France SIM card or your UK plan? Roaming in France, Paris weekends and the Eurostar
In short
Your UK plan probably covers France already: ten of the 15 networks include it, and EE, Vodafone, Three, Sky and VOXI charge £2 to £2.75 a day or sell a pass (checked on 24 October 2026). Our France plan is £2.99 for 1 GB over 7 days, data only.
Information verified on 24 October 2026 at the official sources listed below. This is not financial advice; check card settings, fees and limits with your bank before you pay. How we check information.
On this page
eSIM for France from £2.99 — see plans At a glance
- Purchase QR code by email · after payment
- Installation profile on your phone · up to 365 days
- Activation first network on the trip · the clock starts
Get an eSIM for France — from £2.99
This site is not affiliated with any of the networks mentioned here; we sell eSIMs. How we compare
For a normal week you may need no France eSIM from the UK at all. France was the second most visited country for residents of Great Britain in 2025, with an estimated 9.1 million visits and an average stay of 6.6 nights (ONS Travel trends 2025). An eSIM earns its place when your network charges a day, your cap runs out, or you stay for weeks.
Is roaming free in France on my UK network?
Roaming in France on UK networks is included on ten, each up to its own fair-use limit, the lowest being 5GB, and charged on five (checked on 24 October 2026). Monaco, which borders France near Nice, sits outside the zone on seven networks, so the second column matters on the Riviera.
| Option | Price | What you need | Weak point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roaming on your UK network | Included on 11 of 15 UK networks, within fair use otherwise £2.00 to £33.00 a day or pass from about £0.15 per GB | Data roaming on; on some networks a pass bought before you fly | Fair use limits and daily charges differ by network; check that yours covers France |
| Pocket Wi-Fi router | Not verified | Collect it, keep it charged and return it | One connection for the group, only while you stay together |
| Local SIM bought on arrival | Not verified | A free SIM slot and a shop after landing | On a one-slot phone it replaces your UK SIM |
| Travel eSIM from this site | from £2.99 by card; from £0.70 per GB | An eSIM phone that is not locked to one operator | Data only: no calls or texts on your UK number |
Roaming prices as published by the 15 UK networks, checked on 24 October 2026; price per GB is our derivation (price ÷ GB). eSIM prices are in pounds at the day’s rate: your card is charged exactly that amount. This site is not affiliated with these networks; we sell eSIMs.
| Network | In France | In Monaco |
|---|---|---|
| O2 | included, up to 25GB | same as France |
| Lebara | included, up to 30GB | charged, outside the zone |
| Lyca Mobile | included, 12GB (35GB on its largest plans) | charged, Zone 5 |
| SMARTY | included, 12GB | charged, outside the zone |
| giffgaff | included, 5GB per plan | Zone A, 20p per MB |
| Talkmobile | included, 5GB a month if you joined or upgraded from 14 March 2023; 15GB before | same as France |
| Asda Mobile | included, 5GB a month | charged, outside the zone |
| iD Mobile | full UK allowance “until further notice”, on a promotion; usual limit 30GB | same as France |
| Tesco Mobile | included: “There’s no cap/usage limit” | same as France |
| BT | included in Roam Like Home | same as France |
| EE | £2.72 a day, plans launched from 7 July 2021 | same as France |
| Vodafone | £2.75 a day, pay monthly from 11 August 2021 without Euro Roam or Global Roam | same as France |
| Three | £2.75 a day on Lite and Lite+ from 18 December 2025; £2 if you joined from 1 October 2021 to 17 December 2025 | Rest of World, 10p per MB |
| Sky Mobile | £2 a day, all plans except Diamond VIP | £0.36 per MB, outside the £2 pass |
| VOXI | pass from £2.60 for 1 day; without one, your allowances stop | same as France |
“Included” means no daily charge on current pay monthly and SIM only plans, up to the limit shown. EU roaming included on many UK plans is each network’s choice, not a law (EU roaming after Brexit).
eSIM for France: selected plans
The entry plan, our pick and a bigger one. “Our pick” is a mid-size plan chosen by us, not a sales ranking.
Prices are in pounds; you are charged in GBP, exactly the amount shown. The seller is registered in the United States, so your bank may apply its own rules to a payment to a seller abroad — how card payment works. It appears on your statement as JET SHARING. You pay on the secure Stripe checkout page, by card, or Apple Pay or Google Pay if Stripe shows them on your device.
