Updated October 2026. A no-commitment plan (forfait sans engagement) is a monthly plan paid by direct debit (prélèvement), so it needs a French RIB and a billing address. A prepaid SIM (prépayé) needs no bank account: Lebara 200 GB 5G costs €9.99 per 30 days, paid by card. Per gigabyte, prepaid now matches or beats most forfaits. Every SIM needs ID at activation, and the Bouygues group charges €5 to leave any forfait since 27 July 2026. Newcomers start prepaid, then switch and keep their number with a free number-portability code (RIO) (dial 3179), ported in up to 3 working days.
Key takeaways
- A forfait sans engagement needs a RIB for the prélèvement and a billing address, but cancels any month.
- No mandatory minimum term: most forfaits are sans engagement; the legal maximum commitment is 24 months (subsidised handsets only).
- On a subsidised-handset contract, the early-exit fee between months 13 and 24 cannot exceed 20% of the remaining balance.
- The Bouygues group charges €5 to leave any no-commitment plan since 27 July 2026; Free Mobile reimburses up to €10 of a rival's exit fees.
- A prepaid SIM needs no bank account or address, but every SIM needs ID at activation (décret n° 2017-460).
- Per GB, prepaid now matches or beats most forfaits: Lycamobile 350 GB at €11.99 is about €0.034/GB.
- A 30-day prepaid renews 12.17 times a year, about 1.4% more than 12 monthly bills at the same price.
- Keep your number with your free RIO code (dial 3179); the port takes up to 3 working days.
What is the difference between a forfait and prepaid in France?
A mobile plan (forfait) is a postpaid monthly plan: you use the service first, then pay by direct debit (prélèvement) from a SEPA account, which is why it needs a RIB. A no-commitment plan (forfait sans engagement) has no contract lock-in, so you can cancel any month. A prepaid SIM (prépayé) is the opposite: you pay first with a top-up (recharge) that lasts 30 or 31 days, then top up again. Prepaid needs no bank account and no proof of address, which makes it the easy first step.
| Criterion | Prepaid | Forfait sans engagement | Forfait avec engagement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Examples | Mobicarte, SFR La Carte, Pass Free, Lebara, Lycamobile | Sosh, RED, B&You, Free, MVNOs | Operator plan with a subsidised phone |
| Commitment | None; expires every 30 or 31 days | None; monthly, cancel any time (Bouygues group: €5 exit fee) | 12-24 months, exit penalties |
| ID | Yes, at activation (passport accepted) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank account | No (cash or card top-ups) | Yes, SEPA RIB | Yes, RIB |
| Address | No | Yes, billing address | Yes |
| Credit check | None | Light (Preventel) | Preventel plus solvency check |
| Typical price | €4.99-19.99 per 30 days | €1.99-29.99 per month | €29.99-45+ per month |
| Data | 10-350 GB | 1-350 GB, some unlimited | 150 GB to unlimited |
| 5G | SFR La Carte, Lebara, Lycamobile: yes; Mobicarte: no | Usually from the 60-100 GB tiers up | Yes |
| Best for | Newcomers, tourists, people without a bank account, teens | Anyone settled with a RIB | Buyers who want a subsidised phone |
| Trap | A missed renewal ends the bundle and its unused data | Promo cliffs at month 6 or 12 | Phone subsidy baked into the price |
The main operators are Orange (and its low-cost brand Sosh), SFR (and RED), Bouygues (and B&You), and Free. Lebara (SFR network) and Lycamobile (Bouygues network) focus on prepaid and international calling. The mobile market is regulated by the ARCEP, which sets the rules for number portability and fair contract terms.
Is a forfait sans engagement worth it in France?
A forfait sans engagement is the best fit once you have a RIB. There is no renewal to remember, MMS and calls work as normal, and Orange-network plans carry bigger EU allowances: Sosh Voyage 200 GB 5G costs €15.99 with 40 GB usable from 135 destinations (as of October 2026). The catch is the prélèvement: operators need a SEPA bank account, in practice a French RIB, so a forfait is hard to start before you open an account.
Forfait pros
- No renewal to remember and no lapse.
- Bigger EU allowances: Sosh Voyage 200 GB gives 40 GB from 135 destinations.
- 5G on most plans from the 60-100 GB tiers up.
- Sans engagement means you can cancel any month.
- MMS works, unlike on Lebara prepaid.
