Telecoms company Free set to launch prepaid mobile phone card in France

French telecoms company ‘Free’ is set to offer a prepaid SIM card for mobile phones, according to several sources.

The company will join other leading providers in an area with fierce competition, with 6.9 million prepaid cards in circulation in France in 2024.

However, this is down from 7.4 million the previous year, signalling a decline in prepaid cards.

A competitor, Bouygues Telecom, recently announced they will phase out their prepaid SIMs by June 2025.

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

Free is yet to officially announce how much these prepaid cards will cost, nor when they will come into service.

The company, owned by entrepreneur Xavier Niel, is known for its disruption in the industry and low prices.

It offers a €2 contract, with unlimited texts, two hours of calls, and around 50 megabytes of internet data, and was the first company in the world to offer a three-in-one TV, broadband (internet) and phone contract. 

Read more: Hacker, peep shows, jail: French tech billionaire Xavier Niel

What is a prepaid SIM? 

Prepaid SIMs are cards that are not attached to a mobile phone plan or contract, but provide a certain amount of internet data, calls, and texts to be temporarily added to a phone. 

Unlike monthly plans, where you can go over your limit by mistake and potentially be charged huge phone bills, once your minutes/texts/internet roaming capacity is out with a prepaid SIM, you can no longer use your device until you buy another prepaid card. 

Currently, the cheapest cards begin from €3, but can cost up to €30, depending on how many calls, texts, and how much internet data you want to add.

This makes it popular with not only younger people (and their parents) and those on lower incomes/people who rarely use their phones, but also second-home owners who do not want a long-term mobile contract. 

It also allows people to keep their number whilst rarely using their phone, useful for those who want to keep a number they have handed out in France, either to companies and services or friends and family. 

Prepaid SIM cards are becoming less popular in France due to the abundance of cheap contracts that often come sans engagement (meaning they can be cancelled anytime). 

These contracts can provide hundreds – or thousands – of texts and calls per month, alongside a significant amount of data for internet roaming, for similar prices to a prepaid SIM. 

You can read about some of the offers available below.

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