Report on using Orange Mobicarte in France

[jb9]

Thanks scirocco.

I finally got the phone to place a call successfully and subsequently view the SIM's phone number. Good news for sure! It also looks like I have the correct amount of credit (15 Euro) on the Orange system based on my use of the #123# menu. As I mentioned earlier, I just have a basic unlocked quad-band Motorola Razr V3 flip phone because I really only am interested in making/receiving calls or SMS. This particular thread mentions how folks need to turn off the data settings on their smartphones so that credit is not drained from the card. My phone does use what is called GPRS in a very rudimentary web browser (I haven't turned on or initiated a browser session), but I do NOT plan to use it.

Question #1: Do I still need to go to the orange.fr portail and create an account? I have already placed a call to my local phone to identify the number and vice versa, so it appears that the phone + SIM can send and receive calls. I am just wondering if the additional setup with the orange.fr portail is necessary since I am not using a true smartphone and don't plan on adding the mail or Internet Max options.

Question #2: I have looked pretty closely at the user manual, but if there are any experienced Motorola Razr V3 users who know of any other "data" settings I need to turn off, are there other settings that I am missing?

Question #3: What is the basic cost of using voice with the Mobicarte in France? I am under the impression that calls to landlines (04) are less expensive than calls to a cellular (06) and that the Mobicarte is not debited for incoming calls that I receive. Do I have the basic understanding correct?

Thanks so much to all the knowledgeable contributors to this thread!