Lidl

[inquisitor]

Originally Posted by sternem

Would LIDL support data into CZ at this rate or would there be an additional data usage roaming fee in Praha?

If you have the "Handy-Internet-Flatrate" activated for data roaming within the EU the "EU Internet-Tages-Pack" will apply, which gives you 10MB for € 3 per calendar day. After consuming those 10MB internet access will be interrupted for the rest of the day. Alternatively (without the "Handy-Internet-Flatrate") you would pay some prohibitive € 5/MB.
Be aware that data roaming is quite expensive in Europe - there are other providers on the inferior eplus-network (simyo and blau) who offer EU-roaming data packs of 50MB for € 5, but that's still not a bargain.

Another question. In comparing Fonic with Lidl, you mention that Fonic throttles after 500MB. The page you created for Lidl in English also mentions the same throttling. In fact it looks like the only different between the data betwen Fonic and Lidl is the monthly tariff of € 25 for Fonic versus € 14.99 for Lidl. Can you help clarify?

There are a couple of differences:

• Fonic charge € 2.50/day on the dayflat-tariff, while Lidl charge just € 1.99/day so Lidl is cheaper, but Fonic have a price-cap of € 25/month for the day-flat tariff.
• But then Lidl offer a monthly flatrate with throttling after 5GB for € 14.99/month which again is cheaper than the € 25-price cap of Fonic's dayflat. Further Fonic throttles speed on the dayflat-tariff if you exceed 500MB/day or 5GB/month (whichever applies first), while Lidl don't have a volume cap on a daily basis but only on monthly basis (5GB).
• If you compare those monthly flatrates throttled already after exceeding 500MB ("Handy-Internet-Flatrate"), Lidl is ~€ 1 cheaper than Fonic (€ 8.99 vs. 9.95)

So Fonic is a kind of more flexible because their dayflat turns into a monthly flatrate after the tenth day of usage within a month, but on the other hand Lidl's 5GB-monthly flatrate costs the same like six days of dayflat-usage with Fonic.
In my eyes Lidl is the better choice unless you need more than 500MB/month (so the "Handy-Internet-Flatrate" won't suffice) and you can't even roughly foresee how many days you will need internet access.
However there's one unique selling point in favour of Fonic and that's the fact they have microSIMs by default (can be broken out from their regular SIMs) while Lidl don't.

I would be interested if you could this for me. Hopefully we can make arrangements before the 10th . I want to have the € 14.99 data option, but I think I would need to activate this myself because my trip will last until October 21 in Praha. Is this correct?

I have picked up the last four SIMs from my local Lidl market today (of which two are already enroute to VladS) and I could send you one on Monday, but the bonus credit from the referral programm may take up to three weeks to be accredited. So when you receive the SIM it probably won't have enough credit (initial credit is €10) for the 5GB-flatrate, which costs € 14.99. So you could either subscribe to the 500MB-flatrate or recharge € 15 (which is the smallest top-up amount) to order the 5GB-flatrate. Another option would be that I activate the SIM before shipping (with your personal details), so you would receive those € 5 in September and would have enough credit (€15) to order the 5GB-flatrate.

[inquisitor]

@Amrando
Lidl is a nationwide chain, but note that their supermarkets tend to be rather outside city centers (search for stores here). In order to benefit from the referral program just use the number given in the previously linked activation instructions - it's actually mine.

When travelling by ICE or IC-trains make sure you take your seat in a car equipped with repeaters so you get a better signal (but don't expect too much 3G coverage, especially on ICE trains which pass many tunnels). These cars are marked with the following sign:

[inquisitor]

There's one more difference between Fonic and Lidl, which I've just realized: While Fonic bills their dayflat by calendar day (always ends at midnight regardless of when you started using data), Lidl's dayflat lasts 24h, so you always get full 24h for € 1.99.
So if you start accessing the web at 11:50 p.m. Fonic would give you only ten minutes for € 2.50, while with Lidl you could surf until the next day 11:50 p.m.
Another decisive argument for Lidl.

