Germany - How much should a German SIM card cost?

I recently purchased a blauworld SIM card at FRA and am wondering if I got a bad deal on the cost of the SIM. If so, no problem, but I would like to know for future reference. I bought it at Capi Electronics landside, as the mobile stores were not yet open. The vendor told me it was the cheapest card for calling the US.

€29.99 for the SIM card with €7.50 credit (so €22.49 for the SIM itself).

Airtime is 15¢/min to Germany (land & mobile) and 7.9¢/min to US (land & mobile). 15¢/text global. Free incoming calls & texts, of course.

The minimum recharge amount is €10.00 and only my US Visa card (not my US Mastercard or US Amex) was accepted by the website. I think it carries a 6- or 12-month expiration after the initial recharge, but can't find where I read that now. It does indicate 12-month expiration on the text I receive back from the Balance number.

A SIM card can be had for aprox 10€ including some 3-4€ credit at any decent store in Germany. But calling the US for 8cent/minute from a mobile phone is a very very good deal. I'd say once you have talked about 30-60mins on your new SIM you paid for the higher price ;)

Thanks, oliver2002 - I did put it to good use ;)

I got mine last month for 10 Euros.

I got mine last month for 10 Euros.

That´s the regular retail price for the SIM with 7.50EUR airtime included.
Just bought mine last week for 9.90 at a LIDL store.

So, 29,99EUR is a total rip off in my opinion.
But everyone should be aware that stores at airports are usually overpriced.

The blauworld offer on theiri website is 9.90€ with 10€ calling credit included.
http://www.blauworld.de/app?component=border.languageSelector.localeEnglis h

The blauworld offer on theiri website is 9.90€ with 10€ calling credit included.
http://www.blauworld.de/app?component=border.languageSelector.localeEnglis h

This is exactly what I got and I was satisfied with my purchase.

The blauworld offer on theiri website is 9.90€ with 10€ calling credit included.
http://www.blauworld.de/app?component=border.languageSelector.localeEnglis h

That´s correct. But initially you get only 7.50EUR airtime. The missing 2.50 will be credited after your first reload (minimum 10,-EUR)

My friend bought me one for just under Euros 10 for the life of me I cannot remember who it is from - but will find out if you want.

Be aware that the OP didn't go for a regular Vodafone, Telekom, or whatever SIM but for one with extra cheap calls to the US...

If he / she did a lot of calls to the US, the higher price for purchase might have been set off with the cheap minute rates!

The blauworld offer on theiri website is 9.90€ with 10€ calling credit included.
http://www.blauworld.de/app?component=border.languageSelector.localeEnglis h

Can you get that delivered to a US address? Of course, I was unaware of the company before arriving, but it certainly looks like a good option for the future.

Be aware that the OP didn't go for a regular Vodafone, Telekom, or whatever SIM but for one with extra cheap calls to the US...

If he / she did a lot of calls to the US, the higher price for purchase might have been set off with the cheap minute rates!

To be fair, the clerk did ask me where I'd be calling the most, and did indicate that the blauworld card had the cheapest rates to the US. What are the typical rates for the other cards?

To be fair, the clerk did ask me where I'd be calling the most, and did indicate that the blauworld card had the cheapest rates to the US. What are the typical rates for the other cards?

From a regular pre-paid card or regular cell phone account its between 69 to 139 cent/minute :eek:

If you have a business account or paid a flat fee its a bit less (business account: about 29cent/min, 25€/month gives you 'all you can eat' minutes to the US and few other countries)

http://www.t-mobile.de/downloads/kunden-preislisten/preisliste-fuer-telekom-mobilfunk-tarife-februar-2011.pdf

FONIC has decent long distance rates as well, and they can be purchased or topped up at a variety of shops including Lidl, dm, Real, Rossmann, etc

http://www.fonic.de/html/prepaid-handy-tarif-9-cent-billig-telefonieren.html

Gespräche von Deutschland ins Festnetz von
Europa, den USA und Kanada*
Gilt für folgende 50 Länder
9 Cent / Min.

Gespräche von Deutschland in Mobilfunknetze
von Europa, den USA und Kanada*
Gilt für folgende 50 Länder
29 Cent / Min.

Tchibo is releasing a new cost structure as of tomorrow (May 3rd) which matches the FONIC rates.

From a regular pre-paid card or regular cell phone account its between 69 to 139 cent/minute :eek:

If you have a business account or paid a flat fee its a bit less (business account: about 29cent/min, 25€/month gives you 'all you can eat' minutes to the US and few other countries)

http://www.t-mobile.de/downloads/kunden-preislisten/preisliste-fuer-telekom-mobilfunk-tarife-februar-2011.pdf

Wow! The funny thing is that on my UK T-mobile SIM card, it's also now actually cheaper to call the US (5p/min) than to call the UK (8-25p/min)!

Wow! The funny thing is that on my UK T-mobile SIM card, it's also now actually cheaper to call the US (5p/min) than to call the UK (8-25p/min)!

I made the same experience in HK. It was cheaper for me to make calls in about 3 countries then to call within HK.