Forfait cons
- Needs a French RIB for the prélèvement.
- Asks for a billing address and may run a Preventel check.
- Promo cliffs: Série Free 110 GB goes from €12.99 to €19.99 at month 13.
- The Bouygues group charges €5 to leave.
Sans engagement vs avec engagement
Your rights when switching (as of October 2026)
- Number portability is free: dial 3179 to get your RIO code, then give it to the new operator.
- The new operator handles cancellation of your old contract, so do not cancel yourself first if you want to keep your number.
- Portability takes up to 3 working days, with service cut for 4 hours at most.
- An operator must announce a contract change, such as a price rise, at least one month ahead; you can then cancel free within 4 months (article L224-33 of the Code de la consommation).
- On a subsidised-handset contract, an early exit between months 13 and 24 costs at most 20% of the remaining balance owed.
- After 24 months there are no early-exit penalties; flat cancellation fees such as the Bouygues group's €5 can still apply.
- Contracts taken out online must offer résiliation en 3 clics (3-click cancellation).
Source: Service-Public, ARCEP, DGCCRF and Légifrance, as of October 2026.
Is a forfait sans engagement still free to leave?
The Bouygues group charges €5 to cancel every no-commitment mobile plan since 27 July 2026, after waves that began in April 2025. The fee covers Bouygues Telecom, B&You, NRJ Mobile, Cdiscount Mobile and Auchan Telecom, the only major French group that charges to leave a sans engagement plan. Cancelling a Bouygues Telecom line by phone (1064) adds €7.50 in processing fees, while cancelling online in the espace clientavoids it. B&You also charges a €5 setup fee since April 2025.
Free Mobile pushes the other way. It reimburses up to €10of the old operator's cancellation fees when you switch to it, and it refunds unused prepaid credit automatically when you port your number out.
Price rises are the other exit trigger. In October 2026, SFR, RED by SFR and Prixtel raised existing subscribers' prices by €0.99 to €4.99 a month. You can refuse such a change in your espace client and keep the old price, or cancel free within 4 months under article L224-33 of the Code de la consommation.
| Step | Cost |
|---|---|
| Porting your number (RIO, 3179) | Free |
| Leaving a Bouygues group plan online | €5 |
| Leaving a Bouygues Telecom line by phone (1064) | €5 plus €7.50 processing |
| Joining B&You (setup fee) | €5 |
| Joining Free Mobile | Up to €10 of your old operator's fees reimbursed |
| New SIM card | €10 Orange, SFR, Sosh, RED, Free; €9.90 La Poste Mobile; €5 Bouygues, NRJ, Pass Free; €1 B&You, Cdiscount, Auchan; €0 Lebara |
When should you use a prepaid SIM in France?
A prepaid SIM (prépayé) is the right call for your first days, before you have a RIB or address, and for short stays. The ranges differ more than the word "prepaid" suggests, as of October 2026:
- Orange Mobicarte: 150 GB for €9.99 a month on the Orange network, but 4G only: no Mobicarte gets 5G. You renew by hand each month, with no rollover.
- SFR La Carte: 5G, a starter kit at €4.99 with 40 GB (32 GB of it is the EU share), then 200 GB recharges at €9.99 per 31 days. The line stays alive 6 months after your last recharge.
- Lebara (SFR network) and Lycamobile (Bouygues network): 30-day plans paid by card, with no French bank account. Lebara 200 GB 5G costs €9.99 and Lycamobile 350 GB 5G €11.99. Lebara cannot send or receive MMS on any plan.
- Pass Free: from S 10 GB at €4.99 to XL 350 GB at €19.99 per 30 days, sold online only and limited to French residents under its terms.
- Bouygues Telecom ended its classic prepaid on 30 June 2025 (recharge sales stopped 31 December 2024). Only the tourist My European SIM remains.
Syma Mobile is sold in tabacs, but its plans are contracts that need a RIB, so it does not belong on a no-bank-account list. For tourists, Orange Holiday and Bouygues My European SIM are built for visitors with no French bank account.
Prepaid pros
- No bank account or RIB needed.
- No commitment: you leave by not renewing.
- Works on your first day once activated with your ID.
- Cheapest data in France: Lycamobile 350 GB at about €0.034/GB.
- Sold in tabacs, Relay shops and supermarkets.
Prepaid cons
- Miss a renewal and the bundle and unused data are gone.