[sternem]

Originally Posted by inquisitor

I have picked up the last four SIMs from my local Lidl market today (of which two are already enroute to VladS) and I could send you one on Monday, but the bonus credit from the referral programm may take up to three weeks to be accredited. So when you receive the SIM it probably won't have enough credit (initial credit is €10) for the 5GB-flatrate, which costs € 14.99. So you could either subscribe to the 500MB-flatrate or recharge € 15 (which is the smallest top-up amount) to order the 5GB-flatrate. Another option would be that I activate the SIM before shipping (with your personal details), so you would receive those € 5 in September and would have enough credit (€15) to order the 5GB-flatrate.

Thanks for the details! I like the activation of the SIM before shipping. That would give me the best flexibility when I arrive of which data tariff to choose. I'll send you a PM to discuss further.

[Prepaidtraveller]

Guys regarding lidl, I used them for my holiday and for the most part it was good but I had to call them to activate the €15 data plan, not easy as I don't speak German but some family assisted me there. One fact I do remember and it may have changed since is they do have a 500meg a day like fonic do. It was spelled out in their t&cs. Plenty for a traveller thou.

It may have changed since then, I for example noticed the portal changed and also it appears u can now activate the 15€ plan online which would have saved me some headache.

Oddly with the u2 network where I was staying (Karlsruhe in Frankfurt) it was terrible, slow as anything. Out of interest I got a aldi sim that runs on eplus and it was quite fast in comparison.

Of course once I left Karlsruhe and returned to frankfurt flughaben the tables turned and the lidl sim was much better in comparison...

Also one tip, once u leave Germany be sure to login to the portal an change your plan to the casual charge as it will try to rebill automatically and if it fails will default to the 2€ a day instead. I found this out the hard way but stopped it in time only being billed one day.

Also if u use the sim for voice and roam outside Germany it seems to like sending a SMS to 88969 or someting and charging u 0.60€ for the privilege. Be careful as it can eat your credit away.

I've since put mine away in a safe place and will reuse if I ever return to Germany in the near future.

[Amrando]

Well I followed inquisitor's advice and went to pick up a Lidl Mobile SIM-Karte here in Cologne.. and the store was sold out of both the SIM, and Surf-stick kit..

Well no matter, there will be plenty of stores in t.. no, sold out at the next store as well. Well, I better get going down to Munich. There'll be more stores there in town right? SOLD OUT HERE TOO.

I've been to 4 Lidl stores in 2 cities so far and every one has been sold out. So on my third day in Germany I said f*** this s**t, and walked into a Müller drugstore across the street from my hotel, and bought the Fonic kit. Activation went smoothly, I've added inquisitor for my 5€ friend credit.. and then they took 21 hours to activate my flat data rate, forcing me to eat nearly my entire initial voucher credit. Very slimy tactics there- sending me an acknowledgment SMS of my request to change plan within a few minutes, but then waiting 20+ hours to send a confirmation that the change had actually been implemented.

You submit the change request, they send back a notice asking you to reply JA/NEIN to the change, then they reply with the acknowledgment of your change.. which caught me out.. but then it seems somebody actually goes and makes the change by hand, and they send you a confirmation when it's actually been done.

[inquisitor]

That's really bad luck. I haven't bought Lidl SIMs that often but whenever I did they had enough in stock. Perhaps their recent promotional price of € 5 per SIM has driven down inventories.
From my observation data options are activated faster if subscribed to online instead of SMS.
Btw I don't know if the referral program actually works between Lidl and Fonic customers or if is limited to the communities of each of these tariffs. Could you report back if you get those € 5? You'll find out by going to "Gesprächsübersicht" (after login the second of four big buttons on top) and then selecting a time range and clicking on "Entgeltnachweis als PDF ansehen" - now you should get a PDF statement which should show an item called "Freunde werben Freunde".

[Motel75]

I can verify that it works (I gave a Fonic number to activate my Lidl account). I can also verify that it works even if the owner is the same person (I gave my first Lidl number when I activated my second). However, there is a limit of five referrals per month, so you should always make sure that the referrer hasn't already used up the number of referrals.

[inquisitor]

What happens if the referer has already recruited five customers in a month? Will only he not get those € 5 or will also the refered new customer not get them?

[Motel75]

I don't know. There's only one way to find out.