OverThereTooMuch

I know it's too late to help the OP, but hopefully this helps someone else (and someone else can tell me if this is wrong There might be better plans available than the ones I found).

I specifically went looking for a plan/provider that would work in both the UK & France.

In UK:
3 - £15 300UK min, 3000 text, unlimited internet
giffgaff - £10 250UK min, unlimited text, unlimited internet
orange - £15 0UK min, unlimited text, 500MB internet
tmobile - £15 100UK min, unlimited UK text, unlimited* internet (plan says 500MB for videos/music, but always access for web/email)
vodafone - £10 0 min, 500 text, 500MB internet

Roaming in France:
3 - make = 28.8p/min* (higher to some regions) receive = 7.9p/min Data = 69.6p/MB
giffgaff - make = 28p/min receive = 7p/min Data = 69p/MB
orange - make = 28p/min receive = 7p/min Data = 59p/MB or 4MB bundle for £5 (which is about 2x the per MB price!)
orange deal through 31 August - £15 (good for 7 days) 50 min, 100 text, 30MB internet
tmobile - make = 28.8p/min receive = 7.9p/min Data = £10 for 50MB
vodafone - make = 28p/min receive = 7p/min Data = 69p/MB for first 2.9MB, then no charge until 25MB, then 69p/MB after


I don't understand the Orange 4MB data roaming bundle. I was really surprised that none of the other providers had any sort of roaming bundle on their PAYG plans.

OverThereTooMuch

An update to the prices I previously posted (added links & names of the plans;Orange UK plan changed from unlimited text to 600;Orange EU plan extended offer to Sept 30;removed tmobile UK because plans are unclear):


In UK:
3 All-In-One 15 Add-on - £15 = 300UK min, 3000 text, unlimited internet
giffgaff - £10 = 250UK min, unlimited text, unlimited internet
Orange Dolphin - £15 = £15 credit, 0UK min, 600 text, 500MB internet
T-mobile - <not clear>
Virgin Mobile Addict - £15 = £15 credit, 0UK min, 3000 text, 1GB internet
Vodafone text & web Freebee - £10 = £10 credit, 0 min, 500 text, 500MB internet (call prices the same as Vodafone Simply plan)
Vodafone Simply - call-25p/min, 12p/text, £1 per 25MB/day (up to 125MB, then 4p per MB after that)

Roaming in France:
3 - make = 28.8p/min* (higher to some regions) receive = 7.9p/min Data = 69.6p/MB
giffgaff - make = 28p/min receive = 7p/min Data = 69p/MB
Orange - make = 28p/min receive = 7p/min Data = 59p/MB or 4MB bundle for £5 (which is about 2x the per MB price!)
Orange EU Combined Bundle (through Sept 30; plan good for 7 days) - £15 = 50 min, 100 text, 30MB internet
T-Mobile standard roaming & Travel Booster (data) - make = 28.8p/min receive = 7.9p/min Data = £10 for 50MB
Virgin Mobile + EU Data Travel Pass - make = 28p/min receive = 7p/min Data = £10 for 25MB
Vodafone Data Traveller & Vodafone World - make = 28p/min receive = 7p/min Data = 69p/MB for first 2.9MB, then no charge until 25MB, then 69p/MB after

-----
The Vodafone Simply option without freebees seems like it might be a good one unless you are a heavy internet user (in which case you would definitely need to look into the "fair use" policies of the carrier to see if they'll cut you off or throttle your data service after some point). Also great for just a short trip.

Another thing I noticed is that you might have to do things in a specific order for some of these PAYG top-up offers. For example, read the fine print on the Vodafone text & web offer. Unless you opt-in for that freebee first, you won't get it when you top-up with £10. For the T-Mobile plan, they don't have clear terms of how much data you get for your Internet booster. Plus the bonuses they offer on top-up don't appear to apply to the current month but the next month, making them not valuable to most travellers.

Nepomucene

You might want to check the option of mobile hotspot rental.
No need to have a second phone, of change the settings. You rent a totally pre configured mobile hotspot for the country you are visiting. Once there, you switch it on, a new wifi signal appears, you log on it, and the cost of being connected to the internet drops a lot.
To find the providers: google "rent mobile hotspot france" or "rent mobile hotspot england"
When comparing providers, check:
- Daily price
- How many MB are included per day
- Can the unused MB be reported to the next day
- How do I track my consumption
- Can I skype/VOIP
- Is the support/company in the same country (only way of having a quick fix in case of a faulty hotspot)
- What are the shipping costs
- Is the cost of return included

Enjoy!

Jimmie76

Welcome to FT.

If you have a compatible phone for the Skype for Three app you can use Skype for nothing whilst in the UK. You can't call UK numbers but you can call anywhere else using your skype credit and other skype names for free. Your phone needs to be a 3G one obviously.

ZBigFam

I know the thread is ancient but I am traveling to the UK next week and want to see what my options are for getting a good sim card? Any updates you can share? Am flying in via United.

Dubai Stu

If you are stilling in the Greater London area, just buy a Three SIM. There is a vending machine in most terminals at Heathrow and Gatwick after customs. They have a good data network with good values unless you wind up going into rural areas.

gfunkdave

Please resume discussion in the appropriate country threads - UK and France - in the master list:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...i-country.html