Free Mobile: the best phone plan to go abroad?

As you know, we usually buy a prepaid SIM card in every country we visit

But as we’re coming back to Europe for a while before leaving for 6 months in North America (where internet is expensive), we’re going to use the services of Free Mobile.

Free Mobile: How much does it cost?

Free Mobile offers two packages :

A package at 2 € / month with 2 hours of call, unlimited SMS and 50 MB of internet. Can be used from Europe and French overseas departments. Given our consumption of internet, we have to hold 1/2 day with this 🙂
A flat rate at 20 € / month. With unlimited calls and SMS, 100 GB of internet in France. And above all, 25 GB of internet usable in more than 65 countries.

What is particularly interesting is that it is possible to switch from the €20 to €2 package if you are no longer in a country eligible for 25 GB. To do so, you need to :

Have used the 20 € package for at least 3 months.
Pay a 10 € change of offer fee.
Activate the travel option and pay an advance of 10 €. Only at the first switch. Without this, you cannot receive calls or SMS (more info).

Conversely, when you arrive in an eligible country, you can switch from the €2 package to the €20 package. In this sense, the operation is free of charge.

It is therefore very interesting if you plan to spend several months in an eligible country.

Can I use Free Mobile on a long-term basis abroad?

Officially not

In Free’s pricing conditions, it is mentioned that if you use your package mainly abroad for 4 consecutive months, you will be switched to an off-bundle pricing. It is also specified that you will be notified 15 days in advance.

Here is the exact excerpt of the conditions:

Can constitute cases of abusive or abnormal use
– A consumption and a presence higher in Europe and the DOM than in metropolitan France during a period of 4 consecutive months,
which may give rise to invoicing at the rate indicated in the price lists below 15 days after notification and if the subscriber
has
not
modified his uses within this period of 15 days

– Prolonged inactivity of a SIM card in metropolitan France, associated with very frequent or even exclusive use in Europe and French overseas departments
, may give rise to invoicing at the rate indicated in the price lists below 15 days after notification and if the subscriber has not modified his
or her

use within this 15-day period

– Higher consumption abroad (outside Europe and French overseas departments) than in metropolitan France for an extended period of time may give rise to invoicing at the rate
indicated
in the rate schedules below.

We have not yet reached this “quota”, it will be the case around July. I have not found on the internet any feedback on whether or not this rule is being applied. I know that a lot of French people take free mobile when they go to do a PVT in Canada or Australia, I keep my fingers crossed that there will be some tolerance 🙂 Otherwise, we’ll cancel our contract and we’ll be glad we took advantage of it for a few months.

EDIT September 2019: I have just switched back to the Free package at 2€ when I arrived in a new country (Colombia) not covered by Free. So I’ve exceeded the 4-month limit by using Free for 5 full months in Iceland, Canada and the United States, without the slightest problem.

What is really included in the €20 package when you are abroad?

When you are in one of the more than 65 countries covered by the package, you benefit from :

When you arrive in a new country, Free will send you an SMS to tell you the different rates. Read it carefully to avoid making mistakes 🙂

Which countries are covered by the €20 package?

Not only are there a lot of them (more than 65), but it’s evolving (in the right direction).

For example, in January 2019, Free has just announced that Argentina and Tunisia have been added to the list.

Here is the list (as of February 18, 2019)

28 European Union countries
DOM
South Africa
Algeria
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Bangladesh
Belarus
Brazil
Canada
United States
Georgia
Guernsey
Isle of Man
India
Israel
Jersey
Kazakhstan
Macedonia
Malaysia
Mexico
Montenegro
New Zealand
Uzbekistan
Pakistan
Russia
Serbia
Sri Lanka
Switzerland
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Ukraine

For us who plan to spend the next few months in Europe, Canada, the United States and Australia, this is really ideal!

Can I activate my Free card from abroad?

Yes, no problem.

In our case, we were in Morocco when we had the idea of subscribing to Free given our itinerary for the next few months, we subscribed and it was our friend Aurélien who brought us the SIM cards when he came to Morocco for Christmas.

So I activated my card in Morocco a few days before arriving in Portugal and it works perfectly.

How much time do I have to activate my card?

This was one of my little reasons for concern since I couldn’t find any information on the subject.

When you subscribe, billing will only start when you activate the card.

Since Morocco isn’t included in the offer, I wanted to avoid paying for nothing. So I waited a good month before activating the card. No problem, it works.

On the other hand, I can’t tell you precisely if there is a maximum delay.

What flow? 3G or 4G?

Officially, Free Mobile’s internet offer abroad is limited to 3G.

The good news is that Free seems to be in the process of concluding 4G roaming agreements with their local partners.

For example, for Portugal, the first country where we use Free Mobile, there is 4G!

I will update this article as we go through the countries we pass through.