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snaimon · 27-06-2006, 02:05

Helena:

Why are you fixated on an O2 card? The only advantage I see is that if your German friends all have O2, then you are better off as calls to them are cheaper for you and if they call you, for them.

It is my impression that the O2 and most T-Mobile DE cards offered on Ebay USA are very expensive. I think the starter packs you can buy in Germany usually run about 20 E and they usaully come with a 5 - 10 E balance. You can also check out Ebay.de for comparison if your German is decent. I think you will see prices THERE are lots lower than on Ebay.USA even with shipping. Some, but not many, will ship WELTWEIT. The world cup is over Jul 9; my guess is that you will be leaving soon so you can forget EBAY.

I have 2 D1 (t-mobile) cards and a SIMYO card. I purchased the D1 cards some years ago on Ebay.de. You could not find them on EBAY US at that time. The SIMYO card required a German address and I used the hotel where the family was staying.

Check out the German national operators here on this site for some choices. You will in general have better coverage on 900 MHZ (D1, D2 and O2?). The 1800 providers are supposedly weak in rural areas. If you are staying in cities, there should be little difference.

You might consider the relatively new ALDI-talk (1800) or PennyMobile (900). If I did not already have 3 SIMs, those would be my top choices.

Is it JUST Germany? Or are there other countries involved? What is your purpose for having the SIM? Do you know people THERE? Will you want to call the US? If that is you purpose -- calling US, you might really think again -- VERY EXPENSIVE from the cell phone. You might be able to use a US or local calling card or callback service. My sure you have the right kind of phone. IF you are planning to visit other countries, you might consider (GASP!) Vodafone; they have a travel promise which allows cheap incoming calls. As above, if you main purpose is to call out, then the travel promise is not so good as roaming and international calls from German (EU) cells is quite expensive.

Stan

	(#2)
snaimon (Offline) Senior Member Prepaid Specialist Posts: 898 Join Date: 17 Mar 2004 Location: Richmond, VA USA Country:	27-06-2006, 02:05 Helena: Why are you fixated on an O2 card? The only advantage I see is that if your German friends all have O2, then you are better off as calls to them are cheaper for you and if they call you, for them. It is my impression that the O2 and most T-Mobile DE cards offered on Ebay USA are very expensive. I think the starter packs you can buy in Germany usually run about 20 E and they usaully come with a 5 - 10 E balance. You can also check out Ebay.de for comparison if your German is decent. I think you will see prices THERE are lots lower than on Ebay.USA even with shipping. Some, but not many, will ship WELTWEIT. The world cup is over Jul 9; my guess is that you will be leaving soon so you can forget EBAY. I have 2 D1 (t-mobile) cards and a SIMYO card. I purchased the D1 cards some years ago on Ebay.de. You could not find them on EBAY US at that time. The SIMYO card required a German address and I used the hotel where the family was staying. Check out the German national operators here on this site for some choices. You will in general have better coverage on 900 MHZ (D1, D2 and O2?). The 1800 providers are supposedly weak in rural areas. If you are staying in cities, there should be little difference. You might consider the relatively new ALDI-talk (1800) or PennyMobile (900). If I did not already have 3 SIMs, those would be my top choices. Is it JUST Germany? Or are there other countries involved? What is your purpose for having the SIM? Do you know people THERE? Will you want to call the US? If that is you purpose -- calling US, you might really think again -- VERY EXPENSIVE from the cell phone. You might be able to use a US or local calling card or callback service. My sure you have the right kind of phone. IF you are planning to visit other countries, you might consider (GASP!) Vodafone; they have a travel promise which allows cheap incoming calls. As above, if you main purpose is to call out, then the travel promise is not so good as roaming and international calls from German (EU) cells is quite expensive. Stan Phones: DASH V3 (3) Service: US T-MO post paid (2) - US T-MO prepaid (2) - UM+ - TravelSIM DE SIMYO - DE SUNSIM T-Mobile DE Calling Cards: Onesuite Enjoyprepaid AT&T MCI Mobivox