How to Set up Orange Mobicarte Prepaid Internet and Email
How to set up Orange MobiCarte Prepaid Internet
I'm betting you want to make sure your prepaid SIM is properly set up for your trip, right?
Follow these simple steps on How to Set up Orange Mobicarte Prepaid Internet and Email, make sure your Orange Mobicarte prepaid SIM is set up properly and you'll have internet and calls available when you land, no worries.
If you have bought a SIM card before you leave, it's best to do all this before you leave to ensure there are no problems.
You can add credit and do a bunch of other stuff using an online portal (available in French only, naturally). For most up to date instructions, check here.
You can get the SIM before you leave for France (with data pre-loaded) from MobiPassport (read the Mobipassport review).
Steps to activate Orange Mobicarte SIM before you leave
If you buy a SIM card from Mobi Passport, it is shipped to you unregistered and unactivated. If you buy it from an Orange shop it will be activated and registered ready for use.
- Activate the SIM card by dialling 224 (freecall from anywhere in the world). A call to this number will play a recorded message in French and then it will automatically hang up. After the call you will receive your number via SMS; the number starts with 06 XXXX XXXX. You will have €5 of credit (enough to buy 100MB/2 days of data).
- Submit your name, email, the phone number and your address using the form on this Mobi Passport page. The address can be your home address or even a hotel you're staying at in France, or the address of the car hire or campervan depot. Mobi Passport will register your SIM for you.
- Once your receive confirmation your SIM is registered and your number active, confirm via dialling #123#.
Now it's time to subscribe to the data packs.
But before you do…
Before you subscribe to a data pack, you must disable 3G and/or data use, especially if you have an iPhone or other smartphone, your phone may quickly start sucking the credits out of your account at 50 cents/minute while you are setting up your data plan.
After disabling data and putting in the SIM, the best way of activating the Internet option is by dialing #123# and using the written menu system. It's all in French, so can be a bit difficult to get through.
The subscription and recharge process is SMS based – you send sms's and the menu system changes. “Accueil” means welcome literally, but “Home” in the sense of this menu. “Precedent” means previous page.
Some words commonly used in the menu system are:
- Suite = More
- Retour = Return to previous menu
- Accueil = Return home menu
- Semaine = week
- Mo = Mb
As of late April 2013, these are the steps to go through:
- Dial #123#
- Reply with “Menu France” (item 4 usually) if outside France
- Reply – “Nouveates” (normally item 6)
- Reply – “Internet ma 50Mo 2E” (normally item 3) or “Recharge Internet 500Mo 10EU” (normally item 1)
- Reply – “Souscrire” (to subscribe)
- Reply “Valider” (To confirm)
That should be it. Officially the option may take 48 hours to come into effect, however in reality it can take 3 hours and maybe even less.
The best way to test is to send a tweet or do something low bandwidth, then check your available balance.
You can also try and resubscribe to check; you'll be told you've already subscribed (see below, but ignore reference to Internet max).
Things to watch out for and be aware of
- You MUST disable 3G/data roaming BEFORE putting the SIM in to prevent your credit being used.
- Internet add ons don't include the use of email protocols (SMTP, POP, IMAP). Mail.app on iPhone uses IMAP/POP3, so if you want to use native email, you'll need to subscribe to “Option Mail” for email (otherwise use Safari to access gmail) which is 6€ a month (as of July 2013) for unlimited email. Android's Gmail app uses http, so, you're sweet.
- Make sure your phone is not locked to your local/home network.
- Before going crazy on the internet after subscribing to an Internet plan, send a few tweets, or an email, then check your remaining credit. If it has gone down, then the Internet option has not been enabled, so wait a day. If you are able to use Twitter, http email and so on, without depleting your prepaid credit balance, you should be good to go!
- The exact menu system may change from month to month, but you will be able to work it out.
Recharging
Recharging is easy. You just dial #123# and recharge with the 14 digit pin on the recharge slip.
If you see the below screen, choose number 1.
Now you'll enter your recharge code (14 digits).
Where to Get Mobicarte
Before you leave
You can get a Mobicarte Prepaid Data SIM before you leave, loaded with some credit, from the Mobi Passport website.
You can also get them on ebay, but be aware that there is a lot of rubbish floating around and it may not work when you arrive.
If you get one from Mobi Passport you can be sure they'll work and be ready to go.
When you arrive
Your best bet when you arrive is to get a Mobicarte Prepaid SIM in-store, then buy some credit and activate it per the steps above.
How to Enable Tethering on iPhone on Orange Mobicarte
Tethering is apparently no longer supported.
There are some hacks that may work (especially on non-iOS phones), so if you really need tethering, read on. Be aware you take total responsibility to anything that happens to your phone.
