Apologies for belated response - I didn't receive any notification of a newreply :(

Thanks for your reply. I will be back in France next week so will buy a top up for next year!

hi
.
i have tried wifi hotspot with Android in fr. and it still works!!!!
chr

Just to clarify, are you able to tether this particular phone on other networks? On my AT&T Galaxy S3, tethering was originally blocked on the phone software until I patched it to make it work.

Also, as I mentioned before, I wonder if connecting through a VPN would circumvent the tethering restriction. Has anybody tried that?

I have no problem using my Android Galaxy S2 in mobile hotspot mode on other networks for tethering other devices such as my Android tablet. I couldn't get this to work on Orange in France. However, I only tried it in the airport on my last day, as I didn't want to get cut off by trying it earlier. My test may have been flawed for some reason. My phone was able to browse the Internet ok in the airport, and the tablet connected to the phone ok - but stalled when trying to browse. Perhaps they detected that I had two devices connected, and only permitted the first device to connect? Maybe if I had not tried to browse with my phone, the tablet might have worked?

Very interesting! Did you have more than one device using the hotspot at the same time (eg phone & tablet?).

hi no only one device tried. (mac air with windowd 7)but be careful not to set computer to auto opdate:-( just cost 250mb:-) chr


Sendt fra min U8860 med Tapatalk2

Buying Orange micro SIM for Samsung Galaxy S III in Paris?
 

Does anyone know whether Orange stores in Paris sell the micro SIM for Samsung Galaxy III (Samsung SGH-T999)?

On the orange.fr site, I see micro SIM for iPhone. On eBay, I see one UK seller offering "new (uncut)" Orange micro SIM for S III.

Just wondered if anyone had definitive knowledge dealing with a Paris Orange store.

I'll be in Paris this Friday and was planning to use the Mobicarte deal, which worked just fine two years ago with my Samsung Vibrant (Galaxy).

Not really wanting to try cutting a SIM myself, although I'll try it if there's no other alternative.

Thanks for the help!

-- Paul

I have a quick question about maintaining my Orange SIM telephone number. I finished my trip to France in September of 2012 and purchased a 10 Euro recharge card in order to keep my SIM Telephone number active. When I first configured the phone, I set up an orange.fr account. I was under the impression that I would have a 6 month time period from the last recharge until I had to add additional value. I went to my "suivi conso" menu on orange.fr and saw this:

au 22/12/2012 à 15h20


votre Compte rechargeable est épuisé

numéro valide jusqu'au 01/05/2013 inclus


It makes sense that my credit is expired, but is it truly saying that my number is valid until May 1, 2013? That would imply that my phone number would be active for 8 months, right? I was under the impression that I would probably need to recharge the phone before March 1, 2013 (6 months) to maintain my telephone number. Has Orange increased the allowed dormancy period?

Thanks in advance.

No, it's still six months. However, the clock doesn't start ticking on the number expiry until the credit has expired. From your number expiry date of 1/5/2013 your credit must have expired at the end of October. A 25 euro top up doesn't expire for two months from the date of purchase, 35 euros lasts for three months.

just insert 20 euro on sim (and can see 20 euros on orange.fr) and "bought" Internet max and mail option (on orange.fr) but can not see the option active on orange.fr.
will it be 48 hours before it can view option aktive on orange.fr?
chr

Sorry, but I didn't see your post until now. I'm pretty sure that the same microSIM that works in an iPhone will also work in other kinds of phones. I don't think there's anything special about the iPhone SIMs. Also, I would be very surprised if Orange doesn't have microSIMs available for other phones. Most carriers seem to have them now, and they're used in some very popular phones, e.g., Galaxy S3

Indeed. A micro-SIM is the same as the more widespread mini-SIM but without so much redundant plastic around the contacts. A nano-SIM has even less redundant plastic around the contacts and is also 12% thinner than the mini-SIM and micro-SIM.

hi
yes now both internet max and mail is aktive on orange.fr! :rolleyes:
and there is 5 euro left on sim!! it was 48 hour before it is active!;)
chr

I am quickly approaching my 6 month limit (expected for end of Jan) but I can see two dates in my online account:-

Mon Plan Tarifaire says :- Votre crédit est épuisé. Vous devez recharger votre compte avant le 31/07/2013 pour conserver votre numéro de ligne prépayée.

