Another great feature for local SIMs is that they are often "caller pay." So that if your family does want to call your French phone number from the USA, then

Another great feature for local SIMs is that they are often "caller pay." So that if your family does want to call your French phone number from the USA, then they end up paying for the call, not you :-) I'm Canadian, and my first stop when driving into the USA is to stop at the first department store I come across and buy a T-mobile SIM. If they don't have any, I just buy the cheapest "burner" phone and take the SIM out and pop it into my iPhone.