What it costs per day
Plan price in pounds ÷ days, at the rate of 1 Nov. A longer plan usually costs less per day: pick by your trip length, not by the lowest daily price.
A Paris weekend vs a fortnight: when an eSIM pays off
Three days of use cost £6 to £8.25 at the daily charge, or £5 on Three’s 3-day pass, so on a Paris weekend the charge is often fine. Fifteen days cost £20 to £41.25 on a charge or pass (our arithmetic).
A “day” is a day you use the phone, not a day away. EE counts it midnight to midnight, UK time; Sky’s £2 pass lasts 24 hours, not midnight to midnight.
| Network | 3 days of use | 7 days of use | 15 days of use | Pass the network sells |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EE (plans from 7 July 2021) | £8.16 | £19.04 | £40.80 | Weekly EU Pass £16.50; 12-days EU Pass £27.50 |
| Vodafone (no Euro Roam) | £8.25 | £19.25 | £41.25 | 8-day pass £16; 15-day pass £21 |
| Three (Lite, from 18 December 2025) | £8.25 | £19.25 | £41.25 | Go Roam in Europe 3 days £5; 7 days £12; 14 days £24 |
| Sky Mobile (not Diamond VIP) | £6 | £14 | £30 | none; the £2 a day is the pass |
| VOXI | £7.40 (2 + 1 days) | £15 (8-day pass) | £20 (15-day pass) | 8-day pass £15; 15-day pass £20 |
| Our France plan, data only | 1 GB over 7 days: £2.99 | 1 GB over 7 days: £2.99 | 5 GB over 30 days: £6.99; 10 GB over 30 days: £9.99 | no UK number, no calls or texts |
Sources: EE price guide (24 October 2026), Vodafone (24 October 2026), Three (24 October 2026), Sky (24 October 2026), VOXI (24 October 2026).
A pass or daily charge keeps your UK allowance, minutes and texts on your own number. Ours is a data-only eSIM that starts on first connection to a network in France.
For a fortnight in the Dordogne, weigh £20 (VOXI’s 15-day pass) to £41.25 (Vodafone or Three by the day) against our 5 GB, 30-day plan at £6.99, which brings no calls or texts. Roaming or eSIM walks through the decision.
Monaco, Corsica and the Eurostar: what changes at the edges?
Our France plan covers mainland France and Corsica, not Monaco or the overseas territories (plan data, 24 October 2026). On a Channel ferry the risk is your own SIM: ship networks cost far more than Europe rates, with EE at £16 per 10MB.
| Place | Our plans | Your UK network |
|---|---|---|
| Corsica | in the France plan; its description names Corsica | as France; Vodafone and VOXI name Corsica in their zone lists |
| Swiss Alps | not in the France plan; our Europe plan lists Switzerland (Salt, Swisscom), and we sell a Switzerland plan | in the Europe zone on O2, Tesco, Three, Sky, EE, BT, Vodafone, VOXI and Talkmobile; charged on Asda, Lebara, Lyca, giffgaff, SMARTY and iD |
| Monaco | not in the France or Europe plan; a separate Monaco plan runs on Monaco Telecom and does not cover France | charged on seven networks (table above) |
| Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion | not in the France plan | check your network’s own list |
| Channel ferry | no travel eSIM works at sea; ours works on land networks in port | EE £16 per 10MB; giffgaff and SMARTY £5 a MB; Three £6; iD £9.60; Sky lists “Over the sea” as “No roaming” |
Between Paris and the Alps it is all mainland France, so the France plan covers the French ski resorts; only the Swiss side needs another plan.
Ferry rates were checked on 24 October 2026. Turn on aeroplane mode as you board and use the ship’s Wi-Fi: data roaming off still lets calls and texts go over the ship’s network. Ofcom warns about satellite networks on ferries (Ofcom).
On Eurostar and ferry trips alike, the free arrival text your network must send (Ofcom GC C3.15, unless you opted out) tells you when you have started roaming. We have not checked whether a phone joins a French network in the tunnel or near Kent, so we claim neither.
Driving on to Spain, Italy or Switzerland? Our Europe plan covers 41 countries, including those three and France, but not Monaco or Andorra (plan data, 24 October 2026); the Europe guide compares it with roaming.
France SIM card or eSIM? How we compared
On 24 October 2026, other sellers’ 5GB, 30-day France plans cost £6.73 to £11.00 on their UK pages, against £6.99 for ours. Each figure is a data-only plan with exactly the data and days shown.
