Orange eSIM in France: 2026 Prices, Plans and the 31-Day ID Check

If all you need is data for maps, train times and WhatsApp, a HelloRoam eSIM for France does that job too. Below, we say where Orange's own plan is the better buy.

We read Orange's plans and prices on its France and Europe pages, in pounds, on 4 November 2026, its registration page on 3 November 2026 and the O2, Vodafone and Three roaming charges on 3 November 2026. Most of Orange's help pages wouldn't load for us, so this guide leaves out the rules only they state. Several Orange prices carried Black Friday discounts, and discounted prices move, so check the live price before you buy.

Orange's eSIM for France now sells under the Orange Travel name

Orange Travel sells its eSIMs on travel.orange.com and in the Orange Travel app. Orange's own travel news site put the name change plainly in April 2026: "Orange Holiday Europe is now Orange Travel." Orange France still runs an Orange Holiday page, and for the eSIM version it sends you to travel.orange.com.

Get your France eSIM before you flyInstall it at home, then switch on data roaming for it when you land. From £2.60.See France plans

The physical Orange Holiday SIM card is the other route. Orange France sells it in Orange stores in mainland France and in some Relay shops at airports and train stations. That card must also be registered in your name within 30 days, or the line is suspended.

One detail matters if you want Orange's own network. Orange Travel's France page lists four networks its eSIM connects to: Orange, Bouygues Telecom, Free Mobile and SFR. Orange says the eSIM picks the strongest signal by itself, so buying from Orange doesn't promise you Orange's own network.

Orange eSIM France prices in pounds for data-only plans

Orange Travel sells two kinds of France plan: data only, and data with a French number. These were the data-only prices on its France page, with the currency set to pounds, on 4 November 2026. Every plan lists unlimited connection sharing, so a laptop or a partner's phone can run from it.

Read the discounts before you pick. On 4 November 2026, the discounted 30-day 100GB plan cost £3.91 more than the 30-day 50GB plan, for twice the data. The plan page gave no end date for any discount. Orange lists the Unlimited plan at speeds up to 10MB/s.

Orange's help page says you can pay in pounds, and the price you see is the exact amount you're charged. If you're unsure which size to buy, estimate the data your trip needs first.

Orange plans with a French +33 number add local calls and texts

Orange's Data+Calls+SMS plans add a French mobile number starting with +33, plus unlimited local calls and texts. Each one also carries an allowance Orange calls minutes and texts "to the world":

Orange suggests a number helps when a restaurant without online booking, a hotel reception or a taxi expects a call.

The plan details don't say which calls count as local. For calls home, WhatsApp or FaceTime over the plan's data is the safe choice. Orange says WhatsApp keeps your usual number and its calls use data, not minutes.

Every Orange eSIM in France needs an ID check within 31 days

Orange Travel says authorities require an identity check, which it calls KYC, for all eSIM users. Without it, your eSIM runs for 31 days and is then deactivated, whatever credit or top-ups it holds. Some guides say Orange's travel eSIM needs no ID, but Orange's own registration page says otherwise.

Here's what Orange's registration page asks for:

• A valid passport, uploaded at travel.orange.com/en/sim-card-registration. The photo page and identification page must be legible.
• Your eSIM number, which you'll find in your purchase confirmation email or under My eSIMs in your account.

Orange says to allow less than 5 minutes for the upload. One check is enough: it adds 6 months to your eSIM's life, and each top-up after that adds another 6 months. This doesn't change your plan's own expiry date or its data allowance.

Your UK network may already cover a week in France

Before you pay Orange, check what your UK plan already includes. This table shows a week in France with the phone used every day, on the networks' own published charges.

Three charges £2 a day instead if you joined or upgraded between 1 October 2021 and 17 December 2025, which makes a week £14. The same £2 applies to Three's 24-month SIM Only Lite plans with 25GB or 120GB of data, taken out since 1 June 2025. EE prices roaming by zone, with passes you can book before you travel, and our guide to EE roaming charges by zone sets them out.

So an O2 customer gains little from Orange unless they want a French number or more than 25GB. On Vodafone without Europe built in, Orange's 5GB and 10GB plans cost less than a week of daily charges or the £16 pass, though they carry data only. On Three, a 7-day Go Roam pass costs £12 and covers your UK calls, texts and up to 12GB of data, about the price of Orange's 10GB plan. For other networks and other countries, see what each UK network charges abroad. If you are on BT Mobile, our guide to BT Mobile roaming explains its Roam Like Home allowance in Europe.

Setting up an Orange eSIM while keeping your UK number

You need an internet connection to install the eSIM. Orange says to do it on Wi-Fi, just before your trip or once you arrive.

1. Check your phone first. It must support eSIM and must not be locked to your UK network. On an iPhone, go to Settings, General, About and look for No SIM Restrictions next to Network provider Lock, as Apple's guide to travel eSIMs shows. For other models, check your phone supports eSIM.
2. Install it by scanning the QR code, or in the Orange Travel app.
3. Until you travel, keep your UK line as the main line for calls, messages and mobile data.
4. When you arrive in France, select the Orange line, turn on its data roaming and set it as your mobile data line.
5. Keep your UK line on for calls and texts. On an iPhone or a Pixel, each line has its own data roaming switch, so you can leave it off for your UK line. Many Samsung Galaxy phones have one Data Roaming switch for the whole phone, so leave it on and keep mobile data set to the Orange line.
6. On an iPhone, Allow Mobile Data Switching lets the phone use data from both lines, so leave it off.

Calls and texts you make on your UK line still follow your UK network's roaming rules. On Three without a pass or roaming built in, one call or text from your UK line triggers the daily charge, which then covers 24 hours. Apple warns that with both lines on, the travel eSIM carries your data, but you might still pay roaming fees on your home line.

If data won't start on a plan with a +33 number, Orange gives the APN as orange, with orange as the username and the password. On data-only plans, Orange says not to enter an APN by hand. Sharing your connection? A dual SIM phone shares whichever line is set for mobile data, so make sure it's Orange.

Orange's rules on top-ups and refunds

• You can top up at any time and keep the same eSIM and number, with nothing to reinstall. On a verified eSIM, each top-up also adds 6 months to its life.
• Orange's store says an unused eSIM gets a full refund. A top-up is different: Orange's terms say it can't be refunded once it's done.

When an Orange eSIM is worth it for France, and when it isn't

• You're on O2: France is already in your plan, up to 25GB. Orange only adds a French number or more data.
• You're on Vodafone without Europe built in: Orange's 5GB and 10GB plans cost less than a week of daily charges or Vodafone's £16 European pass, though they carry data only.
• You're on Three without roaming built in: a 7-day Go Roam pass costs £12 and keeps your UK calls and texts, about the price of Orange's 10GB plan.
• You'll ring French numbers for bookings, taxis or a hotel: Orange's Data+Calls+SMS plans give you a +33 number, and data-only travel eSIMs don't.
• Your trip goes beyond France: Orange's Europe plans list Switzerland, Andorra and Monaco among their countries, from £13.49 for 10GB over 14 days.

We sell travel eSIMs, so weigh our view with that in mind, and read our conflict of interest policy.

HelloRoam's France plans carry data only, with no French number. Our plan catalogue, read on 27 October 2026, listed Orange's 5G network for every one of our France plans. Networks can change, so the plan page shows the current one. For a route through several countries, compare plans that cover several European countries.

Weighing a roaming pass against any travel eSIM? Our page on travel eSIMs versus roaming sets out the trade-offs.