Prepaid SIM - Austria
Aug 2, 2017, 10:23 am
#32
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Bay Area
Programs: DL SM, UA MP.
Posts: 12,729
Going to drive into Austria from Munich, staying first at a small Tyrollean village. No mobile carrier shops there but supposedly the A1 B.free Internet SIM card kits are sold in some grocery chains, gas stations and post offices.
Anyone have any luck buying SIM cards at such places? Supposedly no registration required in Austria so I guess it could work.
Anyone have any luck buying SIM cards at such places? Supposedly no registration required in Austria so I guess it could work.
Aug 2, 2017, 12:30 pm
#33
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 302
You can buy b.free starter sets at LIDL grocery stores as far as i know.
http://www.lidl.at/de/kommunikation-...etail&id=15863
If you're not limited to b.free - definitely check Billa, Merkur, Bipa, Adeg and/or Libro - they do have other options available. (yess, hott, drei, ...)
http://www.lidl.at/de/kommunikation-...etail&id=15863
If you're not limited to b.free - definitely check Billa, Merkur, Bipa, Adeg and/or Libro - they do have other options available. (yess, hott, drei, ...)
Aug 2, 2017, 12:58 pm
#34
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Bay Area
Programs: DL SM, UA MP.
Posts: 12,729
You can buy b.free starter sets at LIDL grocery stores as far as i know.
http://www.lidl.at/de/kommunikation-...etail&id=15863
If you're not limited to b.free - definitely check Billa, Merkur, Bipa, Adeg and/or Libro - they do have other options available. (yess, hott, drei, ...)
http://www.lidl.at/de/kommunikation-...etail&id=15863
If you're not limited to b.free - definitely check Billa, Merkur, Bipa, Adeg and/or Libro - they do have other options available. (yess, hott, drei, ...)
Hoping SPAR or maybe the post office will have them but in a small town, who knows what their inventory is like.
According to this site, A1 B.free Internet is the only prepaid product which allows roaming under the EU Roam Like at Home. T-Mobile and 3 do not allow roaming.
http://prepaid-data-sim-card.wikia.com/wiki/Austria
I don't plan to return to Munich until the last night before I fly back but I know places like Neuschwanstein are relatively close by.
And it looks like the prices are all about the same with A1 supposedly having the best network. Even MVNOs aren't much cheaper.
Aug 3, 2017, 12:06 pm
#35
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 302
wco81, 3 started to offer prepaid packages with EU-Roaming
https://www.drei.at/portal/de/privat...3-mit-roaming/
The smallest package is €15 for 3000 Minutes, 300 Minutes from Austria to the EU, 3000 SMS and 4GB Data EU-Wide.
For T-Mobile Prepaid (Named klax) you'd have to buy additional packages for EU-Roaming which are not really worth it.
A1 for sure has the best network coverage on the countryside.
Don't worry most post offices usually are well stocked as they are also selling Internet, Landline and TV products from A1.
https://www.drei.at/portal/de/privat...3-mit-roaming/
The smallest package is €15 for 3000 Minutes, 300 Minutes from Austria to the EU, 3000 SMS and 4GB Data EU-Wide.
For T-Mobile Prepaid (Named klax) you'd have to buy additional packages for EU-Roaming which are not really worth it.
A1 for sure has the best network coverage on the countryside.
Don't worry most post offices usually are well stocked as they are also selling Internet, Landline and TV products from A1.
Aug 3, 2017, 12:10 pm
#36
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Bay Area
Programs: DL SM, UA MP.
Posts: 12,729
Thanks, that's good to know.
The post office in the town I'm going to has a Post Partner, so I'm guessing some kind of outsourced company running a post office for a small town.
I'm almost tempted to try to order the Welcome kit online and have it sent to the hotel where I'll be staying.
I want to add a 15 Euro package for 10 GB of data but I may have to set up an account on the A1 website to do it. I can't find a way to text to activate a specific package. They do have an iOS app. but it's not available on the US app. store.
The post office in the town I'm going to has a Post Partner, so I'm guessing some kind of outsourced company running a post office for a small town.
I'm almost tempted to try to order the Welcome kit online and have it sent to the hotel where I'll be staying.
I want to add a 15 Euro package for 10 GB of data but I may have to set up an account on the A1 website to do it. I can't find a way to text to activate a specific package. They do have an iOS app. but it's not available on the US app. store.
Aug 4, 2017, 12:07 pm
#37
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 302
I hope this will not bee too confusing.
If you are talking about the B.free Internet Welcome Package there is a step-by-step guide on how to activate it and add extra packages.
Loading Money to your new Number is done via buying a coupon at Post, Supermarkets, on several cashpoints or online with credit-card. See here
After loading the money you can activate the extra packages. See Link of the step-by-step-guide under the 4th Point "Tarif aktivieren" - mehr Infos
For me it looks like that you won't need to register for an account for that. Hope that helps a bit.
If you are talking about the B.free Internet Welcome Package there is a step-by-step guide on how to activate it and add extra packages.
Loading Money to your new Number is done via buying a coupon at Post, Supermarkets, on several cashpoints or online with credit-card. See here
After loading the money you can activate the extra packages. See Link of the step-by-step-guide under the 4th Point "Tarif aktivieren" - mehr Infos
For me it looks like that you won't need to register for an account for that. Hope that helps a bit.
