Cell phone in Paris?

[pudgypilgrim]

I live where there is no cellular reception to speak of, so at home I only have an old prepaid go phone, which I'm pretty sure is not compatible with the networks in Europe. I had considered getting an unlocked iphone as a way to have less stuff to carry, but after researching it I discovered that in the US you have to have a monthly plan for a smart phone (no $100 once a year like there is with my antique flip phone), so that's out. I can't afford to spend that much for something I'd only use on the camino.

I figure I'll bring an ipod touch so I have access to offline maps, but I still need to get some kind of basic phone for calling ahead and for making reservations. What would the best option be for this? I'm walking from Paris, so pretty much only in France for this year. Any suggestions on a phone and a good place to get it in Paris?

 

[mspath]

There are a multitude of smartphones available; what works for me may not be what you need or wish. A major mechanic/electric equipment shop throughout France is Darty. Three major ISPs for France are Orange, SFR, and Bouygues. Google these names for more info.

 

[Bajaracer]

I live where there is no cellular reception to speak of, so at home I only have an old prepaid go phone, which I'm pretty sure is not compatible with the networks in Europe. I had considered getting an unlocked iphone as a way to have less stuff to carry, but after researching it I discovered that in the US you have to have a monthly plan for a smart phone (no $100 once a year like there is with my antique flip phone), so that's out. I can't afford to spend that much for something I'd only use on the camino.

I figure I'll bring an ipod touch so I have access to offline maps, but I still need to get some kind of basic phone for calling ahead and for making reservations. What would the best option be for this? I'm walking from Paris, so pretty much only in France for this year. Any suggestions on a phone and a good place to get it in Paris?

You don't have to have a monthly plan to get a smartphone, there are many options for unlocked GSM smartphones such as the unlocked Motorola Moto E for under $120 and be not tied to any contract and monthly payment plan.
I have an unlocked iPhone 5 that I paid full price on. Any way you slice it, you'll still pay the full price ($650+) for an iPhone whether you sign up for a 2 year contract ($199 down and the balance subsidized into the monthly bill) or up front.
I learned how we in the US are getting ripped off by signing a 2 year contract and refuse to sign a contract for 2 years. I only buy unlocked phones and get service on a month to month no contract plan, I don't feel the need to upgrade every two years for the latest and greatest.

http://www.motorola.com/us/smartphones/moto-e-2nd-gen/moto-e-2nd-gen.html#moto-e-2nd-gen-specs

Best Buy has many unlocked GSM smartphones for sale, use it for the Camino, pop the SIM card from your go phone back into it when get back to the US.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/mobile-...es/pcmcat156400050037.c?id=pcmcat156400050037

 

[Deleted member 3000]

my antique flip phone

If it is a three band GSM phone with SIM chip, you can buy a chip in France and another in Spain at under 10E each. They will come with enough time to make reservations. You can find a Motorola Razr on eBay for under $10 if your current phone does not meet the specs.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Motorola-RA...lular-Phone-/201409754919?hash=item2ee4f4f727

 

[pudgypilgrim]

Thanks, everyone. Mspath and bajaracer, I'm sorry I wasn't more clear. For any kind of smartphone I cannot find any carrier in the US that doesn't have a monthly rate whether you have a contract or not. Since I use a cell only very occasionally when out and about ('I'm almost there', or 'I can't find your address') $45 a month without a contract is still a big old waste of money, compared to my current deal, which is just 100 minutes per year (and I generally roll over about 90 of those). If I could use it at home it would be different.

Thanks, falcon. I'll look up the specs for my current phone and see.

 

[Bajaracer]

Thanks, everyone. Mspath and bajaracer, I'm sorry I wasn't more clear. For any kind of smartphone I cannot find any carrier in the US that doesn't have a monthly rate whether you have a contract or not. Since I use a cell only very occasionally when out and about ('I'm almost there', or 'I can't find your address') $45 a month without a contract is still a big old waste of money, compared to my current deal, which is just 100 minutes per year (and I generally roll over about 90 of those). If I could use it at home it would be different.

Thanks, falcon. I'll look up the specs for my current phone and see.

You can still have an inexpensive smartphone with no data plan at all, most people around the world have smartphones and I guarantee you that very few actually have a data plan, they use it on wifi only.
Turn the data off.

