About the different mobile phone providers in France

In this post, and this time not only for those coming to Saint Nazaire or Nantes, but for any part France, I want to talk about the different phone companies you're going to find here and which ones are the best for you and your own needs.

The first thing to say is, those who look, will find. And what's more you don't even have to look far, if you're near any respectable shopping centre then I'm pretty sure you'll be able to find a few mobile phone shops, without having to go far, where you can ask to see their offers and cheap contracts, asking to look at their phone packages, something very popular at the moment.

In Saint Nazaire, you only have to go to the Geant shopping centre to find two of the most popular companies in France: SFR (the French equivalent to Vodafone) and Orange, another company we have in our own country.

Contracts

I recommend that you visit within the first few days of your arrival as if you're thinking about getting a contract, the shortest one you'll find is probably a year long, and they all come with a fine if you cancel it. Basically, if you're going to spend 9 months in France and the contract is for a year, you'll be charged for the 3 months that you won't complete. So, if you go and get a contract after a couple of months of being in France, then you'll be losing even more money.

Also, whether you want internet access or not is another important thing, as depending on how much you think you'll use it, you'll need to pay more, or less, to suit your needs.

Pre Paid Cards

If you don't want a contract, (as, like I said, it has a minimum length of a year), another option is to get a prepaid card. I didn't want to get one as I'd much rather have the safety of having 'x' amount of minutes and 'x' amount of texts, without worrying about what each individual call or text is going to cost.

These cards are prepaid, and you can pay for an 'x' amount of everything. 30 minutes call time, 300 messages and 1Gb of internet for example. But, the problem is that although this gives you the assurance of a specific number, it works out much more expensive than a normal contract and at the end of the day, with a contract you'll have the same thing guaranteed every month.

Phone Companies

In terms of the different providers you can get, I've already mentioned the two most popular, SFR and Orange, but there are also others you can look at. For example, B&You, and despite being a budget provider it gets quite a lot of customers, especially temporary users (like Erasmus students). There is also Sosh (almost like the rice), that is another budget option.

After comparing prices and deciding that I did indeed want a year long contract, I finally went with SFR. For all the assurances, as well as the fact there is a shop right next to where I live (in the Geant shopping centre I mentioned earlier), it was also really good value.

My contract included 120 minutes, which in reality I've never been close to using; 600 messages, and like the minutes, an amount I'd be surprised to go over; and finally 1Gb of Internet. Also, if you ever do find yourself about to go over these limits the company sends you a message to let you know you are close to going over and will have to pay if you do so, but I've never had to pay.

I pay less than 10 euros a month, as the rate is in fact 9. 90 euros a month, something you're unlikely to see in Spain, despite being completely different in most ways. But, all in all, paying 9. 90 euros a month for Internet (which on it's own would be a good deal), as well as being able to send messages without worrying about the cost of each one makes for a very good deal in my opinion.

Advice

Just to summarise all the advice I've given in this post, I'm going to finish with a small list, highlighting what I think are the most important things to take away.

• Go and look in the shops as soon as you can after you arrive.
• Shop around to make sure you're getting the best deal, and the best suited to you.
• Choose a deal that suits your needs.
• Don't be stingy with your minutes, after all, staying in contact with the people you meet is really important.
• Double check the price so that you aren't given any scares in the first few months.
• Like that advert says, "look, find, and buy", but make sure you are smart about it.

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