Provence - Hideaways

Telephone Service in France - Useful Tips

To make calls within France, dial the 10-digit telephone number directly. The first two digits are the area codes. France has four area codes: 01 for the greater Paris area, 02 for the Northwest, 03 for the Northeast, 04 for the Southeast and 05 the Southwest. The area code for mobile phones is 06, regardless of the region. Make sure you always dial the entire 10-digit number, even if you are calling someone within the same region.

When calling from outside the country, drop the first 0 in the 10-digit number and replace it with the country code for France: 0033 (from most countries, except the US), 01133 from the US.

If you need to reach an English-speaking operator in France call: 00 33 12 13 (wait for the end of French recording).

Make sure your cell phone (mobile phone) can operate under the GSM standard. Many cell phones are tri-band nowadays. Do you know how to switch to the GSM mode? Only the newer cell phones do this automatically. Has your cell phone company authorized that you can make calls from abroad? For some mysterious reason (most likely related to credit issues) most require that you apply to use your cell phone outside your home country. Calling from your cell phone outside your home country can be very expensive, yet it is reassuring to have this capability in case of an emergency.

International Calling Cards

A more economical way to call back home are the international calling card plans most phone companies in the US offer:

You might also want to check out some of the newer services, offering low international rates (see advertisements on the right column). As they use the VoiP (Voice over Internet) standard to bridge the long distance leg of your call, they can offer very competitive rates. If you have a laptop, you can use Skype, the largest VoiP phone company (owned by eBay). But you need to apply for a Skype phone number in order to make calls to fixed or mobile phones (PC to PC phone calls are free). Don't forget your VoiP phone or headset/micro!

Cabines Telephoniques (Pay Telephones)

The old fashioned way to go about. Increasingly rare - due to the widespread use of cell phones - you find three types of pay telephones in France:

1. phones that only accept coins
2. phones that only accept a télécarte
3. phones that accept either a télécarte or debit/credit card such as Visa (most common).

A sign on the phone booth will show you what it accepts. In case you do not have a télécarte, try to find a point phone (coin phones) in a café or bistro. Please note that coin telephones in France only return unused coins you place in the slot. Example: You place two 50 cent coins in the phone slot for a call that costs 30 cents. Your change will be the one 50 cent coin not used. So if you had placed a € 1 coin, you would have received no change at the end of the call.

Télécartes (telephone cards) can be used in most public telephone booths. A télécarte can be purchased at France Telecom offices, post offices, tabacs, presses and anywhere you see a sign "télécarte en vente ici" ("télécarte on sale here"). They are available in 50- or 120-unit denominations; one unit is comparable to one local call. Cards are disposable (and even collectable) when all units are used. For maximum convenience, it is recommended that you carry a télécarte with you at all times; you may also want to give one to your kids as well.

To use a télécarte, carte bleue or VISA in a pay phone:

Vocabulary - Telephone Conversation

last updated December 19, 2007 Posted by Editor Provence-Hideaway | Filed under: Home