French mobile operators vie for clients - what deals are available?

Prices may be rising in many areas for French residents, however this does not extend to mobile phone contracts. 

A price war to win customers has seen both major players and their newer, low-cost rivals, continue to drop prices on a variety of deals. 

Contracts start for as little as €2 per month (if you also purchase a sim card) and often come sans engagement, meaning they can be cancelled at any point. 

However, price comparison sites have warned consumers to check that contracts they subscribe to are those which best suit their needs as options can be varied. 

Contracts offer different benefits 

The first thing to note is that there is a large number of potential contracts, with well over 100 available from well-known providers.

These are focused on different clientele however, with varying benefits offered. 

For example, some cheaper contracts require users to also purchase a sim card, and offer a few gigabytes (often written as GB) of data (internet usage when not connected to a WiFi network) per month. 

However those who do not use their phone for browsing the web would benefit from a contract which offered unlimited texts and calls.

Alternatively, top of the range contracts can cost up to €20 per month, but come with 300 gigabytes or more of mobile roaming. 

They can also connect to the ultra-quick 5G networks springing up around France, which are only accessible by those on certain phone contracts. 

Many mid-range contracts cost between around €8 and €12 per month, offering around 100 gigabytes of data, sometimes with 5G network access. 

The difference between having five gigabytes and 100 gigabytes – which corresponds to dozens of hours of phone usage including streaming and supporting remote working – can be a few euros. 

Orange’s contract for unlimited calls and texts with 10 gigabytes of data per month is €6.99, but the same contract with 100 gigabytes of data is €12.99. 

Other more expensive contracts can come with the offer of a new phone, but can tie users into a long-term contract.

Read more: Options and rates for prepaid SIM cards in France as Bouygues cards end

Check data roaming rules

Something Connexion readers should review is a contract’s rules on data roaming – using their internet allowance when outside of France. 

The EU’s ‘roam like at home’ policy means data under your contract can be used in most EU countries without it being classed as ‘roaming’. 

Cheaper contracts may not allow users to have roaming data in non-EU countries, including the US, UK, and Australia. 

If you try to use your data abroad, you may be prevented, or be charged high roaming fees. 

You can check the many different types of contracts on sites such as Ariase, tweaking search criteria to find a contract which suits you.

Those with second homes should remember that the same policies apply when travelling to France from the UK – not all UK phone contracts and sim cards will allow you to use your mobile data in France. 

Read more: Tips on how to avoid mobile phone roaming charges when in France