Last year we went to France twice, the first time, the onboard MiFi system worked flawlessly but the second time, it wouldn't work until we bought a French SIM card.
We hadn't changed anything in between the two trips, but the iD SIM card which had worked seamlessly on the first trip simply wouldn't play ball on the second trip. I did a bucket load of fault diagnosis, resetting thing and changing settings all to no avail. Eventually, we ere able to get an Orange-FR SIM card and everything played nicely!
Buying the Orange-FR SIM card was a right song and dance though, they wanted passports and an address (we gave them the address of the campsite).
Now I've seen posts on forums which suggest it really shouldn't be that difficult, you should be able to walk into a French supermarket and pick up a pre-paid SIM card no problem, E Leclerc get mentioned a lot as the place to go.
So my question to you is how do I get a SIM card, where in the supermarket would I find them and who offers the best deals with the least fuss?
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
I bought eSIMs when I was in France and Germany in June 2026, data only when I could not get a good signal on my phones.
I have my main phone and immediate old phone as a spare, and both can take eSIMs.
I started off with an 'Unlimited Plan' from Airalo without realising it has a 'Fair Usage' cap of 3 GB which was not a lot! I found this on their website later when my speed dropped when I still had a few hours within 24h to go:
Airalo's Unlimited eSIM plans give you 3 GB of high-speed data per 24-hour period. If you exceed that, your speeds drop to 1 Mbps until it resets, which is every 24 hours from the moment of activation.
I then switched to an Ubigi Unlimited plan for 7 days while in France as it had a bigger 'Fair Usage' cap of 25GB for the duration. I believe I can just buy another one if I used up the 25GB before the 7 days was out.
Going forward, I shall use Ubigi for their eSIMs.
DK
Post last edited on 03/08/2026 01:36:34
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Thanks for your responses but our router doesn't appear on the list of those devices compatible with eSIMs, it needs a physical SIM card. I was asking specifically for the router.
As for my phone, I'm happy with what I get with my Lebara package but I'll bear an eSIM in mind going forward.
Quote: Originally posted by MrWez on 05/8/2026
Thanks for your responses but our router doesn't appear on the list of those devices compatible with eSIMs, it needs a physical SIM card. I was asking specifically for the router.
Sorry, can't help as my router is in a location in the van that is not very accessible, hence I do not change its SIM (Smarty), and use the immediate past work smartphone as a router/hotspot instead if the signal for Smarty is no good.
Good luck in finding a compatible physical SIM.
Just a thought - would it be possible for the router to take an eSIM adaptor?
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Buying a SIM Card in France
via mobile 02/8/2026 at 7:51pm