- Easy Way: On your iPhone, AFTER enabling internet, navigate to http://tetheringiphone.blackra1n.org/help (via http://blackra1n.org/enable-tethering/). You will be able to choose a MobileConfig file which will enable tethering. If you choose to create your own MobileConfig (this will make sense once you're on the site on your phone), choose apn = internet, password = password, username = iphone.
- Hard Way: this is only for those who know what they're doing. Check this post and this post out. Don't say I didn't warn you. I followed these instructions and modified the files but won't be able to test until I get to France.
The easiest way is probably using the BlackRa1n hack. Be warned it may screw with tethering on your phone or other settings. I tried it for myself, and it made my data connection via the Mobicarte SIM go completely haywire (“No data connection”) which resolved itself of its own accord 1 day later.
WARNING/DISCLAIMER:
Following any of the instructions in the links in this post may invalidate your phone warranty or the data contract. I take zero responsibility for this (I can't believe I have to say that but I do). If you hack your iPhone or phone via any of the methods above and something goes wrong, it's totally your responsibility. Cool? Cool!
Make sure you try tethering first. Hacking your phone is a last resort.
More Information on Mobicarte
There are some great pages on Orange's prepaid mobile internet below:
- Awesome Wiki that shows you EXACTLY what to buy, and how to activate, to get prepaid mobile internet in France.
- Info page for Orange Prepaid Mobile Internet
- Internet Options – click bottom far right panel, then “Mes Bons Plan Mobicarte” – you will need an account in order to subscribe to Internet from here (Orange France official site, in French)
The awesome thing about Orange is you can top up your prepaid SIM with enough credit for Internet, THEN activate it from your phone.
The very excellent Gerry P (check his blog out here) gave me the below info.
Orange FR English help line: 09 69 36 39 00
It's charged per minute and usually there is a substantial queue to actually talk to someone, but it could be helpful if anyone is having trouble.
The VeloNomad Overseas Mobile Prepaid Information Page has lots more information on Spain, France, Italy and other places.
Note, much of the information in this article is for iPhones because I have an iPhone. If anyone out there has Android info, please email it to me and I'll add it in. Or, drop it in the comments.
Please note this article was originally written mid 2011, and updated July 2013, so some of the menu items may have changed.
Wrap Up and More Reading on Overseas Prepaid Internet
Orange France is the easiest and most pain free way to get internet and email on your phone for about €27 for a month.
You can see some of the other articles and other pages on this topic below:
- Overseas prepaid mobile internet information page
- Prepaid mobile internet in France
- SFR Vodafone prepaid mobile internet in France
- Prepaid 3G Internet with Orange Mobicarte
- How to set up Orange Mobicarte Internet Max
- How to avoid a data roaming bill
- How to save money on mobile roaming
- Australian data roaming cap plans
- Mobipassport prepaid internet SIM review
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Hi. Thanks for all your info on Mobicarte.
I shall be travelling to France in July and planned to get a Mobicarte Internet max and possibly the email option for my iphone 4. Is it easier to buy ahead of time from their website?
I shall also be taking a wireless tablet, can I use the same prepaid card in the tablet or an internet stick or dongle?
Many thanks for your help.
Joanna
Hi Joanna Grab a SIM from MobiPassport. You can get standard and microSIMs, as well as products that will allow you to tether. So, you could use your mobile as a modem, and to access the net – tablet connected to phone via USB or bluetooth. Or, use the SIM between them. I’d go the tethering option. Tim
Hi I’m currently in France. I purchased a Mobicarte Sim Card here from Orange. it was cheap I wound up getting the one with no data and still was able to access the unlimited data through the options you described below. I’m using a Unlocked BB Storm first edition. That was a pain on its self. the options were a little different for this phone but with the help of your posting and Google Translate I was able to find all the correct options to get me free browsing. If anyone needs help with their BB Storm I have spent most of my day troubleshooting all the problems.
Thanks,
Jason
Hi Jason
Great news! I think they come with 10EU or maybe 5EU of preloaded data?
Glad these instructions helped.
Tim
Hi Tim, I shall be traveling to France in the next few days to catch the Tour in the Alps. Tempted to get the Mobicarte SIM card with unlimited data. Any idea if they still work in the mountains and alps valley?
Thanks.
Sean
Hi Sean
You’ll be fine with Orange in the Alps. In some spots there’ll obviously be black spots – such is the nature of radio wave transmission – but in the vast majority of cases, the coverage is excellent.
Tim
Hi Tim,
Thank you so much for being so kind as to post hints and tips such as these! They really help people like us who have no clue!
