What are the best mobile phone deals in France?
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Moving to France? Already here? Find out everything you need to know about getting a mobile phone set up in France.
- Getting a Mobile Phone in France: the basics
- There are four main mobile phone providers in France, but smaller providers and low-cost brands also exist
- Most providers offer prepaid and postpaid options
- Prepaid phone plans allow you immediate access to a French phone number, but are more costly in the long run
- Postpaid phone plans can be either with or without a contract. They offer lower rates and numerous additional advantages like internet/data, free calls to countries abroad, and more
What are the main french mobile phone companies?
There are four main actors in the mobile phone market in France (SFR, Bouygues Telecom, Orange, & Free), with several providers operating low-cost brands on the side. Some smaller providers (mobile virtual network operators - MVNOs) also compete in the market (e.g. NRJ mobile, Coriolis, Prixtel). The French postal service also offers mobile phone plans, under the brand La Poste Mobile.
Most cell phone providers also provide internet service, and package deals (mobile phone + Internet/land-line/television) are often a way of saving money on cell phone fees in France. Mobile phone plans in France generally include SMS, MMS, calling time and Internet data. Many mobile phone plans include the purchase of a cellphone, often at a discounted price.
While Orange (formerly France Telecom) was the historic owner of the phone and internet infrastructure in France, all of the major mobile phone providers offer roughly the same quality of coverage (réseau/couverture) throughout most of the country. The only exception may be in the countryside, in which case it might be worth asking your neighbours which provider offers the best coverage in your area.
In terms of Internet data, most of France is covered by a 4G Internet connection, and 70% of mainland France has 5G coverage available.
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What mobile plans to choose as an expat in France?
For long-term stays in France: Mobile Plans With or Without a Contract
If you are staying in France for an extended period of time (three months or more) we recommend choosing a postpaid mobile phone plan, as rates are considerably lower and plans often come with advantages such as free calling abroad and more generous data allowances. Postpaid mobile phone plans are generally a better deal than prepaid phones, particularly for people with smartphones who want to be able to use data. Many postpaid phone plans offer features like unlimited texts in France (SMS & MMS), free calls to certain countries abroad, access to wifi hotspots. Some providers even offer you "country passes" when you travel, which allow you to makes calls within the country you are visiting and to France at no additional charge. Postpaid plans can come with a contract (forfaits avec engagement), locking you in for 12 to 24 months, or without a minimum duration (forfait sans engagement).
Mobile Phone Plans Without a Contract
All of the low-cost operators (Sosh, RED by SFR, B&You, La Poste Mobile, etc), as well as Free Mobile offer postpaid plans without a contract (forfait sans engagement). With these plans, you usually need to already have a phone that you can use in France (suppliers offer only SIM cards, not phones), and mobile subscriptions and customer service are online-based. Most providers offer two types of plans: a basic plan with limited calling time/texts/data, and a complete plan that includes unlimited phone calls, unlimited text messages, international calls and Internet. Find below the best mobile phone plans without a contract.
| Offer | Included services | Price |
|---|---|---|
 Série Free 140Go 5G Valid on 02/01/2025 |
|
€10.99/mois for 12 months Then €19.99/month Subscribe online |
 Série spéciale B&You 100 Go 5G Valid on 21/01/2025 |
|
€12.99/month
Subscribe online |
Série spéciale B&You 150 Go 5G Valid on 21/01/2025 |
|
€13.99/month
Subscribe online |
 Forfait SFR 40 Go 5G Valid on 21/01/2025 |
|
€15.99/month
📞 09 77 55 72 27 Free Callback |
 Série Spéciale Orange 20Go Valid on 21/01/2025 |
|
€17.99/month
Subscribe online |
Série spéciale B&You 300 Go 5G Valid on 21/01/2025 |
|
€18.99/month
Subscribe online |
Forfait Free 350 Go 5G Valid on 21/01/2025 |
|
€19.99/month
Subscribe online |
Forfait Bouygues 130Go 5G Valid on 21/01/2025 |
|
€19.99/month
📞 09 77 55 72 27 Free Callback |
Forfait SFR 200 Go 5G Valid on 21/01/2025 |
|
€19.99/month
📞 09 77 55 72 27 Free Callback |
Forfait Orange 170Go 5G Discount until 05/02/2025 |
|
€22.99/mois for 6 months Then €34.99/month Subscribe online |
Mobile Phone Plans With a Contract
While the contractless postpaid plans offer low rates and flexibility, plans with a contract can sometimes be a better option, depending on the situation. Signing up for a phone plan with a one or two-year commitment may be a cost-effective way of purchasing a new phone, for example. Phone plans with a contract generally come with additional advantages that are not available for contractless plans, such as Internet data in non European countries, or applications.
