=cost.passport&me=a1&nu=1&le=1&sn=s7

jesc99

Hi guys.
I'm going to work in France for a year and am looking for a PAYG SIM solution I can use with my existing UK-bought handset.
I only need it in order to to receive calls for free from the UK and to make calls to French numbers (I'll find a cheap landline for any calls I need to make to the UK from France).
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance,
Jes