How to get a Sim card in Germany?

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How to get a Sim card in Germany?

About How to get a Sim card in Germany?

This guide offers the following information to assist you to get a Sim Card in Germany. The German mobile phone market is fiercely competitive, with over 83 million population. This has prompted local businesses to provide a variety of low-cost choices. However, with so many options, it might be complicated for foreigners seeking a German SIM card or phone. The German mobile phone network is of great quality, with excellent 4G coverage and an increasing number of mobile providers. For residents and visitors alike, these providers provide good SIM and mobile alternatives. This allows people to maintain contact with their friends and family.

Germany has a high-quality mobile network that allows expats and visitors to connect effortlessly, as one would expect from Europe’s greatest economy. Germany, like the rest of Europe, utilizes the GSM network rather than the CDMA network. Germany has a well-developed 4G network, with 4G or 4G+ coverage over the majority of the nation. However, coverage varies greatly between areas and cell companies in Germany.

This is especially true in rural areas in the country’s east, where 4G connectivity is still restricted. In these regions, you should still be able to get 3G, albeit it may be spotty. Local 5G networks are available in larger cities, such as Frankfurt and the Rhineland.

Germany offers two different types of network plans:

Prepaid SIM card: Prepaid cell plans are the most common and least expensive in Germany. Prepaid SIM cards are easily available online or at any grocery store.
Features:

There is no contract with your sim.
You can top up whenever you want.
There are no hidden fees.
Some “packs” may be more expensive in comparison.
International calling charges are reasonable.
Validity for a lifetime

Postpaid sim: Does a lot of international calls on the move

Features:

Contract for at least two years
For the next two years, you are unable to modify the plan.
Monthly rates apply for unlimited calls and SMS within their network.
There will be some 4G/3G data accessible.
International calling rates are exorbitant.
Beneficial for the person who does not care about international calls.

Both the postpaid and prepaid have advantages and disadvantages; it is up to the user to determine which is best for him or her. In my opinion, prepaid sims are the best options for students studying in Germany.

There are several possibilities, and some even provide special student discounts. Package costs vary according to your preferences:

O2:

In Germany, O2 is unquestionably one of the most popular and also one of the most economical mobile network providers. The network coverage is rather excellent in large cities, however, you should verify the coverage map before committing to any package. We’ve included a summary of o2’s current plans below so you can compare them and decide which one best suits your needs. If you’d prefer to have an overview of all carriers, check out our data plan overview, which covers other major carriers as well.

Essentially, o2 provides two kinds of SIM cards: prepaid and postpaid.

Prepaid is incredibly adaptable since you just purchase credit for your SIM card when you need it. You do not, however, get as much data as you would with a postpaid plan.

O2’s current prepaid plans are as follows:

O2 my Prepaid S: 3.5 GB | unlimited minutes and SMS to all German lines | includes EU-Roaming – 9.99€ / 4 weeks
O2 my Prepaid M: 6.5 GB | unlimited minutes and SMS to all German lines | includes EU-Roaming – 14.99€ / 4 weeks
O2 my Prepaid L: 10 GB | unlimited minutes and SMS to all German lines | includes EU-Roaming – 19.99€ / 4 weeks
More O2 credit can be purchased online or in a German supermarket, petrol station, or other stores.

Postpaid is usually a 24-month contract, which means you need to commit to O2 for 2 years and you can only cancel your contract if you leave Germany to permanently live in a different country. Therefore, postpaid is a little less flexible, but usually also gives you more for your money. Sometimes, you can select a “flex-option”, which means that you can cancel your contract every month, but in turn, you have to pay a higher monthly fee (usually €5 more per month). O2 Germany also offers a free bank account with a special perk: For every Euro you spent with your Mastercard, you get 1 MB of bonus data that you can redeem with your O2 contract.

Aldi Talk:

Lidl’s immediate opponent is Aldi Talk, not just in terms of the prepaid mobile phone service, but also in terms of its fundamental product, the supermarket. Aldi offers a product that is quite comparable to Lidl; however, the most notable distinction is that Aldi utilizes the O2 network, which is Germany’s smallest network. O2 reception is strong in cities, but it is not a smart choice if you spend a lot of time in rural regions.

The Paket S plan includes unlimited calls and texts as well as 3 GB of LTE data. For four weeks, it costs €7.99. The most expensive package, Paket L, provides 12 GB of data for $17.99 per month. The card is likewise 9,99 euros, but it comes preloaded with a balance of 10 euros. As a result, it is also essentially free.

With Aldi, you may also manually send money to your account every four weeks or set up an automatic recharge of, for example, 10 euros each time your balance falls below 10 euros. Of course, you may purchase a top-up balance card in an Aldi shop. They are located at the checkout counter.

Lebara:

Lebara is Germany’s sole telecommunications company with an English website and customer support. Lebara provides prepaid SIM cards as well as postpaid plans that include free minutes to call 50 countries across the world! Lebara makes use of Telefonica’s network lines.
The Lebara is the largest prepaid plan, including 20 GB LTE internet, unlimited calls, and 1000 free minutes to call 50 destinations worldwide. It costs €29,99 for four weeks. The SIM card is completely free.
Lebara provides not just an English app for simply managing and topping up your credits, but also free phone minutes to call your friends and family back home without the need for internet.

WinSim:

All members of your family will discover the suitable tariff offer with the family-friendly mobile phone supplier winSIM. WinSIM strives to connect the entire family. This is pursued by the experienced mobile phone supplier with a dependable service, affordable pricing, and an offer for all family members. The winSIM offer provides individually customizable affordable mobile phone contracts for children and young people, as well as parents and grandparents – frequently for less than 10 euros!

The winSIM rates provide low-cost entry-level tariffs, mobile phone contracts with large data volumes for intense use, or pure data pricing for pure mobile Internet surfing with a tablet or laptop.

Vodafone:

In terms of pricing, coverage, and speed, Vodafone is second only to Telekom, albeit resellers sometimes remove 4G/LTE access. Tethering is frequently prohibited, although other resellers do not have the same limitations.

Fast network speeds

European roaming is included.

Regional coverage might be improved.

Excellent coverage (except in some regional areas)

Lycamobile, Otelo, Fyve, EDEKA mobil, and LIDL Connect are some of the most popular Vodafone resellers. Reseller plans frequently prohibit 4G/LTE connectivity.