L'équipe Texto SMS Gratuit
7 September 2026 · 13 min read
Introduction: the direct debit that tripled over the summer
The scenario has become a back-to-school classic. In September, thousands of households discover a €21.99 debit on their bank statement where, for the past year, a comfortable €5.99 had appeared. No error, no fraud, no change of plan: the introductory promotion has simply come to an end.
There is nothing illegal about this mechanism. It is even spelled out in black and white in the terms of the offer, usually under the wording "price for the first year, then €X per month". But it rests on a simple and devastatingly effective commercial bet: most customers will not react. According to Arcep's recurring observations of the retail market, the average lifespan of a mobile subscriber in France comfortably exceeds four years, whereas promotions rarely last more than twelve months.
This guide explains how promotional pricing really works in the French mobile industry, what the law requires operators to disclose, how to calculate the true cost of an offer over three years, and above all what method to adopt so you never again get caught out by the end of a promo — without spending your life switching operators.
How the "first year" price really works
An acquisition cost amortised over what follows
An operator spends money to recruit a customer: advertising campaigns, commissions paid to comparison sites, the cost of number porting, SIM card logistics, sometimes a subsidised smartphone. This customer acquisition cost commonly sits between €40 and €120 depending on the player and the sales channel.
Selling a 100 GB plan at €5.99 for twelve months is therefore structurally loss-making. The operator accepts that loss because it is banking on what comes next: from the thirteenth month, the standard rate applies and the customer stays, on average, for several more years. That is the period during which the margin is rebuilt.
The reasoning is perfectly rational from the company's point of view. The problem is that it shifts the entire burden of vigilance onto the consumer: it is up to you to remember, a year later, that you need to act.
Three types of promotion not to be confused
Not all discounts are alike, and their expiry is not handled the same way.
| Type | How it works | What happens at the end |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed-term promotion | Reduced price for 6, 12 or 24 months | Automatic switch to the "standard" rate shown in small print |
| "For life" offer (or "no price change") | Rate guaranteed for as long as the customer keeps the plan | No automatic switch, but the offer may change via an amendment |
| Bundle-linked discount | Reduction conditional on holding an internet box from the same operator | The mobile price jumps as soon as the box is cancelled |
The third category is the most insidious. A customer who moves house, cancels their box and signs up elsewhere loses their mobile discount without anyone clearly warning them. The "€9.99" plan becomes a €24.99 plan again.
The difference between commitment and promotion length
This is the most frequent confusion. A no-commitment plan with a twelve-month promotion is not a plan whose price is guaranteed for twelve months: you can leave whenever you want, but the operator can equally apply the full rate from the thirteenth month.
Conversely, a plan with a 24-month commitment locks you in but does not guarantee the price either: price revision clauses allow an increase mid-contract, provided you are given a right to cancel. Commitment and price are two legally distinct concepts.
What the law requires (and what it does not)
Pre-contractual information is mandatory
The French Consumer Code, implementing the European directive establishing the European Electronic Communications Code, requires the trader to provide, before subscription, a clear contract summary stating in particular the price, the duration of the promotion and the rate applicable afterwards. The DGCCRF (the French directorate-general for competition, consumer affairs and fraud control) regularly monitors the sector's pricing display practices and has repeatedly sanctioned presentations deemed misleading.
In practical terms, the operator must tell you before purchase that the price will rise to €21.99 after twelve months. It has, however, no legal obligation to remind you of that deadline when it arrives. Some operators send a courtesy text message, others do not. Never count on it.
What changes when the price rises outside a promotion
Be careful not to mix up two very different situations:
- End of a promotion provided for in the contract: this is not a contractual modification, since the "post-promo" rate was known from the moment you signed up. You therefore have no specific right to cancel — but if you have no commitment, you can leave freely anyway.
- Unilateral price increase: here, article L. 224-33 of the Consumer Code applies. The operator must inform you at least one month before it takes effect, and you have four months to cancel without charge or penalty.
Remember the nuance: the end of a promo is not a price increase in the legal sense. It is the normal performance of the contract you signed.
Cancellation fees, an issue revived in 2026
The debate over charging cancellation fees on no-commitment plans has resurfaced this year following announcements by certain operators. The underlying rule remains: fees can only be charged if they correspond to a service actually provided and were set out in the accepted general terms. Always check the "cancellation fees" line in your terms and conditions before leaving — and keep a dated copy of the document.
Calculating the real price: the 36-month method
Why comparing on the advertised price is absurd
Let's take three typical real-world offers from the French market in 2026, with comparable data allowances (around 100 to 150 GB):
| Offer | Price months 1-12 | Price thereafter | Cost over 36 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| A — aggressive promo | €5.99 | €21.99 | 71.88 + 527.76 = €599.64 |
| B — moderate promo | €9.99 | €14.99 | 119.88 + 359.76 = €479.64 |
| C — stable price, no promo | €12.99 | €12.99 | €467.64 |
On the comparison site's shop window, offer A is the cheapest on the market. Over three years, it is by far the most expensive — €132 more than offer C, the equivalent of ten months of free subscription.
The method is simple and fits on one line: (promo price × number of promo months) + (standard price × remaining months), over 36 months. Do this systematically before signing up for anything. An A5 notebook kept in the drawer with your paperwork is more than enough to record the subscription date, promo price and switchover date for every line in the household.
