I tried Parnasse, Orange's select brand

Published on 9 December 2015

As a heavy mobile Internet user, and one for a very long time (hello iMode), I've often thrown fits about the carriers' mobile plans being far too limited in data volume. Those who follow me will remember my crusade against Orange back when they were passing off "500 MB of data" plans as "unlimited" plans. Anyway.

The situation has only changed recently, probably under pressure from Bouygues and Free. Lately Orange has been offering plans with up to 20 GB of data, enough to satisfy even the hungriest users. There are the hungry ones, then there are the ravenous ones, and I'm one of the latter. I can't stand being throttled on 4G on my plans, and being regularly cut off by Orange before the end of the month has often driven me nuts, especially for work. All the more so (and this is important) since I have a lamentable ADSL connection at home, which barely reaches 1 MB/s. Annoying for someone who lives in one of the most fiber-covered areas out there (not far from La Défense). Anyway, what to do? Well the answer is Parnasse.

What is "Parnasse"? It's a brand created by Orange, that you could describe as the strict opposite of Sosh. Here we're talking about pretty massive, near-unlimited plans, paired with a rather insane level of service. I'll try to describe it simply, and I'll start by listing what I'm entitled to with my plan:

• Unlimited calls and texts in Europe. Basically I can call wherever I want in Europe or from Europe without worrying about anything.

• Unlimited data in Europe. Concretely, if I want to use 200 GB, or even 2 TB of data on 4G, I'm entitled to it. Whether I'm in France or anywhere in Europe.

• A phone worth 800€ every year.

• Insurance against breakage and theft.

If I need my phone replaced, if I'm in Paris (or nearby), a courier comes to deliver my new phone within 4 hours (the delay increases as you get further from Paris or France, obviously).

• A twin SIM (or multi-SIM) so you can use your plan on a tablet (in my case in a 4G modem).

• A welcome gift (yeah!)

• Personalized customer service with, depending on the plan level chosen, a possible dedicated "coach" to look after you.

• No commitment.

And how much does all this cost? 130€ per month to be a Parnasse member (or 200€ to have a dedicated coach and access to exclusive events and operations, like concerts, exhibitions, etc.), then ON TOP of this membership, a plan at 120€ per month per line (you're entitled to 5 lines per member). Add to that 1,500€ in entry fees for the right to be part of the "club," which are only paid once. In summary, for a single line, 130+120=250 per month. For two lines, 130+120+120=370 per month, so it's vaguely tiered. You'll tell me it's outrageously expensive? Well the answer is "yes," for the general public it's ridiculous, but in practice it lets us have truly unlimited data lines, to the point where I even use my 4G plan at home as my main Internet access. I even canceled my ADSL subscription. Having 100% unlimited lines lets us work in very different conditions, whether on the move, at trade shows, on blogger operations, etc. At any time we can offer unlimited 4G access to our clients/bloggers and, obviously, to ourselves. It's a real everyday comfort, which we quickly made pay for itself.

That's the general approach to Parnasse. Basically it's unlimited, it's expensive, and it works very well. We obviously stay on the Orange network, so unlike a Free or SFR plan, well, you get signal pretty much everywhere. So I'm going to briefly describe the things I find really, really great about Parnasse, then the limits of the thing:

What's very good:

• It's really unlimited, when I tell you that you can use several TERABYTES of data on 4G, it's not a joke.

• No need to change SIM card when traveling in Europe.

• Customer service is responsive and efficient, 24/7, every day.

• For all questions related to Orange other than "mobile," you have access to the Orange VIP customer service which is also very efficient.

What's less good:

• We had to fight to get priority on receiving the new iPhones, whereas as an Orange or Sosh customer, it's pretty simple.

• All Orange options are enabled by default on the plans, but the abroad-data options offered to Orange or Sosh customers aren't compatible. If you want to use your plan outside Europe, you have to take a "world week" option at 350€ per week, brutal. That said, out-of-plan charges abroad are apparently "negotiated."

• As efficient as the general customer service really is, the feedback from the dedicated coaches isn't always very clear (but it improved over our last few months of use).

• The phones offered are always SIM-locked, which is pretty dramatic in 2015 for a brand that claims to be "premium," and unlocking is obviously charged if you want it done before the legal deadline.

That's the broad strokes. Do I recommend Parnasse? Well, if you have this specific need for unlimited data, yes, without a doubt. If, like me, you have very limited wired Internet access at home, same thing, go for it, the key being to do your calculations carefully and make sure the investment will pay off. If you're not the type to use a lot of data or if you don't change phones every year, or worse, if you rarely travel in Europe, well then move along. If joining Parnasse interests you, don't hesitate to send me a little email (at [email protected]). Membership is also by cooptation, and I'll send you the relevant info in that case 🙂

Note: The base plan is 120€ per month for Europe, but there's a plan at 250€ per month that also includes the USA and Canada, then some slightly crazier plans at 1,200 and 2,000€ per month to be able to call anywhere in the world.

Note 2: I won't dwell on the "exclusive privileges" services offered by the 200€ per month membership because we make little use of them... too little for it to be worthwhile.

Photo credit: AI-generated illustration

By Paingout