 

[pudgypilgrim]

Thanks, bajaracer, but we're still talking in the neighborhood of $30 a month just for talk/text. Most people have smartphones, yes, but they are their primary phones, in which case it makes sense to spend the money. When you have to get in the car and drive six miles just to get a dial tone, not so much.

 

[Sherrie]

I have service for my smartphone with Verizon. I'm leaning strongly toward paying for 2 months of "roaming" so we can use that phone while on the Camino. My phone will also serve as my camera. Does anyone have recent experience with Verizon coverage along the Camino? Mil gracias.

 

[pudgypilgrim]

Hi, Sherrie. You might want to post this as a separate topic, since very few people here care much about the mobile phone situation in Paris (they pass through Paris quickly to get to the start of whatever Camino they're doing, if they even go through Paris at all), so probably not that many folks will see your question in this thread.

 

[Bajaracer]

I have service for my smartphone with Verizon. I'm leaning strongly toward paying for 2 months of "roaming" so we can use that phone while on the Camino. My phone will also serve as my camera. Does anyone have recent experience with Verizon coverage along the Camino? Mil gracias.

Don't give Verizon your hard earned money for a roaming plan. If you have at least a Verizon LTE smartphone, it is unlocked to use a Spanish SIM card with data. As long as you don't need to be contacted at your U.S. Number, a Spanish SIM with data is the cheapest way to go.
http://prepaid-data-sim-card.wikia.com/wiki/Spain

 

[pudgypilgrim]

Back to the original topic, I've been wondering about an ipad mini with a data sim as a possible replacement for a phone. Since I'm traveling in France I do a need a phone for reservations, but that's about all. Would it be feasible to use an ipad mini with an Orange prepaid data sim and some kind of VOIP app for that? My main concern is being able to get a phone number that wouldn't involve them having to call a US number if someone needs to reach me.

Has anyone tried something like this?

 

[Bajaracer]

Back to the original topic, I've been wondering about an ipad mini with a data sim as a possible replacement for a phone. Since I'm traveling in France I do a need a phone for reservations, but that's about all. Would it be feasible to use an ipad mini with an Orange prepaid data sim and some kind of VOIP app for that? My main concern is being able to get a phone number that wouldn't involve them having to call a US number if someone needs to reach me.

Has anyone tried something like this?

http://www.methodshop.com/2013/02/turning-your-ipad-mini-into-second-phone.shtml

 

[pudgypilgrim]

Thanks, Bajaracer. I do use skype (mostly for giving music lessons when at home) and facetime on my regular wifi-only ipad. My main concern is being able to get a local phone number for use over there.

 

[Bajaracer]

I live where there is no cellular reception to speak of, so at home I only have an old prepaid go phone, which I'm pretty sure is not compatible with the networks in Europe. I had considered getting an unlocked iphone as a way to have less stuff to carry, but after researching it I discovered that in the US you have to have a monthly plan for a smart phone (no $100 once a year like there is with my antique flip phone), so that's out. I can't afford to spend that much for something I'd only use on the camino.

I figure I'll bring an ipod touch so I have access to offline maps, but I still need to get some kind of basic phone for calling ahead and for making reservations. What would the best option be for this? I'm walking from Paris, so pretty much only in France for this year. Any suggestions on a phone and a good place to get it in Paris?

I recommend a basic unlocked quad band dumb phone, check out Phone House in Paris or Pamplona, that way you could reuse it when you get back home, just take the SIM card from your old go phone and install it in your new phone.

 

[pudgypilgrim]

Thanks, Bajaracer. I was just talking to a friend who spends a lot of time meandering around France and he said that 3G/4G availability can be pretty poor in the more remote areas, so I think your suggestion is a good one.

 

[pudgypilgrim]

Just updating this for anyone who might find this thread in a future search. If you are walking in France, take a compatible phone so you can just buy a SIM. I didn't have time to do that and I could not get a prepaid phone until I got all the way to Chartres, despite wasting time going to every Orange store along the way, including all their stores in Paris from the Vendome area to Montparnasse. Everyone was sold out, and I also had a terrible time making them understand that I needed the whole phone and not just a SIM. (Not a language problem; they just couldn't believe it.) They all had plenty of low-end smart phones, but with contracts. The Orange-Zuco is a very rare beast these days.

And for the record I also tried Carrefours, tabacs, etc. There is a chain in Paris called Maison des mobiles or some such thing, but I was never near one when they were actually open.