Mobile phone plan - Best for international usage
Jan 31, 2016, 7:11 am
#1
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Mobile phone plan - Best for international usage
Hi all,
I will relocate from UK to Germany in two months. I am looking for a monthly plan for my mobile phone and would like to have some advice.
I will be living in Rheinland Pfalz, town of +50 000 people. Currently in the UK I have a plan with 3, which has a great feature call Feel at Home: when travelling abroad in 16 countries, phone call to UK + SMS to UK + data usage are not charged at roaming rate but on your plan rate (basically like if you were in UK).
Is there an operator in Germany providing something similar, i.e free data in some foreign countries (important one for me would be in France, US, UK and Norway) ?
Also, which operator with good rates on phone call from Germany to international would you recommend ?
Thanks !
I will relocate from UK to Germany in two months. I am looking for a monthly plan for my mobile phone and would like to have some advice.
I will be living in Rheinland Pfalz, town of +50 000 people. Currently in the UK I have a plan with 3, which has a great feature call Feel at Home: when travelling abroad in 16 countries, phone call to UK + SMS to UK + data usage are not charged at roaming rate but on your plan rate (basically like if you were in UK).
Is there an operator in Germany providing something similar, i.e free data in some foreign countries (important one for me would be in France, US, UK and Norway) ?
Also, which operator with good rates on phone call from Germany to international would you recommend ?
Thanks !
Feb 1, 2016, 10:57 am
#2
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: AMS/RTM
Posts: 2,827
First, be prepared to pay extortionate prices for mobile services in Germany, compared to the UK.
Second, if you sign up for a contract, remember that you are locked in for 24 months, and that transferring to another operator requires you to pay a ransom to transfer your old number.
Third, and this happened to me on BASE so I don't know about other operators, for the first six months of contract you will not have any roaming service because you don't have a credit score in Germany so you can't be trusted with your phone.
That said, all the major operators (Telekom, Vodafone, O2) have an option where for 5€/month (again, locked in for 24 months and you pay also if you don't travel) you can use your data allowance in the EU and calls and texts to/from Germany are free.
Ask your employer if they have some deals with a specific provider (e.g. whoever provides their company phones) so that you can get better prices or better plans. The average plan with unlimited calls, SMS, and about 1GB of data (yup, 1GB) runs around 35€.
There are a number of other operators for PAYG, but AFAIK they do not offer any specific roaming package. Check our sites like this.
Second, if you sign up for a contract, remember that you are locked in for 24 months, and that transferring to another operator requires you to pay a ransom to transfer your old number.
Third, and this happened to me on BASE so I don't know about other operators, for the first six months of contract you will not have any roaming service because you don't have a credit score in Germany so you can't be trusted with your phone.
That said, all the major operators (Telekom, Vodafone, O2) have an option where for 5€/month (again, locked in for 24 months and you pay also if you don't travel) you can use your data allowance in the EU and calls and texts to/from Germany are free.
Ask your employer if they have some deals with a specific provider (e.g. whoever provides their company phones) so that you can get better prices or better plans. The average plan with unlimited calls, SMS, and about 1GB of data (yup, 1GB) runs around 35€.
There are a number of other operators for PAYG, but AFAIK they do not offer any specific roaming package. Check our sites like this.
Feb 1, 2016, 7:52 pm
#4
Join Date: Nov 2008
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Ortel Cross might be a good option. Doesn't come with US roaming, but checks most of the rest of your boxes.
Have a look at Lycamobile as well. Not the greatest, but one of the few I know of that include any kind of roaming in the US. You might be able to make it work depending on how much usage you anticipate.
Have a look at Lycamobile as well. Not the greatest, but one of the few I know of that include any kind of roaming in the US. You might be able to make it work depending on how much usage you anticipate.
Feb 8, 2016, 8:42 am
#5
Join Date: Feb 2016
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Depending to your employer, he is providing you a phone and a contract. So you don't have any costs worries (this is pretty normal in Germany). The big Carriers are normally offering contracts, that includes free roaming and EU-wide usage. But expect prices up to and more than 100EUR per month. For only 1 line. Look for so called "Parntervertrag", there you can maybe combine more lines.
This 24 month locks are insane. And even if you leave Germany, you need to pay the full time. There are court rulings against cosutmers recorded. Trust me, I payed full 12 month for nothing...
Don't worry about the missing credit score. The SCHUFA is working upside down, so if you don't have a negative record, you are fine. And you can show them a copy of your last salary statement or a letter of employment. That should work.
This 24 month locks are insane. And even if you leave Germany, you need to pay the full time. There are court rulings against cosutmers recorded. Trust me, I payed full 12 month for nothing...
Don't worry about the missing credit score. The SCHUFA is working upside down, so if you don't have a negative record, you are fine. And you can show them a copy of your last salary statement or a letter of employment. That should work.
Feb 8, 2016, 8:51 am
#6
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
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+1. My employer offers 3€/month plans from T-Mobile that cover basic voice for 300min to any line and all landline calls free (+10€ for 5GB data on 3G, +20€ for LTE)
Feb 8, 2016, 1:51 pm
#7
Join Date: Jul 2013
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Feb 9, 2016, 1:31 pm
#8
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Depending to your employer, he is providing you a phone and a contract. So you don't have any costs worries (this is pretty normal in Germany). The big Carriers are normally offering contracts, that includes free roaming and EU-wide usage. But expect prices up to and more than 100EUR per month. For only 1 line. Look for so called "Parntervertrag", there you can maybe combine more lines.
This 24 month locks are insane. And even if you leave Germany, you need to pay the full time. There are court rulings against cosutmers recorded. Trust me, I payed full 12 month for nothing...
Don't worry about the missing credit score. The SCHUFA is working upside down, so if you don't have a negative record, you are fine. And you can show them a copy of your last salary statement or a letter of employment. That should work.
This 24 month locks are insane. And even if you leave Germany, you need to pay the full time. There are court rulings against cosutmers recorded. Trust me, I payed full 12 month for nothing...
Don't worry about the missing credit score. The SCHUFA is working upside down, so if you don't have a negative record, you are fine. And you can show them a copy of your last salary statement or a letter of employment. That should work.
Feb 9, 2016, 2:28 pm
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Rhineland-Palatinate
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Thanks a lot for the extra information.
My employer does not provide me with a phone and contract unfortunately, I work for a small startup with a lot of DIY. I expense back my bills (for business calls only so I have to remove private ones) and if I leave Germany, he will not pay for the remaining months out of the contract.
I think a PAYG is the way forward for me.
My employer does not provide me with a phone and contract unfortunately, I work for a small startup with a lot of DIY. I expense back my bills (for business calls only so I have to remove private ones) and if I leave Germany, he will not pay for the remaining months out of the contract.
I think a PAYG is the way forward for me.