Primer for cellular access in Germany?
 

Is there a basic guide for the best (and cheapest) ways to get cell phone access and/or internet access while in Germany? (Yes, I saw the thread on SIM cards for internet available through ALDI ... not quite sure I understand exactly what's available there and how useable that system is yet, i.e., if such a SIM card will work in any aircard or whatnot ...)

Get an unlocked GSM phone, go to any phone shop in Germany, buy a pre-paid sim card from the carrier of your choice (I use a T-Mobile pay-as-you-go sim card), put it in the sim card holder of the phone and you're ready to go. Top up the card as needed. It's a very easy process.

I suggest you go with one of the four main GSM carriers T-Mobile, Vodafone, E-Plus or o2 and buy the card in one of their retail shops. The virtual carriers like Aldi (which uses the E-Plus network) often require you to activate the SIM card over the internet or sometimes you need a German mailing address where they ship you the SIM-Card. Being a tourist this can be tricky. If you don't have a GSM phone you often get cheap bundles of a basic GSM phone and a SIM Card.

+1 Another vote for using a T-Mobile SIM card in an unlocked GSM phone. I originally bought my SIM at the T-Mobile store in the TXL shopping area three or four years ago, and I load more minutes over the Internet, no matter whether I am in Germany or elsewhere (I recently re-loaded over the 'Net in the UK and from the U.S.).

Do these retailers have a shop at the airport - or is shopping at the airport never a good idea?

As stated above, T-Mobile has a shop in the TXL (Berlin - Tegel) main shopping area. It's a company-owned store, not just a general "authorized dealer", so the price for a SIM is the same as if you were to buy it at a T-Mobile shop in the center city.

Do the phones typically run like 20 euros or something when you buy from the T-Mob shop at TXL? I have a GSM phone but its locked to ATT. I don't plan on making alot of next week but it would be nice to not have to worry about paying a 1 dollar per min to use my ATT plan.

No. Your cheapest solution might be to buy an AT&T rechargeable calling card at Sam's Club, if you want to call back to the U.S.. The card is rechargeable and very easy to use. I use it with my unlocked European cell and from landlines in hotels, etc.

A T-Mo card is going to cost the same no matter where you buy it, at least in my experience. I frequently recharge mine at the airport after landing.

That's good to know and I do have a Sam's Club membership.

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Another nice thing about T-Mobile is that you can top up over the Internet from anywhere using the Xtra website. Last
September, I topped up while in Helsinki and again when in London; completely painless. ^

I have AT&T and I am going to see about getting my phone unlocked. Anyone recommend an inexpensive SIM card to buy at FRA? Also, I also have a onesuite account. Are there still payphones in mid and smaller German cities? If so, maybe I'll just use that calling card. Thoughts?

Best of luck in getting ATT to unlock your phone. I purchased the ATT Worldwide Prepaid Phone Card yesterday from ATT's website. The rates are very good from landlines and ok from cellphones.

The ATT store made it a selling point that unlike Verizon, their phones can be unlocked. I'll see if that's true. If not, will there still be payphones? NYC, for example, has cut back on payphones but one still can see plenty of them.

AT&T is pretty good about unlocking if you've been a customer for at least a few months. I've gotten unlock codes over the phone. The bigger issue is making sure your phone is tri-band (acceptable) or quad-band (best); if it isn't, unlocking it won't matter.


There's previous discussion of prepaid SIM cards in Germany.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...nute-cost.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/germa...e-germany.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/germa...-1-99-day.html

Yes, there still are pay phones in Germany, but there are fewer than there used to be. Many do not accept coins--phone cards only (either via a toll-free access number or via a proprietary phone card with a chip on it). Some take credit cards as well, but the rates are quite high.

I got my phone last spring. How would I know if my phone were tri-band or quad-band? Also, and please understand that I am not cell phone savvy, once my phone is unlocked, I'll just replace the SIM card that's already in there with a German SIM card. Then when I return to NYC, I'll put back the original SIM card and have my original service....is that right?


Thanks.

I have a toll-free # to call to use onesuite.com to make calls.