Cheap prepaid Internet for short stay in Germany? [merged]

siskiou

I'm visiting Germany Mid-March for two weeks and am looking for an easy and cheap way to get into the net for email and surfing while there.

A friend is loaning me their T-MOBILE Web´n Walk Compact II card, which is supposedly not SIM or Net locked.

Now, I've read what seems like a million different things about rates and such, but am still not clear what I really need to get online, and which company offers reasonable speed and reliability.

Tchibo, Blau, O2, Simyo, Fonic...

Can I just purchase one of their SIM cards and I'm all set? Where would I find the info to sign in and the connection software? I don't have a Handy there, nor a bank account, and I haven't found a way to purchase online with a creditcard from here.

I have an address I could have the card sent to in Germany, but I can't find a way to pay for the card ahead of time from the US.
And how would I register the card once I've bought it?

Is it easy to buy a SIM in a shop, once in Germany?

Frankly, I'm totally confused by all the offers and the small print (am fluent in German), and my questions via email to a couple of companies have only muddied the waters further.

I'd prefer a prepaid flatrate for 30 days, so I don't have to watch my usage and load up the card again. Something that isn't linked to a cellphone contract and can be activated without a cellphone.

What I need are instructions like:
buy this brand SIM here,
download this conncection software,
fill in the following data...

I hope I can find some enlightenment here!

dg7feq · 23-02-2009, 09:31

If you have a german shipping adress i would give a try to buy on Ebay. There are some traders who accept paypal so this should work. The Blau.de SIM-cards would be a good solution for you as they have a standard data rate of 0.24€/MB and you can buy 1GB for 10€ or the data flatrate for 20€. The booking of data packages is possible via the 1155 customer care center free of charge.

Chris

inquisitor · 23-02-2009, 09:37

That T-Mobile card should do the job.

Keep your hands off Blau and simyo and all those MVNOs on the eplus network, as it's total crap due to permanent congestion and lacking support of EDGE and HSDPA.

I think Tchibo would be the best for you - I wrote a complete guide at Germany - Tchibo - Prepaid Wireless Internet Access

You don't need special connection software - just use the one which which comes with the T-Mobile card. All you need to do is changing the APN to "webmobil1".

Tchibo SIMs can easily be purchased at any of those 1000 Tchibo shops throughout Germany - just read the linked article. Actually Tchibo SIMs are currently sold for € 1 during a promotion, which ends today. Also I could sell you a brandnew sealed one for the price, I got it, namely € 1.

If you are interested in getting your own 3G-adapter, have a look at Vodafone Websession PrePaid UMTS USB-Stick zum Sonderpreis - November TT Special! - Telefon-Treff - these guys sell an unlocked Huawei E160 3G-dongle (in Vodafone-branded version) + a netlocked phone (SonyEricsson J110i) with Vodafone SIM for € 40 incl. shipping within Germany. That 3G-dongle also supports GSM and UMTS at 850 and 1900 MHz, so you could use it back in the US on AT&T's 3G network and on all American GSM-networks and it's easily debrandable by a simple firmware update, which takes one minute.

andy · 23-02-2009, 11:20

check all the coverage maps - the place I was at last summer had 3g from only Vodafone at the time, and looks like it's gained T-mobile since

dg7feq · 23-02-2009, 12:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by inquisitor

That T-Mobile card should do the job.

Keep your hands off Blau and simyo and all those MVNOs on the eplus network, as it's total crap due to permanent congestion and lacking support of EDGE and HSDPA.

I think Tchibo would be the best for you - I wrote a complete guide at Germany - Tchibo - Prepaid Wireless Internet Access

Yes, the o2 network is better. But as this data pack from Tchibo is not longer on their website i thought its better to show the official offers...

Chris

siskiou · 23-02-2009, 17:03

Thanks, everyone!

So, if I buy a Tchibo card, I'd have to load it up with 20Euro for the Dataflat for 30 days? Or does it come with some credit on it already?
I checked on the Tchibo website, and under the prepaid options, the data pack doesn't show up as an option.
And could I use a regular landline in Germany to activate the data option? I won't have access to a cell there.

dg7feq · 23-02-2009, 21:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by siskiou

Thanks, everyone!

So, if I buy a Tchibo card, I'd have to load it up with 20Euro for the Dataflat for 30 days? Or does it come with some credit on it already?
I checked on the Tchibo website, and under the prepaid options, the data pack doesn't show up as an option.
And could I use a regular landline in Germany to activate the data option? I won't have access to a cell there.