I am going to France in a few weeks and my Dad needs to access the Internet to do his retweets for work, so I need a bit of information if you can help?
I will dis-enable 3G on my iPhone and follow your instructions once we’ve bought a Mobicarte and prepaid airtime (will say 15/20 Euro’s be sufficient?) for the Internet Max option and the call to set it up.
Then we’d like to put the SIM card into a dongle so that my Dad can use his lappie rather than a mobile, which will just be more comvenient for his work.
Any idea if this would work and is there anything else that you could pass on that we need to know?
Many thanks,
Janine.
Hi Janine
You have it worked out just fine. 15EU will be enough to set up.
The SIM probably won’t work in a dongle as that’s tethering – it might. If it does, let me know.
Everything I know is in this post!
Tim
Hi Tim,
Thanks so much for your quick response!
Drat! This is proving to be more complicated than I thought! How about this option – could we put the Mobicarte in an iPhone (cause it’s the only phone we have which is unlocked) and use the phone as a modem. Or is this considered tethering as well? My Dad would find working on his laptop much less complicated than trying to do his work on a tiny phone, hence me asking if the phone could be used as a modem.
Any other possible suggestions would be welcomed, and thanks again for your help!
Janine.
My apologies, I have found what you wrote on tethering and the nightmare it could be…
This is really getting annoying! Any idea whether there are other options where we could insert a data SIM into an unlocked dongle and use prepaid airtime for data – that isn’t too expensive?
Sorry, I know I am taking a chance, just trying my luck to see if you know any more!
Thanks again,
Janine.
Janine I suggest you get a France SIM from Mobipassport. Tethering apparently can work but it’s not officially allowed. You could always put a SIM in an iPad or tablet and add a keyboard (flat/rollup one). Tim
Well, I regret to advise Orange.fr seems to have removed “Internet max” as an offering for prepaid customers. I understand this occurred in mid-Aug. so now the options come down to €5/wk/100Mb scheme, and this will burn quickly unless you become adept at turning your mobile data off when not in use.
I had a not-so-articulate conversation with an Orange shop person, whom I think was telling me that if I wanted the equivalent of Internet Max, the best idea is to purchase one of the Orange wifi modems (€49) and get some credit for that, but I didn’t explore this further, as it was not what I wanted.
Hi Tim
I have the Mobipassport guys looking into it. Meanwhile they are still advertised on the Orange site and Mobipassport still has them.
Tim
Aha! Thanks, Tim. With the help of Google Translate and a slightly more helpful Orange shop person (who was, hitherto, seemingly unaware of this option), I think I now have “Internet Max” (the 24/7, month version)…as opposed to the 7day version I had previously. But be aware, there’s nothing “unlimited” about any of these plans, and I’ve been carefully warned to turn mobile data off when not in use. It seems the weekly unlimited is actually limited to 100Mb, and the Monthly to 400Mb….but it’s more complicated than that, as what’s actually monitored is connect time. By some very clever (or devious) French engineering, the system seems to conspire against one actually receiving the sort of service we’re used to in Australia….!
But I at least have Internet on my phone!
Thanks for this great resource
Tim
Hey Tim, here’s the deal straight from the owner of Mobipassport.
**
I checked the SIM (using #123# menu) and on the portal over the weekend and the Internet Max is still available. (They are still calling it unlimited in their portal)
You are correct regarding the weekly plans, and I could no longer see these on the #123# menu. I have now removed the weekly and daily options from my listing.
There are a lot of reviews on the wiki of people getting bad advice regarding the MobiCarte SIMs in the Orange shops. I presume it is because the shops preference is to sign you up to a contract and they are not properly briefed on the Prepaid Option. I will monitor the situation and let you know if any of my customers have trouble, but at the moment I can’t see any evidence that Orange have changed anything with the Internet Max. Also there is nothing on the prepaid data wiki which is usually pretty up to date.
Thank you so much. The screenshots have been particularly helpful. Whereas Orange staff are still insisting No Internet when I bought credit. I’ve managed to secure Internet Max. I’d love to know if there was a secret way to get cheap international calls to Australia. Managed to do this on 3 in the UK but no such luck here. Still only 4 more nights here and then we can call my parents for more than 30 seconds. Many many thanks. Lyn
Remember to check the price of the prepaid sim card before allowing the lady to active the sim card for you. i was charged EUR30 for a nano sim at La Defense!
Thanks Will – this is a great example of why services like Mobipassport are so useful. Buy before you go and know exactly what the costs will be!
Hi Tim,
Does this plan works for Blackberry Messenger too?
Hi Janice, I presume so…not sure how the menu system will work but as far as I know, it’s not iPhone-specific.
Tim