- 30-day cycles mean 12.17 renewals a year, about 1.4% more than monthly billing.
- Smaller EU allowances: Lebara 200 GB includes 15 GB.
- Mobicarte is 4G only; Lebara has no MMS.
- Pass Free is for French residents only.
Is a 30-day prepaid more expensive than a monthly forfait?
A 30-day prepaid renews 12.17 times a year (365 ÷ 30), so it costs about 1.4% more than the same price billed per calendar month. At €9.99, that is €121.55 a year against €119.88 for 12 monthly payments, a gap of €1.67. SFR La Carte runs on 31-day cycles, so it renews 11.77 times and costs about 1.9% less.
| Plan | Cycle | Renewals a year | Data | Cost a year | vs 12 monthly bills |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lebara 200 GB 5G (prepaid) | 30 days | 12.17 | 200 GB | €121.55 | +1.4% |
| Orange Mobicarte 150 GB (prepaid, 4G) | 1 month | 12 | 150 GB | €119.88 | 0% |
| Sosh 20 GB (forfait, 4G) | Calendar month | 12 | 20 GB | €119.88 | 0% |
| SFR La Carte 200 GB 5G (prepaid) | 31 days | 11.77 | 200 GB | €117.62 | −1.9% |
The cycle matters far less than the data the same money buys. At €9.99, you get 200 GB from Lebara or SFR La Carte, 150 GB on Mobicarte and 20 GB on the Sosh forfait. The real prepaid cost is the lapse: miss a renewal and the bundle ends, with its unused data. SFR La Carte keeps the number alive for 6 months after the last recharge, which helps if you leave France for a summer.
Do you need ID to activate a SIM in France?
Every SIM in France must be linked to a verified identity, prepaid included, under loi n° 2016-731 and décret n° 2017-460 of 30 March 2017, in force since June 2017 (texts on Légifrance). You can buy the card at a tabac or supermarket without showing ID. Activation is the step that needs it, online or through the seller.
Accepted documents are a passport of any nationality, an EU national identity card or a French titre de séjour. A foreign driving licence is generally not accepted. A prepaid line that is never identified is blocked, and its credit is forfeited. The tourist Bouygues My European SIM must be registered within 30 days of activation, and Bouygues stores do it for you with your passport.
A forfait asks for more: a SEPA bank account, in practice a French RIB, and a billing address. Operators may also check the Preventel file of unpaid telecom debts. France has no credit score, so the check only flags unpaid phone bills. Consumer rules for phone contracts are summarised on Service-Public.
Which should you pick when you arrive in France?
The simple rule, as of October 2026: if you just arrived with no RIB, start prepaid, then decide whether to move to a forfait sans engagement once your French account is open. You keep your number with a RIO code.
- Just arrived, no RIB: buy a Lebara SIM (free) or an SFR La Carte kit (€4.99) at a tabac or airport Relay, and activate it online with your passport.
- Tourist or short stay: Bouygues My European SIM 20 GB (€14.90 web promo) or Orange Holiday; a forfait is not worth the setup.
- Once you have a RIB: switch to a forfait sans engagement for MMS, 5G and bigger EU allowances, or stay prepaid if the data suits you.
- To keep your number: dial 3179 for your RIO code and give it to the new operator. The port takes up to 3 working days.
- When you leave a Bouygues group plan: cancel online to avoid the €7.50 phone fee, and budget the €5 exit fee.
On price, the old rule that prepaid costs more per GB no longer holds. Lycamobile 350 GB at €11.99 works out at about €0.034/GB and Lebara 200 GB at €0.050/GB, against €0.057/GB for Free 5G 350 GB and €0.080/GB for Sosh Voyage 200 GB. The forfait wins on MMS, 5G on the Orange network, larger EU allowances and no renewals to remember. Check the ARCEP for current consumer rules.
Sources: Service-Public, ARCEP and DGCCRF for portability, commitment and cancellation rules; Légifrance for the SIM identification law; operator tariff pages and press coverage of the 2026 fee changes, as of October 2026. Verify current plans and prices with each operator before you buy.