Aug 4, 2017, 5:37 pm
#38
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Bay Area
Programs: DL SM, UA MP.
Posts: 12,729
I hope this will not bee too confusing.
If you are talking about the B.free Internet Welcome Package there is a step-by-step guide on how to activate it and add extra packages.
Loading Money to your new Number is done via buying a coupon at Post, Supermarkets, on several cashpoints or online with credit-card. See here
After loading the money you can activate the extra packages. See Link of the step-by-step-guide under the 4th Point "Tarif aktivieren" - mehr Infos
For me it looks like that you won't need to register for an account for that. Hope that helps a bit.
If you are talking about the B.free Internet Welcome Package there is a step-by-step guide on how to activate it and add extra packages.
Loading Money to your new Number is done via buying a coupon at Post, Supermarkets, on several cashpoints or online with credit-card. See here
After loading the money you can activate the extra packages. See Link of the step-by-step-guide under the 4th Point "Tarif aktivieren" - mehr Infos
For me it looks like that you won't need to register for an account for that. Hope that helps a bit.
So automatically it will open this "My B.free Internet" page after I've used up the initial 5 GB of data?
Or is there a URL to load?
I should already have 5 Euros credit left over from the Welcome Kit, if I'm not mistaken? So just add 10 Euros and activate the 15 Euro data bundle, for instance?
Aug 4, 2017, 9:36 pm
#39
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 302
Thanks, those links are helpful.
So automatically it will open this "My B.free Internet" page after I've used up the initial 5 GB of data?
Or is there a URL to load?
I should already have 5 Euros credit left over from the Welcome Kit, if I'm not mistaken? So just add 10 Euros and activate the 15 Euro data bundle, for instance?
So automatically it will open this "My B.free Internet" page after I've used up the initial 5 GB of data?
Or is there a URL to load?
I should already have 5 Euros credit left over from the Welcome Kit, if I'm not mistaken? So just add 10 Euros and activate the 15 Euro data bundle, for instance?
Usually when you visit a1.net via mobile phone data it should detect your number so that you can access the admin functions.
Oct 26, 2019, 7:38 pm
#40
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 573
Hello FT, Heading to beautiful Vienna for 2 weeks in January.
Several questions:
1) Yesss https://www.yesss.at/home
It seems like Yesss might be the best provider for my situation might be best for my pre-paid SIM needs because from what I read a couple weeks ago*** it allows
- international roaming I will connect via Frankfurt or London, and might decide to overnight there.
- tethering This is mostly a work trip. I won't need it much, but when I do, I'll need it urgently.
*** don't recall where I read that now...maybe here: prepaid-data-sim-card.fandom.com/wiki/Austria
2) Online registration
My hotel receptionist wrote me that
"You can buy SIM Cards for Yesss! and other Providers at every “Billa” Supermarket and do the registration online.
I would prefer Yesss!, Bob ( available at Billa) or Hot! (available at Hofer Supermarket)."
Could I really do the registration online if I'm not a resident of Austria or EU? (I'm a resident of Texas, USA )
3) Which Yesss
I will be using a ton of data during this time, and would lean towards the 'Compete XL' version
Not prioritizing costs, does this look right for intl roaming and tethering?
https://www.yesss.at/home
Several questions:
1) Yesss https://www.yesss.at/home
It seems like Yesss might be the best provider for my situation might be best for my pre-paid SIM needs because from what I read a couple weeks ago*** it allows
- international roaming I will connect via Frankfurt or London, and might decide to overnight there.
- tethering This is mostly a work trip. I won't need it much, but when I do, I'll need it urgently.
*** don't recall where I read that now...maybe here: prepaid-data-sim-card.fandom.com/wiki/Austria
2) Online registration
My hotel receptionist wrote me that
"You can buy SIM Cards for Yesss! and other Providers at every “Billa” Supermarket and do the registration online.
I would prefer Yesss!, Bob ( available at Billa) or Hot! (available at Hofer Supermarket)."
Could I really do the registration online if I'm not a resident of Austria or EU? (I'm a resident of Texas, USA )
3) Which Yesss
I will be using a ton of data during this time, and would lean towards the 'Compete XL' version
Not prioritizing costs, does this look right for intl roaming and tethering?
https://www.yesss.at/home
Oct 26, 2019, 7:57 pm
#41
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Bay Area
Programs: DL SM, UA MP.
Posts: 12,729
I've only used A1 and Magenta (T-Mobile Austria).
When I roamed with A1 in Germany, it dropped to pretty slow 3G. Maybe it was where I happened to be not in a big city but a small village in the mountains.
I noticed that Yesss is a subsidiary of A1.
So I wouldn't base the decision solely on roaming.
As for registration, yeah if you feel confident possibly using a German website. The other thing is it may not take US credit cards. That's why in September, I just went to a Magenta shop and had them take care of it.
When I roamed with A1 in Germany, it dropped to pretty slow 3G. Maybe it was where I happened to be not in a big city but a small village in the mountains.
I noticed that Yesss is a subsidiary of A1.
So I wouldn't base the decision solely on roaming.
As for registration, yeah if you feel confident possibly using a German website. The other thing is it may not take US credit cards. That's why in September, I just went to a Magenta shop and had them take care of it.