The one case where the aggressive promo wins
It does exist: the customer who genuinely changes operator every twelve months. If you are disciplined and number porting doesn't scare you, chaining promotions together remains the cheapest strategy on the French market. It simply requires treating each expiry date as a firm appointment.
Watch out, though, for three practical points of friction:
- Porting cuts your line off for anything from a few minutes to a few hours. Avoid doing it the day before a business trip.
- Some operators charge activation fees (typically €10 to €15) that must be factored into the calculation.
- Welcome offers are sometimes reserved for new customers: returning to an operator you left six months earlier may disqualify you.
The five-step anti-end-of-promo method
1. Pin down the exact switchover date
On the day you sign up, open the contract summary and note two pieces of information: the activation date and the exact duration of the promotion. The switchover generally occurs on the first day of the billing period following the twelfth month — not on the exact anniversary date.
2. Set an alarm at month 10, not month 12
This is the single most important point in this whole article. Set a reminder in your calendar two months before the deadline, with an explicit title such as "So-and-so plan: promo ends 14 November, compare". Two months give you time to compare calmly, order an eSIM and wait for a good offer rather than being forced to take the first one that comes along in a rush.
3. Call the retention department before you leave
Contrary to received wisdom, the best offer is not always elsewhere. So-called retention departments have access to non-public pricing grids, often aligned with acquisition offers. The approach that works best, tested by thousands of consumers: call, calmly state that your promotion is ending, quote a specific competing offer with its price, and ask them to match it.
Note the name of the person you spoke to, the time of the call and the case reference. If a goodwill gesture is granted, insist on written confirmation by email or in your online account: an untraced verbal agreement is very hard to enforce later.
4. Check the thirteenth month's bill
Even after an agreement, check the first bill concerned. Pricing configuration errors are not rare, particularly when the goodwill gesture takes the form of a recurring discount that has to be activated manually. A portable document scanner or a simple archiving app lets you keep twelve months of bills neatly filed, which makes any complaint infinitely stronger.
5. Document everything in one place
For a household with three or four lines, the mental load becomes real. A ring binder with dividers dedicated to telecoms contracts, or an encrypted folder on a secure external hard drive, saves you twenty minutes of searching for a contract summary at the very moment you need to dispute a bill.
The 2026 context: why promotions are getting shorter
A consolidating market
The year has been marked by the biggest reshuffle since the arrival of the fourth operator in 2012. Analyses published notably by Les Échos and The Conversation have extensively debated the equation: does fewer players mechanically mean higher prices?
The honest answer is nuanced. The economic theory of oligopolistic competition suggests that reducing the number of competitors reduces the intensity of the price war. But experience in several European markets shows that the decisive variable remains the existence of a disruptive player — regardless of the total number of operators.
What we actually observe in the offers
Three developments have been noticeable over the past twelve to eighteen months on the French market:
- Promotions are getting shorter: "price locked for 24 months" offers are becoming rare in favour of 6- or 12-month promos.
- The gap between promo and standard rate is widening: a ratio of 1 to 2 used to be common; we are now routinely approaching a ratio of 1 to 3.5.
- "For life" offers are returning as a marketing argument, championed by players seeking to differentiate themselves on price stability rather than on the headline rate.
This last trend deserves attention: a stable-price offer that is slightly more expensive up front is often the best choice for someone who does not want to handle an annual renegotiation. This is especially true for a secondary line, a child's line or an elderly parent's line.
New entrants shift the picture at the margins
The arrival of large retail chains on the MVNO market in 2026 is reviving a degree of pressure on entry-level prices. But beware: these offers are not exempt from the mechanism described here. A plan sold on a supermarket shelf can perfectly well include a six-month promo followed by a doubling of the rate. The point of sale changes nothing about the need to read the terms.
Special cases: the situations that trap people most
The plan with a subsidised smartphone
Here, the "promo" is sometimes inverted: a high monthly price for 24 months to pay off the handset, then the high rate is maintained after the device has been fully repaid. Consumers thus keep paying for a smartphone that has already been paid off in full. Check the date on which the handset finishes being amortised and renegotiate immediately afterwards. Buying a phone and a plan separately, even if it means protecting the device with a reinforced protective case, very often works out cheaper over two years.
Forgotten secondary lines
Tablet, smartwatch, GPS tracker, home alarm: these are the lines nobody monitors and where the end of a promo goes completely unnoticed. Take stock once a year of every line linked to your bank details.
Death or a move abroad
In the event of an estate settlement or a move abroad, telecoms contracts can be cancelled on production of supporting documents, without early termination fees under most general terms. Always send the request by registered post with acknowledgement of receipt and keep the proof of posting.
Key takeaways
- The end of a promotion is not a price increase: it is the normal performance of the contract, and it does not open up any specific right to cancel.
- Always compare the total cost over 36 months, never the headline price.
- Set an alert two months before the deadline: it is the single action that saves the most money for the least effort.
- Your current operator's retention department is often competitive — provided you arrive with a costed competing offer.
- Always insist on a written record of any goodwill gesture, and check the following bill.
Despite the consolidation under way, the French market remains one of the cheapest in Western Europe for mobile plans. But you still have to avoid letting your line sit dormant for three years at the full rate while new customers pay four times less. One hour of attention a year is enough to make the difference.
Useful sources and references: Arcep (electronic communications market observatory), DGCCRF (commercial practices and pricing information), Consumer Code (art. L. 224-33 et seq.), Institut national de la consommation / 60 Millions de consommateurs.
