757DUD

Hi,
I really like congstar for data use. They are using the telecom network, so you should have coverage everywhere in Germany and offer a nice collection of prepaid flatrates. I think the only thing that they don't have is a english page
http://www.congstar.de/surf-flat-tarife/

You can choose between 0.5 GB data coverage, 1 GB data coverage and 3 GB data coverage. If you need more than 3GB you should consider buying two sim-cards and changing after 3-4 day.

757DUD

linglingfool

The most convenient option will be picking up a SIM card sold at a local grocery or department store. One example is AldiTalk, which offers 5GB of data for 14.99. You can find a SIM starter kit at all stores (usually 15 with 10 starting credit or similar) and hop on a wireless internet connection to activate it. Read more about the process here and here (keep in mind the site has been recently reorganized, so the registration link has moved here).

Anyone should be able to point you to a nearby Aldi, or you can use their store locator to find one for you.

Another option, which 757 mentioned, is Congstar, which uses a slightly better network but does not include as much data and is more expensive. More info about the service and where to find them here and here.

astroflyer

Just wanted to post some data points from my recent experience.

I was in Germany for a week and a half. I have an iPhone 5, so I need a nanosim which limits options, as I wasn't prepared to cut a microsim down. That basically limits me to the bigger carriers.

I tried Vodafone first. They wanted 45 Euro to sell me a sim card in the store...next! I can buy a whole throwaway phone for that price.

Next, I moved to T-mobil. They offered a sim card for EUR 10 which included the first month of their CallYa 3fach Flat. It's unlimited SMS and calls within their network, plus 100 MB of data at 3G speeds (followed by unlimited data at crappy speeds) for $9.99/month. The first month was included plus around 7 euro of credit. Calls or texts outside the network that you originate are 15 cents/minute. No charge to receive texts.

They had some computer network issues with activation, but once that was solved (which took overnight), my service worked pretty well. I'd recommend it for a trip. The only problem was the data offering wasn't that great. I turned off the e-mail checking option and saved my data for loading maps.

Analise

I don't have an iPhone. I have an Android phone: a Motorola Droid 2 Global on Verizon Wireless' CDMA network. Because my phone is global, I can get it deactivated in order to put in a local SIM card. I will not be texting or making phone calls. I don't want a monthly contract; just prepaid data usage for 6 days

This would be perfect but from what I'm reading, I have to have a German residential address in order to register. Am I wrong about this? All I want is plenty of internet coverage to use Skype and check email for 6 days.

How easy is that to do? Wireless access isn't that readily available so how would I activate it? Also, my German is sketchy so how would I complete the activation process? Do you think one of the salespeople at Aldi would help me do it?

One of the links has a data tariff rate which looks perfect:

1 GB a day looks generous which is why I like this option. So would I be able to buy 6 days' worth in advance? If not, I'll buy whatever the minimum # of days is needed to cover 6 days as long as I can get data coverage and not overspend doing it. Can I assume that the network in Berlin and Frankfurt is good?

Thanks.

TheMadBrewer

I don't know about T-Mobil but I've been burned by German contracts that are "opt out" -- in that you have to provide written notice to cancel -- sometimes within very narrow windows. Deutsche Bahn got me (and some friends) on a "Bahn Card 25" one trip. Threw away the renewal notice and before long I'm getting dunning letters from a Dutch collection agency!

If you didn't have to give them your home address or anything then all is cool. And maybe T-Mobil doesn't work the same way (hopefully somebody local can chime in). But a heads up to anybody who does sign up for any contract to ask how and when you can cancel.

linglingfool

If you register online, you generally have to have a German address (or at least an address where mail won't get bounced back to the sender). If you do it in person, a copy of your passport will suffice.

Honestly, I can't speak to Aldi, since I've never personally used them, but knowing the Aldi philosophy I wouldn't be surprised if you could only activate it online (why it's so cheap). I believe one of the links in my previous post has step-by-step instructions with German translations; there's nothing overly complex about the process from what I can see.

If you want something you can activate in person, check out Tchibo, which is the only one I've tried myself. It's possible there are other in-store options people can recommend, but I almost always order online. Again, see the wiki links I posted before for instructions on what to buy (prepaid SIM, not smartphone SIM) and how to activate.