Suivi Consol says :- votre Compte rechargeable est épuisé
numéro valide jusqu'au 29/01/2013 inclus (I haven't recharged this since July and only 10 euros)

Does anyone understand why these dates are different.

I don't actually need the internet again until July but I understood we had to top up again after 6 months to keep the line active?

I don't know why the "alert" has a different date; anyway, the date in "Suivi Conso" is more reliable.

I've never been able to figure out why there is a difference. The date in My Plan changes all the time. Today it is telling me I need to recharge in exactly one month to keep the number alive, whereas the data in Suivi Conso is correct (6 months from credit expiry) and stays the same.

I've never seen the date in My Plan be later than Suivi Conso, though. I always see an earlier My Plan date than Suivi Conso, and I just assumed it was scare tactics to get you to do a recharge earlier than you really needed to.

normally it is the same yep.

> Suivi Consol says :- votre Compte rechargeable est épuisé
numéro valide jusqu'au 29/01/2013 inclus (I haven't recharged this since July and only 10 euros)

if i was you you must top-up at this date... on the mobile world, the voice info
is better than internet personnal dashbord information. it is well-known and also
6 months is the limit for mobicarte since a lot of years.............

I think that what myself and other posters are saying is that it is NOT normally the same. You would think it SHOULD be, but it isn't. That's the problem.

Here's a screenshot of my "Mon Plan Tarifaire" (on top) and my "Suivi Conso" (below) with very different dates. And yesterday the "Mon Plan Tarifaire" page was telling me that I need to recharge in one week. Today apparently I have 4 months.

I think I will believe the Suivi Conso date, since it states 6 months from when I know the credit expired, and it doesn't change as time goes by.

http://www.users.on.net/~ianleeming/images/Expiry.jpg

k.

i'm on it now on the net

recharger votre compte sur le #123# - Assistance Orange

Vous avez un forfait bloqué (Zap, M6 mobile, compte rechargeable) ou une carte prépayée (mobicarte, M6 mobile, Click, Club) et vous souhaitez remettre du crédit sur votre compte.

http://boutique.orange.fr/doc/contrat164.pdf

WTF ? seems to be the same but not the same.... "compte rechargeable" are not actually an offer ("forfait") but an offer named for now "initial" permit to pay 7 euros per month and the top-up you include is valid forever AFAIK.

i think orange France mixed a lot somewhere ^^

I would like to know if they still have Internet Max option and for what price, I've tried to surf on thei site ut it seems to be impossible to find out, the page is blocking when I tried to open it.

It's still there... And it's still EUR9.

les bons plans internet de mobicarte - Boutique mobile - Orange.fr

Nice to see that! Thx Vlad!

So the main fine print is that they may throttle you after 500 MB?

Has anyone actually tested this threshold? Like use it with a Mifi feeding a laptop, which would eat data faster than a phone or a tablet?

Slightly off topic, but why bother using Orange's very restrictive Internet Max in a MiFi, when for you can get an SFR data card with 3 days worth of unlimited usage for EUR10?!

Well I've used the SFR before but I paid $21 through Holidayphone.com. I guess I paid a premium for them preactivating them and shipping them out to me in the US before I arrive in France.

I was just curious if the Orange product was comparable. I was under the impression that Orange has a better network.

u right ;)

Bad news: Internet Max seems to gone
 

I was just checking the Orange website and it appears that the Internet Max monthly option for 9 Euro is gone. They now show only a daily option at 2 Euro. I may need to get a different card for my upcoming trip.

Yes, I'm also seeing that it is no longer there in my suivi conso>mes options>mes bons plans. I see two daily options, 10MB per day for 0.9 euros per day, or 50MB per day for 2 euros per day. 6 euro per month email option is still available. The link that VladS posted a few posts ago no longer shows Internet Max.

Will be interesting to see if the Internet Max reappears or if it's gone for good. Victim of its own success I guess.

So, what's the best data card now?
 

So, assuming that the Internet Max option is gone for good, what's the best sim card to get now for data? I'm going to be traveling in France next month for about 15 days and I was counting on using the Orange sim. I'm wondering if there's another sim card with a better data option.

Ideas?

Woody1, suggest you check your Orange account. If you had Internet Max previously and never de-activated it (other than running out of credit) it will still be in your list of currently subscribed "mes bons plans". I can see it there in mine.

It looks like they may have removed it from general sale - if you don't currently have it you probably can't select it, but if you are an existing customer it may start working again when you put enough credit into the account.

