Originally Posted by Fornebufox

All went smoothly: there was an Orange storefront a block from my lodging in the 12th arr., and when I hauled out my ancient slab phone the proprietor was ready with a Mobicarte SIM packet, which he installed. I had to buy minutes at the Tabac around the corner (where they were REALLY uninterested in being helpful) but when I returned to Orange he was very happy to set up my phone and anticipate my questions. Turns out he has relatives in NYC, but we spoke French, and I was incredibly relieved to realize that my French was more than adequate for voice mail and otherwise negotiating the system.

I don't know whether I got the super-cheapest-best deal, but I got what I needed, with enough time for inadvertent wrong numbers and even an SMS "conversation" to the US in the last minutes before leaving CDG. My partner has never before received the SMS I've sent from Italy or Sweden, but that may be more about unfamiliarity with texting than incompatible systems. Who knows.