Quick Facts
Country: France
Network Name: Bouygues Telecom;
www.futur-client.bouyguestelecom.fr/
Prepaid Card Name: Carte Nomad
Frequency and Technology: GSM 900/1800
Prepaid Package Cost (Just SIM): ?15, includes ?5 calling credit
Documents needed: Passport--other ID might be accepted, too
Prepaid Package Validity: Normally (see Usage below) 1 month credit (for ?15), 8 months phone number
CSD access: Yes
GPRS/EDGE access: Yes, if phone configured properly (advice at:
http://www.bouyguestelecom.fr/client/nomad.htm)
UMTS access: No
SIM applications: Yes
Manual included: Yes, but French only
Refill amounts: ?10, ?15, ?25, ?35, ?50, ?75
Availability: Club Bouygues stores, other phone stores (some, not all), tabacs (not all); certain bank ATMs
Competitors: Orange, SFR
More In-Depth Information
Buying:
The Good:
Card worked immediately in an unlocked US T-Mobile Nokia, and signal strength was good throughout Paris, including all but the deepest Metro tunnels. Length of credit validity varies with the denomination of the card, but all denominations ?15 and up have a line validity of 8 months (and a recharge extends that a further 8 months). When buying the start-up kit, I was asked for ID and an address. As others have also reported, a hotel address will work fine, and, though I provided my passport, other ID may have been acceptable, too.
The Bad:
Fewer outlets seemed to carry the Bouygues start-up kit and recharge cards/tickets than those of its competitors. Still, finding either start-up or recharge was relatively simple.
Usage:
The Good:
The standard Carte Nomade ("Classic") has a single price structure for calls to anywhere in metropolitan France--0,50? per minute--24/7 (SMS are 0,12? each), whether to mobiles or fixed lines. The good news is that charges are calculated by the second from the first second, except to certain specialized numbers. Normal features, including picking up messages and checking the amount of credit left, are free. Incoming calls are free. Bouygues also offers three variations (called "Advantages") to Carte Nomade Classic, which you can choose at the moment you recharge the card: (1) Advantage Flash, which cuts the per minute (or SMS message) charge in half, but which also cuts the credit validity in half (so a ?15 recharge is effectively worth ?30 worth of calls, but is only valid for 15 days instead of a month); (2) Advantage Soir & Weekend, which has a slightly higher daytime rate (0,60?), but reduces that to 0,25? for calls made after 9 p.m. and on Sat. and Sun.; and (3) Advantage Spot, which can effectively cut per minute calls in half by your agreeing to listen to an advertising spot before the call is put through to the recipient (you can choose to use this option on a call-by-call basis).
The Bad:
All service operations, including recharges, are conducted by phone, and with menu instructions in French only. (On the other hand, the voices speak a very clear and slow French, so, with only a moderate amount of French, it's relatively easy to follow the instructions.)
TIPS:
(1) Buying bigger denomination recharges gets you extra call credit. (2) Watch out: while recharges of ?15 and up extend the validity of your phone line and number 8 months, recharges of only ?10 do not extend the validity of your line. (3) I used Advantage Flash because I was only going to be in France 2 weeks anyway and thus got a lot of bang for my bucks. (Good thing, too. I used the phone a lot.)
FINAL THOUGHTS:
This is the only pre-paid card I ever used in France, so I have no grounds for comparison. Nor did I need to use customer service, so I can't comment on how helpful that might have been. But the card worked flawlessly and message retrieval and recharging were straightforward, even with French menus, so I'd have no hesitation recommending this card.