You have to send a SMS from the Tchibo card to activate the data pack.
SMS to 7777 containing "START DATENPACK" for the 500 MB pack or
SMS to 7777 containing "START DATENFLAT" for the flatrate

But the software for the datacards can ususally also send SMS messages, so that shouldnt be the problem. Otherwise ask anyone at the hotel reception or your friends if you could stick your SIM in their phone for a minute.

Chris

siskiou · 23-02-2009, 21:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by dg7feq

But the software for the datacards can ususally also send SMS messages, so that shouldnt be the problem. Otherwise ask anyone at the hotel reception or your friends if you could stick your SIM in their phone for a minute.

Chris

Thanks, Chris!

Does anyone know if I can use one of those free O2 Loop cards and their connection software, too?
I had 3 of them sent ahead to my address in Germany a week or so ago, in the hopes they might be useful.

inquisitor · 23-02-2009, 21:54

Regarding internet access O2 loop and Tchibo are the same service (both use the O2 network), however Tchibo is € 5 cheaper per month. But if you already have some of those free O2 Loop SIMs waiting for you, it doesn't really pay off to buy a Tchibo SIM (and pay shipping costs) for a single month of use.
Regarding connection software the T-Mobile Web'n'Walk Compact card II, which is produced by Option, should work with this version of O2's "connection manager".
But if you use O2 Loop, you could also use the T-Mobile connection software, since O2 Loop doesn't require a (correct) APN to be set. So even if T-Mobile's APN is preconfigured in the T-Mobile software it will still connect through O2 Loop.

siskiou · 24-02-2009, 02:10

One more question:
are there any cheapo cellphones without SIM/Net-Lock available?
Since I have 3 O2 Loop Freikarten, I could use one in the phone, and have an easier time loading exactly the amount I need onto my card, plus I could use the extra cards for emergency phone calls, if needed.
It would have to be a really cheap phone, though, or one that I could later use with prepaid sim cards in the US.

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	(#1)
siskiou (Offline) Junior Member Amateur Member Posts: 28 Join Date: 23 Feb 2009 Country:	Cheap prepaid Internet for short stay in Germany? [merged] - 23-02-2009, 06:08 I'm visiting Germany Mid-March for two weeks and am looking for an easy and cheap way to get into the net for email and surfing while there. A friend is loaning me their T-MOBILE Web´n Walk Compact II card, which is supposedly not SIM or Net locked. Now, I've read what seems like a million different things about rates and such, but am still not clear what I really need to get online, and which company offers reasonable speed and reliability. Tchibo, Blau, O2, Simyo, Fonic... Can I just purchase one of their SIM cards and I'm all set? Where would I find the info to sign in and the connection software? I don't have a Handy there, nor a bank account, and I haven't found a way to purchase online with a creditcard from here. I have an address I could have the card sent to in Germany, but I can't find a way to pay for the card ahead of time from the US. And how would I register the card once I've bought it? Is it easy to buy a SIM in a shop, once in Germany? Frankly, I'm totally confused by all the offers and the small print (am fluent in German), and my questions via email to a couple of companies have only muddied the waters further. I'd prefer a prepaid flatrate for 30 days, so I don't have to watch my usage and load up the card again. Something that isn't linked to a cellphone contract and can be activated without a cellphone. What I need are instructions like: buy this brand SIM here, download this conncection software, fill in the following data... I hope I can find some enlightenment here!

	(#2)
dg7feq (Offline) Senior Member Prepaid Guru Posts: 1,164 Join Date: 04 Feb 2006 Location: Germany Country:	23-02-2009, 09:31 If you have a german shipping adress i would give a try to buy on Ebay. There are some traders who accept paypal so this should work. The Blau.de SIM-cards would be a good solution for you as they have a standard data rate of 0.24€/MB and you can buy 1GB for 10€ or the data flatrate for 20€. The booking of data packages is possible via the 1155 customer care center free of charge. Chris Germany: o2 blue all-in L, simquadrat Thailand: truemove (phone+sms+wifi) International: xxSim+372, toggle +44/+49/+41/+31 Phones: Huawei Mate7, Huawei P9

