German SIM card for a two-week visit?

Question

I'm visiting Germany for a couple of weeks (Dresden mostly) very soon. I'm coming from outside Europe and leaving Europe after this visit.

I want to get a local SIM for my stay - mostly for Internet access but not bandwidth-heavy (no videos or large file transfer); I'll have wireless for most of my visit but not when I'm on the road. I know I can a SIM card, but - what's a cheap option, with decent network coverage, which I would easily find a place to buy?

_{PS - Unlike in this question, I don't care if the SIM card is valid for a month or not.}

score 4 · Answer 1 · answered Nov 18 '19 at 13:51

Prepaid Data SIM Card Wiki has a pretty lengthy post on SIM cards for Germany (and many other countries).

As you're be staying in the city coverage on all 3 major networks should be fine, but looks like O2 is the cheapest at the cost of reliability (again, in the city it shouldn't matter that much).

You can refer to the specific operators' pages to check rates and available packages.

Also note that you will have to register the SIM card under your name, so make sure that when you go to buy the SIM you have your passport on you.

"on the road" e.g. if you plan to visit, say, Sächsische Schweiz, then Telekom or Vodafone (and their resellers; D1 or D2) are probably a better bet than O2. — cbeleites unhappy with SX, Nov 27 '19 at 20:55

score 2 · Answer 2 · edited Nov 18 '19 at 16:10

2

Try the supermarket Netto or Aldi. They have prepaid cards with internet. You must activate the simcard on the marked website.

edited Nov 18 '19 at 16:10

Joren Vandamme

1,890
1
17
26

answered Nov 18 '19 at 13:53

susanne

21
1

1

Although it's a good idea and probably cheap option, going to a website without a simcard in a foreign country sounds harder than the other answer. – Joren Vandamme Nov 18 '19 at 14:01
Most cities have many wiki locations, in (and just outside) coffee shops and in hotels/hostels. So finding a website should not be a problem. – Willeke Nov 18 '19 at 16:33
@Willeke: Also, train stations and airports have free wifi too. – einpoklum Nov 18 '19 at 23:28
Also a possibility that once the SIM is installed, it will allow you to access the offering company's own website, or may provide a captive portal to let you set up. Certainly works on tablets. – Harper - Reinstate Monica Nov 19 '19 at 06:55

German SIM card for a two-week visit?

2 Answers2

Linked