For example, SFR contract subscriptions come with the Multisurf option. This allows you to share your Internet data with another compatible 3G/4G/5G device (tablet, phone, etc.), with a second SIM card and without any additional subscription. In addition, SFR subscribers with a contract have free access to the SFR Cloud and can store up to 1000 GB of photos or other content. With Orange, you can renew your mobile phone at a special price after 2 years.
| Offer | Included services | Price |
|---|---|---|
Forfait Bouygues 20Go 5G Valid on 21/01/2025 |
|
€16.99/month
📞 09 77 55 72 27 Free Callback |
Forfait SFR 60Go 5G + mobile Valid on 21/01/2025 |
|
€27.99/month
📞 09 77 55 72 27 Free Callback |
Série Spéciale 50Go 5G + mobile Valid on 21/01/2025 |
|
€28.99/month
Subscribe online |
Forfait SFR 250 Go 5G + mobile Valid on 21/01/2025 |
|
€34.99/month for 12 months Then €44.99/month 📞 09 77 55 72 27 Free Callback |
Forfait Orange 200Go 5G + mobile Discount until 05/02/2025 |
|
€35.99/month for 6 months Then €47.99/month Subscribe online |
Forfait SFR 300 Go 5G + mobile Valid on 21/01/2025 |
|
€64.99/month
📞 09 77 55 72 27 Free Callback |
Forfait Orange 300Go 5G + mobile Valid on 21/01/2025 |
|
€67.99/month
Subscribe online |
For short-term stays: Prepaid and pay-as-you-go mobile phone deals
Prepaid, or "pay as you go", phone plans (prépayé, formule à rechargement) are sometimes a good option when you first move to France and need to set up a phone number quickly. To start phone service with a prepaid phone, all you need is the phone, a SIM card, and to purchase some phone credit (carte prépayé, recharge). All of the main mobile providers (except for Free Mobile) offer pay as you go options, as do some of the smaller operators such as La Poste Mobile and Lebara. Recharging credit is usually quite easy; most newsagents and tobacconists sell prepaid credit, as do many supermarkets.
While pay as-you-go phones can be a useful way of getting a phone number quickly, rates are often somewhat confusing to read and difficult to compare. Finding the answers to the following questions will help you get a better idea of which prepaid phone offer is best for you:
- Cost of the SIM card: How much does the SIM card cost? Are any minutes included already (crédit d'appels inclus)?
- Connection fees: Does the provider charge a fixed amount just to connect the call, or is billing per second (décompte à la seconde dès la 1ère seconde)?
- Recharge fees: How much does it cost to recharge credit on the phone?
- Credit validity: For how long can credit be inactive before it expires?
- Voice messaging (messagerie vocale): Is it possible for people to leave a message on your phone when you are unable to take a call?
- Cost of data: How much does it cost to use data?
Need Data? Postpaid plans offer much more generous data allowances than prepaid phones. How much data do you need?What You Need to Sign up for a Mobile Phone Plan in France
You can sign up for a phone plan with a provider in one of their retail boutiques, online, or over the phone. You will need to have the following information with you when signing up for a mobile phone plan in France:
- Your contact information: name, email address
- Your full address: street address, apartment number, zip code
- Your banking information (RIB): you need to have a French bank account already set up before you sign up for a postpaid mobile phone plan. Some suppliers may also ask for your bank card (carte bancaire) information, which is used for activation fees/deposit.
Need help finding the mobile phone plan best suited to your needs? Our Selectra advisors are here to guide you: just call 09 77 55 72 27 Monday to Friday, from 8 am to 9 pm and 9:30 am to 6:30 pm on Saturdays and on Sundays 9 am to 5 pm.
Which unlimited mobile plans can I find in France?
Mobile phone deals with unlimited calls
Most mobile plans in France offer unlimited calls within mainland France and to foreign destinations (specified in the contract). However, you need to be careful about the credit for calls abroad, as there are often differences between mainland France and foreign destinations.
Calls are considered unlimited because you have no predefined credit time. However, usually, you can't :
- Contact more than 250 different correspondents each month.
- Exceed 3 hours of communication per call.
- Call a special number, short number or premium rate number free of charge.
If you make very few calls, you can also find cheap subscriptions with just two hours of calls included.
Are there phone deals with unlimited internet?
Mobile plans in France include a certain amount of Internet data, ranging from 100 Mo to 350 Go. The average user spends 15 Go per month. However, a mobile plan can be considered almost unlimited from 100GB per month, as it will allow most people not to worry about their Internet data consumption. All operators offer 100GB+ packages.