Four sellers sit in every range below; we name none, and it is not a ranking.
| Basket | Sellers’ range, 24 October 2026 | Our France plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1GB, 7 days | £2.99 to £3.50 | £2.99 |
| 3GB, 30 days | £4.49 to £7.00 | £4.99 |
| 5GB, 30 days | £6.73 to £11.00 | £6.99 |
| 10GB, 30 days | £10.47 to £19.00 | £9.99 |
| 20GB, 30 days | £15.70 to £29.00 | £13.99 |
Promotions are left out, and so are prices shown in dollars to a UK visitor, who never sees the pound figure. Plans differ in network and speed, so the rows are not like for like.
On 4G/5G coverage we go by the plan listing. Our France plan runs on two local networks: 
Orange and Bouygues Telecom, both listed with 5G. Our Europe plan lists Free Mobile, Orange France and Bouygues Télécom; neither plan lists SFR.
A French SIM card is bought in France, in network shops; take your passport, and expect prices to vary by shop. We hold no French retailer price list, so we compare nothing on price.
The France SIM card vs eSIM choice then comes down to your phone. An eSIM needs an eSIM-compatible phone that is unlocked; install before you travel, at home on Wi-Fi, as the install guide shows. Our France plan can be installed up to 365 days ahead. On a dual SIM phone your UK number keeps calls and texts while the eSIM carries data (keep your UK number). Other countries: all our country guides.
Check before you fly
What if the eSIM doesn’t work when you land in France?
Check four settings, in this order, before you write to us.
The first is the line for mobile data. In the phone’s SIM settings, pick the travel line for mobile data; your UK line stays on for calls and texts, with its mobile data off.
The second is data roaming, for the eSIM line only. The eSIM is a foreign profile, so the phone treats France as roaming for it.
The third is the APN. The plan does not set it by itself here: add globalapnfr.com on Android under the eSIM line’s mobile network settings.
The fourth is a restart. Restart the phone or switch aeroplane mode on and off, and let it find Bouygues and Orange; this can take a few minutes after you leave the plane.
Still no data? Write to us on WhatsApp or at support@esimworld.co.uk with your order number, or go through the no-signal checklist. Do not delete the eSIM to “try again”: a deleted profile usually cannot be installed twice from the same code. If the eSIM doesn't work and it isn't your phone's fault, we refund the payment whether or not it was installed.
What I’d choose (and when NOT to buy the eSIM)
For a week of maps, rides and messaging I’d take 1 GB for 7 days, £2.99. For two weeks or more, with photos and social media, I’d go for 5 GB for 30 days, £6.99. If you video-call and stream every day, take the unlimited plan for 7 days, £14.99, with 3 GB a day at full speed, then 1 Mbps.
I would not recommend the eSIM in three cases. If your UK plan already includes France and its fair use limit is enough for you, roaming costs you nothing extra and keeps your number (compare the networks). If your phone has no eSIM or is locked to one operator, it cannot take the plan: check your model first. And if your group travels together all day and shares one connection, a pocket Wi-Fi can cover everyone.
Frequently asked questions
Is roaming free in France?
Yes on ten of the 15 UK networks, each within its own fair-use limit, which starts at 5GB. EE, Vodafone, Three, Sky and VOXI charge £2 to £2.75 a day or sell a pass. Monaco is charged separately on seven networks.
How much is a SIM in France?
£6.73 to £11.00 for a 5GB, 30-day eSIM at other sellers on 24 October 2026; ours is £6.99, data only. We hold no price list for SIM cards sold in French shops, so we quote none.
Is it worth getting an eSIM for France?
Not for a normal week on ten of the 15 UK networks, where France costs nothing extra. It is worth it when your network charges a day, 5GB will not last, or you stay for weeks.
Sources checked: GOV.UK: France travel advice · ONS: Travel trends 2025 · Ofcom: using your mobile abroad · giffgaff: roaming · BT: what is Roam Like Home · Sky Mobile tariff guide · Three: roaming destinations.
Sources are linked in the text; reviewed by Nadezhda Semenova. For the terms of your own contract, check with your network.
Unfamiliar term? See the eSIM glossary.
Get an eSIM for France, from £2.99 Pay by card in pounds. The seller is registered in the United States, so your bank may apply its own rules to a payment to a seller abroad. Install the profile at home on Wi-Fi before you fly. The QR code arrives by email after payment. See plans