1. Check the phone can take an eSIM
iPhone XS and newer, and most Android phones from the last few years, can. Settings, then Cellular or Mobile, then Add eSIM. If that menu is missing, the phone cannot use one.
2. Buy a voice plan, not data-only
The 10GB plan is $15 and has no phone number. The number is only on Voice+SMS plans. The one most trips use is 20GB Voice+SMS for $29, valid 31 days, with a real +33, unlimited EU calls and SMS, and data in 42 countries.
There is no app and no account. Checkout is on the site. The QR code arrives by email.
3. Install it before you fly
On Wi-Fi at home, scan the QR code and add the eSIM. Label it Europe. Leave it installed, and turn it on for data when you land. The +33 is on that eSIM. You can see it in the phone’s cellular settings after install, and it is also in the delivery email.
4. Use it for the things a Canadian number cannot do cheaply
Hosts, restaurants, and rental desks in Europe often will not call a +1 number. Some bank and app codes also fail on a data-only eSIM, because there is no number to text. A +33 can receive those texts. It will not work for every bank. If a service says it only texts your home country, keep your Canadian line for that one code and turn off its data roaming. Bell and Rogers charge about C$16 to C$18 a day if that line uses data in Europe.
What this number is not
It is a travel number for the life of the plan, not a permanent French mobile contract. When the 31 days end, the number ends with it. Orange Travel sells a similar +33 product. Their published 20GB calls-and-SMS plan is $29.99 for 14 days, and their setup guide uses an app. The comparison is on Vaya Con Data vs Orange Travel.