What people in France report
- − Bouygues €5 exit fee: Since 27 July 2026 the Bouygues group charges €5 to leave every no-commitment plan at Bouygues Telecom, B&You, NRJ Mobile, Cdiscount Mobile and Auchan Telecom. Readers note it is the only major French group charging to leave a sans engagement plan. (Univers Freebox, July 2026)
- − Cancelling by phone costs more: An analysis of the Bouygues Telecom tariff PDF found that cancelling a mobile line through the 1064 hotline costs €7.50 in processing fees, while cancelling online in the espace client is free. Few customers read that line. (echosdunet.net, June 2026)
- + Free pays your exit fee: Where Bouygues charges €5 to leave, Free Mobile covers up to €10 of a rival's cancellation fees for people who switch. Free also refunds unused prepaid credit automatically when you port your number out. (edcom.fr, March 2026)
- − Lebara cannot receive MMS: A press test found Lebara supports no MMS at all, not even receiving: a photo sent to you by classic MMS never arrives, whatever the phone settings. The flagship plan's EU allowance was also only 7-8 GB. (ariase.com, June 2026)
Paraphrased from public posts, each dated and linked. A small sample, not a representative survey.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a French bank account for a forfait in France?
Yes, in practice. A monthly forfait sans engagement is paid by direct debit (prélèvement), so operators ask for a SEPA bank account, which in practice means a French RIB, plus a billing address. Syma Mobile is sold in tabacs, but its contract still needs a RIB. A prepaid SIM needs no bank account: Lebara and Lycamobile take card payment every 30 days, and SFR La Carte and Mobicarte take cash top-ups.
Is prepaid more expensive than a forfait in France?
Not per gigabyte any more. In October 2026 the cheapest data in France is prepaid: Lycamobile 350 GB at €11.99 per 30 days (about €0.034/GB) and Lebara 200 GB at €9.99 (€0.050/GB), against €0.057/GB for Free 5G 350 GB at €19.99. Operator prepaid still costs more at big tiers: Mobicarte 200 GB costs €16.99 and is 4G only, while the Sosh Voyage 200 GB 5G forfait costs €15.99.
Is a 30-day prepaid more expensive than a monthly forfait?
Slightly. A 30-day plan renews 12.17 times a year (365 ÷ 30), so a €9.99 Lebara plan costs €121.55 a year against €119.88 for 12 monthly bills, about 1.4% more. SFR La Carte runs on 31-day cycles, 11.77 renewals a year, which is about 1.9% less. The bigger risk is a missed renewal: the bundle and its unused data are gone.
Do I need ID to buy a prepaid SIM in France?
Yes, to activate it. Under loi n° 2016-731 and décret n° 2017-460 of 30 March 2017, every SIM, prepaid included, must be linked to a verified identity. You can buy the card at a tabac without ID, but activation needs a passport (any nationality), an EU ID card or a French titre de séjour. A foreign driving licence is generally not accepted, and unidentified lines are blocked with their credit forfeited.
Can I leave a forfait sans engagement for free?
Not in the Bouygues group. Since 27 July 2026, Bouygues Telecom, B&You, NRJ Mobile, Cdiscount Mobile and Auchan Telecom charge €5 to cancel a no-commitment plan, the only major French group to do so. Bouygues Telecom adds €7.50 if you cancel by phone rather than online. Free Mobile reimburses up to €10 of a rival's exit fees when you switch to it.
Can you keep your French phone number when you switch plans?
Yes. Dial 3179 from the line you keep to get your RIO code by SMS or voice, then give it to the new operator. The port is free and takes up to 3 working days, with service cut for 4 hours at most. Never cancel the old line yourself: the port closes it. Prepaid to forfait and forfait to prepaid both work, and Free Mobile refunds unused prepaid credit automatically when you port out.
What is the best SIM for tourists in France?
For a short stay, Bouygues My European SIM 20 GB for 30 days costs €14.90 as a web promo (list price €19.90), and Bouygues stores sell it with staff registering your passport. Orange Holiday 20 GB for 14 days costs €24.99. Lebara, Lycamobile and SFR La Carte work too and are sold in tabacs. Bouygues ended its classic prepaid on 30 June 2025; only My European SIM remains.
Does a French SIM work elsewhere in the EU?
Most French forfaits include EU and EEA roaming under the roam-like-at-home rules, within a fair-use data allowance. Prepaid allowances are often smaller: Lebara 200 GB includes 15 GB in the EU, SFR La Carte 200 GB 32 GB and Mobicarte 150 GB 20 GB (as of October 2026). Check the allowance on your plan before you travel.
Related Guides
Continue your move to France
Related guides from other parts of How to France that newcomers usually need next.