I also get presented with another option called "recharge max". If I am reading the French right it is 30 euros for one month giving you unlimited calls and SMS within France plus 300MB of data. Only catch is it requires an online credit card purchase which I am sure will fail if the card is not French.

Some good ideas. Unfortunately, my last Orange card has expired, so my account access is gone. My plan is to purchase a B&You card and an Orange card. The Orange card will provide better coverage in rural areas. The B&You card has better rates and can be kept alive with annual usage.

I've used local SIM cards in many different countries, but the French telecoms seem to have the highest rates and are the most difficult to do business with of all the ones I've used. Given that France is a top tourist destination, maybe some carrier will start to offer good prepaid plans that appeal to occasional users.

Hello all,

Forgive me if this has been discussed before (I know how annoying noob questions can be). I will be in Paris for 9 days in June. I have an unlocked iPhone 4S. My plan of action was to buy a 3G Orange SIM on Ebay, something like this,

eBay | carte sim orange 3g mobicarte neuves 5e de credits

and have it sent to my Paris address in time for my arrival. I was going to cut the SIM down to the mini size and then buy 20EUR recharge at a tobacco shop to get voice, sms, and 150 mb of data (I am using this link as a guide)

http://mobile-shop.orange.fr/OneESho...in/pop_cmo.jsp

Does this sound right or are there flaws in my plan? Am I better off walking into an Orange shop in Paris and doing everything there?

I am not a heavy Internet user, but would like access to Email, FaceBook and Instagram.

Also, one thing I do not understand - do I need to specify MAX or recharging for 20EUR will automatically give me that plan?

Please advise.

nokitsch: Your plan will probably work, but personally, I think it would be easier just to walk into an Orange shop and have them sell you a sim card and set up your phone. There's usually a wait to get service in an Orange shop, but the advantage is that they will set up your paperwork and get the card working on your phone. They will also sell you additional credit.

If you buy the sim card from eBay, it will probably be ok, but if there's a glitch, it will be hard for you to get it resolved. Also, the Orange shop will sell you the right size sim card so you won't have to cut it down.

You will need to select your plan after you get the phone working. When I was there in May, I used the 2euro daily "Max" plan. I believe that you have to activate it each day that you use it. Otherwise, if you don't specify a plan, it will debit your balance on a per MB rate, which could drain your balance faster.

I just topped up my account with £10 and then tried to go into the online portal to try and subscribe (as currently in the UK) but in France tomorrow.

I can see Internet Max as an existing subscription but then spotted online that Internet Max was removed in April 2013.

Does anyone know if I have it as an existing subscription whether it will still work? (perhaps automatically once it sees the credit). Or is 100% dead? and 2 euro a day the only option.

Try to look for Internet Max by calling #123# :)

Hi
Can you activité it from outside France? :p
Chr

Just tried it, still there for me! Took a few attempts but it eventually confirmed that 9 euros had been deducted. I am 99% sure that it will only work for people who have had it before and maintained an active sim.

Has anybody bought a carte online
Mobicarte - Formules sans engagement - Mobile - orange
and took the hotel address?

Does that work?

How long is the initial credit of a new card valid?


Internet Max is no longer available.

Is recharge max 20 EUR a good alternative?
Is that valid for the next 30 days or just for the month of the year?

I received following error message by paying with my German VISA Card:

"Une erreur technique est survenue pendant le paiement de votre commande, aussi la prise en compte de votre carte bancaire est actuellement impossible. Vous pourrez renouveler votre paiement ultérieurement ou bien sélectionnez dès à présent un autre mode de paiement. Merci de votre compréhension. "

Can anybody tell me what's going on?

Bought a €15 card off ebay, registered on website from the US per the instructions earlier in the thread, and received a txt (to the orange number) almost immediately while on t-mobile. Emailed a passport scan to blois.contrats@orange.com. No idea if someone is now out there stealing my identity but seemed to activate the card after a few days and no less safe than someone making a copy or taking the number down.

For the first day or two the site showed only a €5 credit then seemed to fully activate and show €15 in credit. Used the menu for 50Mb (50Mo) of internet for €2 per day. Only have to do this once per day as I made a mistake one morning and I think it deducted twice. Orange sent a txt when my previous day ran out.

All-in-all, pretty happy with this for a week in FR despite the bit of effort needed. Very helpful to have the phone and internet while wandering around.