Cheap Calls to France
From $0.04/min
Call any French mobile or landline from your browser. Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Nice — $0.04/min to landlines, $0.32/min to mobiles.
France has some of Europe's cheapest landline rates. Four cents a minute. Banks, hospitals, préfectures, your notaire in Provence — all landlines. A 30-minute call to sort out French paperwork costs $1.20. Through AT&T? $30-75. Quelle différence.
Trusted by 10,000+ callers worldwide
France
Mobile rate
$0.32/min
Landline rate
$0.04/min
Common greeting
Bonjour / Allô (on phone)
Common goodbye
Au revoir / Bonne journée (have a good day)
How far does your credit go?
15 min
125 min
31 min
250 min
62 min
500 min
156 min
1250 min
Credits never expire • Add more anytime from $5
How Much Does It Cost to Call France?
France has world-class telecom infrastructure. Four major carriers competing fiercely (Orange, SFR, Bouygues, Free). EU regulations keeping prices fair. Yet carriers outside France still charge you like you're calling the moon. Here's reality.
| Calling from | Typical carrier | Carrier rate | GlobCall |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 USA | AT&T / Verizon | $1.00–2.50/min | $0.04/min |
| 🇬🇧 UK | EE / Vodafone | £0.40–1.50/min | $0.04/min |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | Bell / Rogers | CAD 1.00–2.50/min | $0.04/min |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | Proximus / Orange | €0.30–1.00/min | $0.04/min |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | Swisscom / Sunrise | CHF 0.50–1.50/min | $0.04/min |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | Telstra / Optus | AUD 1.00–3.00/min | $0.04/min |
Carrier rates shown are standard pay-per-use without international add-ons (as of early 2026). Your actual rate may differ depending on plan and account type.
AT&T (USA)
$10–25
10 min to France
Bell Canada
CAD 10–25
10 min to France
GlobCall
$0.40
Same 10 min to landline
A weekly 30-minute call to a French landline costs about $62/year on GlobCall. Through a US carrier? $1,560–3,900. Through a Canadian carrier? CAD 1,560–3,900. See rates for all countries.
How to Call France from Your Browser
No calling card codes. No carrier add-on to activate. No app for the other person to install. Five steps, under a minute.
Go to GlobCall.com and sign in
Or create a free account — takes 30 seconds with just an email.
Select France 🇫🇷 from the dropdown
The country code +33 is added automatically.
Enter the phone number
Mobile (10 digits starting with 06 or 07) or landline (10 digits starting with 01-05).
See the per-minute rate displayed
You know exactly what you'll pay before the call connects.
Click Call — connected in seconds
The call routes over your internet connection. Clear audio on any decent Wi-Fi or 4G.
Dialing format
- Mobile numbers: 10 digits starting with 06 or 07 (e.g., 06 12 34 56 78)
- Landline numbers: 10 digits starting with 01-05 (e.g., 01 23 45 67 89 for Paris)
- Country code: +33 — GlobCall adds this automatically and drops the leading 0.
French regional prefixes
French numbers are always 10 digits. When dialing internationally, drop the leading 0.
Why GlobCall for Calls to France
Calling cards are relics of the 90s. Carrier add-ons cost more than the calls. WhatsApp doesn't reach French bureaucracy. Here's what makes GlobCall different.
Landlines are incredibly cheap
French landlines cost $0.04/min. Four cents. Banks, hospitals, préfectures, notaires, mairies — all landlines. A 30-minute call to BNP Paribas costs $1.20.
Credit never expires
Buy $10 and use it over the next year. We don't pull the calling-card trick of expiring your balance in 30 days. Your money stays yours.
Reach any French number
WhatsApp can't call your bank, the préfecture, CPAM, or your notaire in Provence. GlobCall connects to any French number — mobiles, landlines, businesses.
Same rate from anywhere
Calling France from New York, London, Montreal, or Sydney? Same $0.04/min to landlines. No "international surcharge" games.
Crystal clear audio
We route through Tier 1 European carriers. On decent Wi-Fi, you won't know it's not a regular phone call. No robot voice, no 3-second delay.
Share with family
One account, multiple devices. If everyone calls France, share a single balance instead of buying separate credit.
Also available: GlobCall for Business · All country rates
Who Calls France?
France is one of the world's most visited countries and a major destination for expats, students, and property owners. Millions have reasons to call regularly.
~150,000 expats
American expats in Paris and beyond. Business connections with French companies. Students at French universities. Plus millions with French heritage calling family.
~300,000 French
The UK has the largest French expat community. Post-Brexit, many maintain French bank accounts, properties, and family ties that require regular calls home.
~100,000 expats
Strong Quebec-France connections. Business ties between Montreal and Paris. Students, academics, and families spread across both countries.
