Vini's Travel Card: 20 GB or 40 GB, SIM or eSIM
Vini's Travel Card page lists two prepaid options. At the time of checking, the 20 Go card cost 4,000 XPF with a welcome bonus of 30 minutes of calls to local numbers or the Zone Premium, or 87 local SMS; the 40 Go card cost 8,000 XPF with 60 minutes or 174 SMS. The credit is valid for 30 days from activation and the line stays active for up to three months. Zone Premium includes France, the USA and Hawaii, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, among others.
The card comes as a physical trio SIM or as an eSIM that can be bought online, or from more than 300 retail locations. After the first call, SMS or data session, Vini says the user receives a text with their number. Vini describes 4G and 5G coverage across 66 islands, which is the operator's own claim; a separate page calls it the largest 4G network in French Polynesia.
Vodafone Polynésie's Travel SIM and its ID rules
Vodafone Polynésie's tourist page lists the Travel SIM at 3,800 XPF, including 18 minutes of international calls to a few countries, 30 minutes of local calls, unlimited local texts and 20 GB of data. The prepaid credit lasts 30 days and the SIM works for 90 days after first use. It is sold at the Vodafone shop at the airport and in Vodafone stores, and recharged on Mon.Vodafone.pf. The page says internet is available on Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, Raiatea and Huahine, and it does not mention an eSIM.
Vodafone's sales conditions for the Travel SIM require the buyer to be an adult and to show a valid passport, original or copy, and to fill in a Travel SIM form at purchase. They say the line activates automatically on the first call and that the SIM is deactivated after three months. That document describes an earlier version of the bundle, with a 5,000 XPF value and 15-day credit, so rely on the current page for the bundle and on the conditions only for the identity rules.
Expect to carry your passport to the airport shop rather than leave it in the luggage.
Why a European plan will not simply work here
French Polynesia is an overseas country and territory associated with the European Union, according to the EU's diplomatic service, which is a different status from a member state. The European Commission's roaming pages name EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, and Moldova and Ukraine as covered by roam like at home, and say other countries are not covered.
That means a visitor from Europe should check the home operator's tariff for French Polynesia before assuming inclusive roaming. Vini lists roaming partner operators on its visitors page, and says that if your home carrier is a partner you select the Vini network manually and pay your carrier's rates. Vini publishes the partner list as a PDF, so look at it before departure.
Beyond Tahiti: what is confirmed about the other archipelagos
Operator pages name the Society Islands. Vodafone lists Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, Raiatea and Huahine, and Vini claims 66 islands, but we found no regulator coverage survey. An independent French-language information site says Vini is the only operator covering remote Tuamotu and Marquesas islands, that Tuamotu service exists only in the villages of Rangiroa and Fakarava, and that the Australes and Gambier are severely limited. We could not verify those details against an operator or authority, so treat them as indicative.
For a trip to the atolls or the Marquesas, ask your guesthouse whether there is mobile signal and whether Wi-Fi is satellite-based, and download offline maps and bookings before flying out of Papeete. The same independent site says nearly all tourist accommodation has Wi-Fi, though quality varies.
Entry rules, emergency numbers and island hazards
Tahiti Tourisme says all visitors need a valid passport, with French nationals able to use a national ID card, and that many nationalities are exempt from a visa for tourist stays under three months. It points to the France-Visas website for the check by nationality.
The tourism board's emergency page lists 112 or 911 for all emergencies, 15 for medical aid, 16 for sea rescue, 17 for police and 18 for fire. It notes that local authorities test the emergency siren at noon on the first Wednesday of each month, and that the region can experience cyclones, flooding and tsunamis. Save the numbers and know your island's alert arrangements, especially if you travel on a small boat.
If you use a data-only eSIM, keep voice available on your home line or on a local plan.
Setting up Vini's eSIM and keeping your own number
Apple says an iPhone must be unlocked for a travel eSIM and needs Wi-Fi or roaming data to install it, with the data line chosen under Settings, Cellular. Google says Pixel 3a and later phones can combine a physical SIM and an eSIM. Samsung describes eSIM setup in SIM manager. Because Vini's eSIM is bought online, install it on home Wi-Fi before the long flight. Our French Polynesia plan page is another pre-departure option.
Networks our French Polynesia plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for French Polynesia, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- Tikiphone (Vini)5G
- Vini5G
- VODAFONE4G