Are there unlimited international phone plans?
Usually, the amount of Internet data included in a mobile plan is not the same for France and abroad.
| Offer | Included services | Price |
|---|---|---|
Forfait SFR 250 Go 5G + mobile Valid on 21/01/2025 |
|
€34.99/month for 12 months Then €44.99/month 📞 09 77 55 72 27 Free Callback |
Forfait SFR 300 Go 5G + mobile Valid on 21/01/2025 |
|
€64.99/month
📞 09 77 55 72 27 Free Callback |
In addition to the 100Go data allowance that can be used in Europe and the French overseas departments, the 240GB plan offers 30Go of data that can be used in 16 countries outside the Euopean Union.
| Offer | Included services | Price |
|---|---|---|
Forfait Orange 300Go 5G + mobile Valid on 21/01/2025 |
|
€67.99/month
Subscribe online |
This is Orange's most generous deal. In addition to 140Go of Internet data in Europe, DOM, Switzerland and Andorra, it offers unlimited calls to landlines and mobiles in the US and Canada.
| Offer | Included services | Price |
|---|---|---|
Série spéciale B&You 300 Go 5G Valid on 21/01/2025 |
|
€18.99/month
Subscribe online |
Forfait Bouygues 300Go 5G Valid on 21/01/2025 |
|
€59.99/month
📞 09 77 55 72 27 Free Callback |
This Bouygues mobile plan offers 40 Go usable from Turkey, Tunisia, USA, Canada, China, Australia, Brazil, Israel, Japan, Thailand, South Africa, South Korea, Egypt, Mexico, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Malaysia, Qatar, Singapore, etc.
| Offer | Included services | Price |
|---|---|---|
Forfait Free 350 Go 5G Valid on 21/01/2025 |
|
€19.99/month
Subscribe online |
At less than €20 a month, this is the mobile plan that offers the best value for money. It offers 35 Go of internet data per month for use in Europe, French overseas departments, Switzerland, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Georgia, Hawaii, India, Israel, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Puerto Rico, Russia, El Salvador, Senegal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States and Uzbekistan.
How much is a cell phone plan per month in France?
There are mobile phone plans to suit all budgets and profiles. Prices range from 1,99€/month to 67,99€/month, depending on the number of GB of Internet data included per month and the options included.
There is often a discounted price for the first six months of subscription.
This table shows average prices by operator:
| Provider | Average monthly price (with discount) | Number of offers |
|---|---|---|
 Bouygues Telecom |
22,19€ | 10 |
 Free |
10,33€ | 3 |
 Cdiscount Mobile |
4,99€ | 5 |
 NRJ Mobile |
7,99€ | 4 |
 Lebara Mobile |
8,24€ | 4 |
 Auchan Télécom |
5,66€ | 3 |
 La Poste Mobile |
17,24€ | 8 |
 Prixtel |
9,82€ | 6 |
 Coriolis |
14,42€ | 7 |
 Lyca Mobile |
8,49€ | 4 |
 Réglo Mobile |
9,55€ | 4 |
 Orange |
30,85€ | 7 |
 Sosh |
13,16€ | 6 |
 SFR |
28,32€ | 6 |
 Syma Mobile |
12,32€ | 3 |
 RED |
11,24€ | 4 |
 YouPrice |
8,99€ | 3 |
 Mint Mobile |
10,99€ | 2 |
 Nordnet |
25,99€ | 5 |
 Telecoop |
15€ | 2 |
 Source |
10€ | 1 |
 CIC Mobile |
16,99€ | 3 |
Source : Selectra comparator (data from January 2025)
How to Cancel a Mobile Phone Plan in France?
Depending on your provider and the type of plan you have chosen, you may be able to cancel your plan online or over the phone. The simplest way to cancel your plan, however, is to send a letter by registered post (lettre recommandé par avis de reception). You can find out more about cancelling a mobile phone in France, including a free letter template, in our guides:
| French Term | English Definition | French Term | English Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Réseau | Network/Coverage | Débloquer | Unlock |
| Carte SIM | SIM card | Téléphone d'occasion | Second-hand/Used telephone |
| Prépayé/Formule de rechargement | Pay as you go/Prepaid | Carte prépayé/Recharge | Prepaid credit |
| Crédit d'appels inclus | Calling credit included | Décompte à la seconde dès la 1ère seconde | Billing per second (no fixed connection fee) |
| Messagerie vocale | Voice messaging | Forfait avec engagement | Phone plan with a contract |
| Forfait sans engagement | Phone plan with no contract | RIB | French bank account details |