I have an Iphone 5S that I plan on taking to France. Last time I did that with a 5C I was told to buy a nano SIM card which I did (at an Orange store) but I could never get away from the Orange carrier requests. Does that mean the card was locked? How can I get a card that is not tied to any carrier? What should I ask when I buy my nano sim at a kiosk or store? Thank You very much.
Nathalie
iPhone 5s, iOS 8.3
You can not get a card that's not tied to any carrier. The card is what links to a carrier for service.
No idea what you mean by "I could never get away from the Orange carrier requests" You'll need to clarify that.
What, exactly, was the message that you got?
Where did you get your phone? Is it unlocked? If it's from Verizon, then it's GSM unlocked and you can use any compatible Nano-SIM. If you got it anywhere else in the US, it is undoubtedly carrier locked to whatever carrier you are using now. The only exception is is you explicitly purchased an unlocked phone, at full price, directly from Apple.
Thank You Tim. Let me go back. to tell you my tale. I went to France in December 2013 with a Iphone 5C bought at Verizon in the continental US. I went to an Orange store to get a nano-SIM card and I explained to the guy that I wanted something for 14 days and he sold me a Nano-SIM for 15 Euros with a 100 bonus units. My intention was (once I got my number) to use a carrier by the name of Rebtel (which I use here in the US) that basically applies a local number to my international number (land lines or mobile) and makes all calls much cheaper. That did not work. Weather I dialed the discounted US or the full fare US phone number I could not go through after my 100 bonus units disappeared (10 minutes to the US on a land line) nothing worked anymore internationally and I would hear automated recordings from Orange to get a plan. Was 15 Euros the price of the Nano-SIM with "nothing" on it? The guy told me I was all set. Did I get the wrong item or did I do something wrong? That's the past and I'm Ok with it.
My fear is that I am going to France again this summer with a 5S this time and I plan to use my discount carrier again and I don't want the same thing to happen to me. So what exact procedure should I follow once I set my foot out of the plane at Charles de Gaulle airport? Thank You.
Rebtel is NOT a cellular carrier. It is a VOIP service. You still need cellular service to be able to use it. If you bought a SIM from Orange, then Orange is your carrier. Once you exhaust the service attached to the SIM, you can't communicate with anything at all (except using WiFi).
You need to sign up with cellular service that provides enough minutes and data to serve your needs, just like you need cellular service in the US if you want to make phone calls.
US IPhone 5S in France