Unless you're streaming music or video, I've found 500MB/day to be sufficient for even moderately heavy browsing, so 1GB should be more than ehough. When you buy your SIM card you can load credit onto it, just make sure you have enough to cover the cost of 6 days worth (in your case, €20 should suffice).

Coverage in major cities is universal, but can have dead/slow spots just like in the US.

astroflyer

These are prepaid telecom services. You have to actively load money on your account in order for it to be used. If you don't load money, you don't get any service. Works the same way in the US.

In terms of address, they were perfectly happy to take my foreign passport in lieu of a local German address. Helps to try this in a big city I think.

Analise

Ok. I'll do it in person.

I'll look at the link again and find the step-by-step advice.

Is Tchibo a store to which I can go and buy a SIM card?

Aren't prepaid SIM cards put in smartphones? What is the difference between the two?

Great, thanks.

Yup!

linglingfool

Yes, among other things (primarily coffee-related). They offer a 1GB daily flatrate for €2.95, or a 30-day flatrate for €19.95 (throttled after 5GB). There are numerous locations in Berlin, most of which are near major S-Bahn stops, as well as locations in Frankfurt.

They sell a couple of different types of SIM cards -- one with a pre-activated "smartphone" plan (50 min, 50 SMS, and 300 MB data), and another pay-as-you-go -- see the first two options on this page (you want the second). For a limited time (through August 4th), their €4.95 SIM kit comes with €20 of starter credit.

MichaelBrighton

Tchibo has stores all over Germany, including some small towns, which can make them very handy. I speak German, so I do not know how many of them speak English. If you want to add value to the SIM card, you can go into any store, give them cash and they will give you a cash register receipt with instructions (in German) how to add that to your phone.

If you buy it in a larger city, the chances are probably better that they can speak some English.

I should add that my last experience with them (a bit over one week ago) was not good and I will be sending a complaint letter to them.

linglingfool

I would think that chances of finding someone in the store who speaks some English would be fairly good in Berlin or Frankfurt. I also speak German, so the form I had to fill out wasn't a problem for me, but I remember it being fairly basic. The only holdup that I remember was that they had to fax the activation form in somewhere, so it took a few hours for the activation to complete.

MichaelBrighton

I might be wrong, but I suspect the store workers are fairly low paid. Perhaps a bit more than in a supermarket. For that reason, I am not really so sure finding someone who speaks good English will be so easy to find.

I'm not sure which form you mean. Is it the registration form? You can do that online. Unfortunately, they ask for your address and the only option is in Germany. Since I don't use any of their "extra services" (like adding value to the SIM card by sending them an SMS), making a false address in Germany was not a problem until I started having problems with the service.

When I explained the problem in the store, they very kindly called customer service for me on the store phone. Bizarrely, the customer service people said they wanted my password (something you select when you register) "in order to protect my privacy"(!). When one asked for my name and birthdate, I gave that to her, but she still could not find my record. When I came home, I checked and I had given them my correct name and birthdate, which seemed strange that they could not find it in their database.

If they refund the money I lost, I will use them again. If not, I'll use another service.

linglingfool

Yes, the registration form (this was years ago and I didn't have immediate wireless access), since Analise indicated that she wouldn't be able to access the internet to activate the SIM. As I mentioned, the form is fairly basic, so actually filling it out shouldn't be a problem, she just needs to communicate with the store worker well enough to intimate what she needs.

Analise

It was so easy buying a SIM card in London. I wish I could find it though as I bought it several years ago. If I did, I wonder if I could buy data coverage in Germany for my trip.

My German isn't that great so this may be difficult. But as was said already, I would think at FRA or in Berlin when I arrive there in the early evening (I'm taking the DB from FRA), I'd find a salesperson who speaks some English. If not, I'll forego it and go to internet cafes once per day to check email and send email to my husband as I've done for years before having a smartphone. When I was in England 3 months ago, "free wifi" at Starbucks or hotel lobbies always had weak signals so I imagine I'll find the same in Berlin.

MichaelBrighton

Possibly, but it wouldn't be cheap.Unfortunately, your best hope for an English-speaking clerk is at the airport, where, assuming there is a store, it will not be cheap. Once you go into town, you may be lucky and find someone who can help you. If the clerk in town speaks a little English, perhaps you could ask whether he or she could find a clerk in another store that could help you. There may be parts of the sale or service that you need to be aware of, and having those explained to you in English could make a big difference.

Good luck.