A couple of times recently I have recommended Popit as the UK MVNO with the most generous allowance of data when roaming in the EU (100GB/month and for up to 6 months in the EU).
They have just emailed to say this is dropping to 25GB on the 100GB plan (and only 7.5GB on their 20GB plan) - as they are quite expensive compared with other operators and now offer less data than them when roaming I can’t recommend their service any longer.
Thank you for the heads-up Sir William.
I think that leaves Tesco as the best - if you don’t mind a 12/24 month contract then it’s £30/£25 a month for unlimited data and they claim “no fair use limit” on their web site.
There’s an “until 2026” rider though.
Of the operators offering monthly rolling contracts the best are Lebara (up to 30GB - their 40GB data plan is £15 a month) and iD mobile who also allow 30GB and their 36GB/month plan is £9
I’m caught between biting the bullet and getting a French SIM when I am next over or just going for the Tesco deal which will give me some breathing space (but the contract length is what put me off that deal originally and it’s not clear what happens if I only use it in France - at least Popit were clear on that point).
Just a bit of extra info on that Tesco “no fair use limit” claim - digging in the T&C there is a limit as to location - they specify that you should be roaming no more than two months out of four on a rolling basis so it isn’t any good for extended stays.
I can’t see an explicit data limit except for the general one which says if thy feel you are using “too much” they will require you to stop using the service - i.e their “unlimited” service is (like pretty much all of them) not actually unlimited.
Lebara deals via MSE still very competitive with 30gb of roaming and 100 international call minutes.
Since NRJ appeared others are doing “better” deals. More than halved our monthly bill and got a better deal so it’s a good time to see what’s on offer.
Apologies to all who already know the following info. FWIW, as I live here permanently, I have a French sim from Freemobile. It costs 20 euros per month and gives me unlimited calls and texts, 300gb data here and 35gb in UK and other places. There is also a 2 euro option with unlimited texts here but only 2 hours of calls per month. I think the 2 euro option is a good deal for simply keeping in touch with other French residents while visiting France. All info available on the Freemobile website. It claims to be easily cancelled. 
There is also an app for French telly.
In the interest of balance there are several cheaper options for 300Gb/mo. Bouygues is €16.99 - Arj, Syma and Lebara 14.99, Prixtel 17.99, Coriolis, Free and R=D come in at 19.99 as well.
Hi Billy, Have you looked at 1P mobile tyou can use your phone the same as the UK.
The small print gets you every time
£10 a gig is quite a lot when you are thinking you might use 100G.
Hi - having moved back to Fr 4 months ago with my wife’s 1pMobile SIM, despite using negligible mobile data and virtually zero calls or texts, this morning she has had a message advising that following their fair usage policy she will now be charged £1 a day to continue roaming !
Given that we think it is impossible to port a uk number to a.n.other uk provider whilst outside the UK, looks like she is doomed to pay the £1 daily until we next hit the UK … or turn off her mobile phone line and rely on wi-fi - presumbaly they cannot charge if their is zero usage ?
Anyone got any clever workarounds for such a situation ?
It’s probably the length of time that the SIM has been used abroad rather than the amount of data if you have been in France for 4 months.
It would probably work if you have someone who can pick up a SIM from a UK address, pop it in a phone to activate it, then send it on to you. Number ports are mostly automatic these days so you could probably do it from France.
Or buy a French SIM?
Thanks - and yes she has just read the “small print” which says that “continuous use” for 90 days is a threshold. So presumably turning the line off now and then for 24hours+ may dot the trick ? We’ll try that and report back !
My halo shines ( I also have 1pMobile ) as not had the message, but I also have my Free 2€ sim as the preferred line on my iPhone !
I seem to recall that it is buried in the T&Cs somewhere, which is why we didn’t take out a Tesco contract when we were looking to source a SIM when in Ireland, which we could also use if necessary in France. The reason being that were looking for an Irish SIM with an Irish number in order to be contactable by local tradesmen for our house renovation project over there, as we have learned that, similar to France, tradesmen have a deep mistrust of ringing back foreign phone numbers (understandable).
Yes, I eventually found it - limited to 2 months out of four, which is OK but will have to bring it back to the UK each time and make sure it is used here.
Just had email from Popit saying 100GB roaming is back.
A snip at £75/month 
Thanks, but no thanks, even if the 6 months restriction is gone and you can just take the SIM into the EU and leave it there.
Inflation innit 
Thanks for the info, I didn’t do extensive research as CBA
Free has been upgraded to 350gb. I use much less than 20 currently. My wife and I used to share the hotspot on just one phone, (the other being the €2 offer) then took up their half price offer for a year and got hooked. So now €40 for 700gb and unlimited calls and texts plus the telly app. I must raise my broadband usage to make it worthwhile! Calls to foreign mobiles aren’t free, only landlines. We now use phone based sat nav instead of our Garmin. Have been using whatsapp to communicate with friends currently touring Oz. Technology really is amazing.