	(#3)
inquisitor (Offline) Senior Member Prepaid Professionist Posts: 1,399 Join Date: 15 Nov 2006 Country:	23-02-2009, 09:37 That T-Mobile card should do the job. Keep your hands off Blau and simyo and all those MVNOs on the eplus network, as it's total crap due to permanent congestion and lacking support of EDGE and HSDPA. I think Tchibo would be the best for you - I wrote a complete guide at Germany - Tchibo - Prepaid Wireless Internet Access You don't need special connection software - just use the one which which comes with the T-Mobile card. All you need to do is changing the APN to "webmobil1". Tchibo SIMs can easily be purchased at any of those 1000 Tchibo shops throughout Germany - just read the linked article. Actually Tchibo SIMs are currently sold for € 1 during a promotion, which ends today. Also I could sell you a brandnew sealed one for the price, I got it, namely € 1. If you are interested in getting your own 3G-adapter, have a look at Vodafone Websession PrePaid UMTS USB-Stick zum Sonderpreis - November TT Special! - Telefon-Treff - these guys sell an unlocked Huawei E160 3G-dongle (in Vodafone-branded version) + a netlocked phone (SonyEricsson J110i) with Vodafone SIM for € 40 incl. shipping within Germany. That 3G-dongle also supports GSM and UMTS at 850 and 1900 MHz, so you could use it back in the US on AT&T's 3G network and on all American GSM-networks and it's easily debrandable by a simple firmware update, which takes one minute. terminals: Samsung: Galaxy S5 DuoS (G900FD); BLU: Win HD LTE; Nokia: 1200; Asus: Fonepad 7 ME372CG; Huawei data: E3372, Vodafone R201, K3765, E1762; postpaid: O2 on Business XL; prepaid: DE: Aldi Talk, Lidl; UK: 3; BG: MTel, vivacom; RU: MTS; RS: MTS; UAE: du Tourist SIM; INT'L: toggle mobile VoIP: sipgate.de (German DID); sipgate.co.uk (British DID); ukddi.com (British DID); sipcall.ch (Swiss DID); megafon.bg (Bulgarian DID); InterVoip.com Last edited by inquisitor; 23-02-2009 at 09:42..

	(#4)
andy (Offline) Senior Member Prepaid Prophet Posts: 2,128 Join Date: 10 Dec 2004 Country:	23-02-2009, 11:20 check all the coverage maps - the place I was at last summer had 3g from only Vodafone at the time, and looks like it's gained T-mobile since

	(#6)
siskiou (Offline) Junior Member Amateur Member Posts: 28 Join Date: 23 Feb 2009 Country:	23-02-2009, 17:03 Thanks, everyone! So, if I buy a Tchibo card, I'd have to load it up with 20Euro for the Dataflat for 30 days? Or does it come with some credit on it already? I checked on the Tchibo website, and under the prepaid options, the data pack doesn't show up as an option. And could I use a regular landline in Germany to activate the data option? I won't have access to a cell there.

	(#9)
inquisitor (Offline) Senior Member Prepaid Professionist Posts: 1,399 Join Date: 15 Nov 2006 Country:	23-02-2009, 21:54 Regarding internet access O2 loop and Tchibo are the same service (both use the O2 network), however Tchibo is € 5 cheaper per month. But if you already have some of those free O2 Loop SIMs waiting for you, it doesn't really pay off to buy a Tchibo SIM (and pay shipping costs) for a single month of use. Regarding connection software the T-Mobile Web'n'Walk Compact card II, which is produced by Option, should work with this version of O2's "connection manager". But if you use O2 Loop, you could also use the T-Mobile connection software, since O2 Loop doesn't require a (correct) APN to be set. So even if T-Mobile's APN is preconfigured in the T-Mobile software it will still connect through O2 Loop. terminals: Samsung: Galaxy S5 DuoS (G900FD); BLU: Win HD LTE; Nokia: 1200; Asus: Fonepad 7 ME372CG; Huawei data: E3372, Vodafone R201, K3765, E1762; postpaid: O2 on Business XL; prepaid: DE: Aldi Talk, Lidl; UK: 3; BG: MTel, vivacom; RU: MTS; RS: MTS; UAE: du Tourist SIM; INT'L: toggle mobile VoIP: sipgate.de (German DID); sipgate.co.uk (British DID); ukddi.com (British DID); sipcall.ch (Swiss DID); megafon.bg (Bulgarian DID); InterVoip.com

	(#10)
siskiou (Offline) Junior Member Amateur Member Posts: 28 Join Date: 23 Feb 2009 Country:	24-02-2009, 02:10 One more question: are there any cheapo cellphones without SIM/Net-Lock available? Since I have 3 O2 Loop Freikarten, I could use one in the phone, and have an easier time loading exactly the amount I need onto my card, plus I could use the extra cards for emergency phone calls, if needed. It would have to be a really cheap phone, though, or one that I could later use with prepaid sim cards in the US.