~250,000 French
Neighbors with deep ties. Many French work in Brussels for EU institutions. French-speaking Wallonia shares culture and family connections.
~200,000 French
Geneva and the French-speaking cantons are full of cross-border workers and French expats. Banking, business, and family calls are constant.
~100,000 French
Close neighbors with strong business ties. French professionals in Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin. The Alsace region bridges both cultures.
GlobCall works from all these countries at the same rate. See all country rates.
Good to know before you call
France has four major mobile carriers: Orange (largest, ex-France Télécom), SFR, Bouygues Telecom, and Free (newest, shook up the market). Numbers are portable between networks. GlobCall reaches all of them at the same rate.
When to call
France uses CET (GMT+1) in winter and CEST (GMT+2) in summer. Business hours are typically 9am–12:30pm and 2pm–6pm — the French take lunch seriously. For personal calls, evenings 7–9pm work well. Avoid calling during déjeuner (12:30–2pm) or after 9pm.
Country code
+33
GlobCall adds it for you
Emergency (France)
All emergencies (EU) 112
SAMU (medical) 15
Police 17
French number formats
All French numbers are 10 digits (after the +33 country code). The first digit (0) is dropped when dialing internationally.
- 01 XX XX XX XX: Paris and Île-de-France landlines
- 02–05 XX XX XX XX: Regional landlines (see prefixes above)
- 06 XX XX XX XX: Mobile numbers (most common)
- 07 XX XX XX XX: Mobile numbers (newer allocations)
- 08 XX XX XX XX: Special numbers (toll-free, premium) — may not be reachable internationally
- 09 XX XX XX XX: VoIP/non-geographic numbers
Common reasons people call France
- Property ownership: Managing a house or apartment in France means calling notaires, agents immobiliers, syndicats, EDF/Engie (utilities), and mairies. All landlines, all cheap.
- Banking: BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole, Société Générale, LCL — managing French accounts from abroad requires phone calls. Opening accounts, resolving issues, updating documents.
- Healthcare: CPAM (Assurance Maladie), doctors, specialists. The French healthcare system is excellent but phone-based for appointments and administration.
- Government & administration: Préfectures, CAF, impôts (tax office), Pôle Emploi. French bureaucracy is legendary — and it runs on phone calls and paperwork.
- Family: Parents in Provence, grandparents in Brittany, cousins in Paris. The French diaspora stays connected, and not everyone uses WhatsApp.
WhatsApp vs actual phone calls · Compare rates to other countries
Ready to call France?
Open the site, pick France, enter the number. Your first call is free. Landlines from $0.04/min — quatre centimes.
Try it free30 seconds to sign up · works in any browser · rate shown before you dial
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the cheapest way to call France from abroad?
Browser-based calling. Carrier rates from the US run $1.00–2.50/min. GlobCall is $0.32/min to French mobiles and $0.04/min to landlines — that's 4 cents a minute to any landline in France. No monthly fee, no contract.
Can I call a French landline from another country?
Yes. French landlines use regional prefixes — 01 for Paris/Île-de-France, 02 for Northwest, 03 for Northeast, 04 for Southeast, 05 for Southwest. On GlobCall, enter the 10-digit number (starting with 0), and we handle the +33 country code automatically.
What is France's country code?
+33. For mobiles, that's +33 followed by 9 digits (drop the leading 0). For landlines, same format. Example: 01 23 45 67 89 becomes +33 1 23 45 67 89. GlobCall handles all the formatting.
How do I call a French mobile number from overseas?
French mobiles are 10 digits starting with 06 or 07. Drop the leading 0 and add +33. Example: 06 12 34 56 78 becomes +33 6 12 34 56 78. On GlobCall, just select France and enter the number — we handle the rest.
Is WhatsApp enough for calling someone in France?
If they have the app and good internet, yes. But you can't reach French banks (BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole, Société Générale), government offices (préfecture, CAF, impôts), healthcare (CPAM, doctors), or anyone without the app. For those, you need an actual phone call.
What time should I call France?
France uses CET (GMT+1) in winter and CEST (GMT+2) in summer. Business hours are 9am–12:30pm and 2pm–6pm (lunch is sacred). For personal calls, evenings 7–9pm work well. Avoid calling during déjeuner (12:30–2pm) or after 9pm.
Do I need to install anything?
No. GlobCall runs in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge. Open the site, sign in, dial. Works on any device with a browser and microphone.
Why are French landlines so cheap?
France has excellent telecom infrastructure — one of the best in Europe. High competition (Orange, SFR, Bouygues, Free) keeps termination fees low. We pass wholesale rates directly to you: $0.04/min with no markup.
How does billing work?
Buy credit from $5. The per-minute cost shows before you call and deducts as you talk. Your balance never expires. No surprises, no hidden fees.