Buying a SIM Card or eSIM in Austria

Austria is best known for the classical music of Mozart, the psychotherapies of Freud, and the voice of Arnie Schwarzenegger.

It’s often overlooked by travelers in favor of more affordable Central and Eastern European countries, or the glamour of France, Italy or Spain, but it shouldn’t be.

With wonderful Baroque-era architecture, breathtaking Alpine countryside, and some of the most underrated wine in Europe, the country is well worth a visit.

If you’re looking to stay connected while visiting Austria, it’s not difficult. Coverage is very good throughout the country with all major providers, and despite new registration requirements a few years back, the purchase process is still fairly straightforward.

Still, for most travelers these days, I wouldn’t recommend physical SIM cards at all. Travel eSIMs are cheaper than local SIMs in Austria, and because you can get set up beforehand (without the registration hassle), you’re good to go as soon as you arrive.

Whichever option you choose, here’s everything you need to know.

There are three cell networks in the country: A1, Magenta Telekom (formerly T-Mobile,) and 3. Choosing one of these companies is the easiest way to get a SIM card in Austria, with their shops easy to find no matter where you happen to be.

Several companies also resell service from one of the above operators. Prices are often somewhat lower, but the purchase and registration process is often more difficult.

Some outlets charge anything up to €10 to register the SIM to you, or simply won’t accept a foreign ID. You’ll typically be left on your own to set up your SIM as well, which isn’t all that difficult but can be a little frustrating if you don’t speak German.

A1 is the biggest operator in Austria, with the best 4G/LTE service. Its starter pack is called B.free, and you can either buy a call, SMS, and data package, or opt for internet-only.

It’s who I chose to go with, due to its superior coverage, fast data speeds, and ease of setup. That said, in 2019 the company stopped offering EU roaming on most of its cheaper prepaid plans.

If you don’t need large amounts of data but are planning to use your Austrian SIM card elsewhere in the EU, consider buying from a carrier like 3 instead (or use a regional eSIM, which I talk about below). 

You can buy a prepaid card from most supermarkets and post offices, or an official shop. I visited a store to buy my SIM card, since my German isn’t perfect by any means. Luckily, the vast majority of people in Austria speak English.

As a result, setting my new SIM card up took just a few minutes, and meant I didn’t have to read any German instructions.

Checking the website before visiting meant I knew exactly what I wanted and made the process easier, as I could avoid being talked into a more expensive package. You may need to use a VPN to access the site from outside Austria, as it seems to be blocked from at least some other countries.

Prepaid SIM cards are required to be registered. You’ll need to show your passport or identity card as part of this process. If you need an Austrian SIM card as soon as you land in Vienna, you’ll have more limited options, often coupled with a hefty activation fee.

Prices are cheaper elsewhere, and since it takes 20 minutes or less to get to the city by bus or train, it’s worth waiting if you can. Alternatively, just use a travel eSIM instead: it’ll start working as soon as you arrive.

Given the registration hassles associated with physical SIMs and the higher costs at the airport, it makes sense to get a travel eSIM instead. That’s what I’ll be doing next time I’m in Austria, as it’ll be easier and save me money.

I’ve tried a lot of different eSIM companies over the last couple of years, and of the ones I’d be happy to use and recommend, Airalo typically has noticeably cheaper pricing than the rest.

Like most travel eSIMs, it’s data-only: you don’t get a local number. I use apps for everything from communication to transport these days, so the lack of a local number very rarely matters to me, but you might have different needs.

One thing worth noting: if you’re planning to travel to several European countries within a few weeks, it might be worth looking at some of the regional eSIM packages on offer.

There are too many to list each one separately (and they change all the time), but as a starting point, these are the Europe eSIM options from companies I’d actually consider using:

• aloSIM (34 countries)
• Airalo (39 countries)
• Nomad (30-35 countries)
• SIMOptions (29-39 countries)
• yeSIM (31 countries)
• easySIM (36 countries – free with any single-country eSIM)

If you’re new to eSIMs, they offer big benefits to travelers in terms of how quickly, easily, and (often) cheaply you can get connected when you arrive in a new country. Most recent phones support them, and you can read all about them here.

A1

Unfortunately, even though EU international roaming rules changed in 2017 to allow most EU residents to “roam like at home,” Austrian companies somehow manage to get around this with many of their plans.

A1 used to sell specific packages for its prepaid SIMs that enabled EU roaming for a somewhat higher price. Those packs no longer exist, and roaming is blocked on the smaller prepaid packages.

If you’re planning to head elsewhere in the region, it’s worth considering a different operator unless you can make use of the larger B.free bundles.

Assuming you’re staying within Austria, however, the B.free “XS” package costs €10, valid for four weeks. It includes 6GB of LTE data, 1000 minutes, and 1000 SMS. The “S” package costs €15 and bumps up the data to 15GB. 

For €20 you get the “M” package, with double the number of calls and texts, and 18GB of data within Austria. It’s the smallest pack that includes EU roaming: you can use any and all of your allowance elsewhere in the EEA.

There’s also an “L” package, with 3000 minutes, 3000 texts, and 30GB of data for €30. You can use 28GB of your data allowance elsewhere in the EEA.

Airalo

Prices with Airalo are pretty cheap, especially if you don’t need a lot of data, but even if you do. Packs start at $4.50 for 1GB valid for 7 days, with several larger options available that are valid for 15 or 30 days and really won’t break the bank.

It’s not the only eSIM company out there, of course. We’ve compared many of them in the past, and here’s how the best ones stack up price-wise in Austria.

Topping Up

A1

Topping up is painless, with top-up vouchers available everywhere in the country. You can choose to visit an A1 shop, or buy a coupon code from its “retail partners” like convenience stores, post offices, tobacco shops, and supermarkets.

Once you’ve bought the voucher, just dial 102, plus the voucher code and number. It should be as simple as that. If your German is good or you’re handy with a translation app, you can also top up by visiting the website and finding the credit card section.

To check your remaining balance, dial *101#. Don’t worry, you won’t have to speak to anyone — you’ll just get a message with the details a few seconds later.

It’s a good idea to be mindful of how much data you’re using, as overuse and roaming fees are very high.

Airalo

Topping up with Airalo (or any of the other travel eSIM companies) is done by logging into the website or app. You just select your Austria eSIM, hit the top-up button, and buy the same package again.

The top-up packs have exactly the same pricing and duration as the original eSIMs: there’s little difference between topping up your current eSIM and buying a new one, other than not having to activate it.

I never struggled with coverage in Austria, even while out beside gorgeous lakes in the middle of nowhere. Internet connections occasionally became a little patchy while taking a bus across the country, but problems wouldn’t last long.

Overall, cell service with A1 is excellent. There’s a coverage map here if you need to check a specific location.

If you go with an Airalo eSIM, it uses the 3 network instead. Coverage is slightly less than A1, but still very good: it services 98% of the population, and you’ll likely be able to get connected anywhere but particularly remote areas.

Austria is part of the European Union, so EU roaming regulations apply. These “roam like at home” rules ended roaming charges across much of Europe in 2017, letting you use a SIM card from any EU country across all the others at no extra charge.

Austrian carriers don’t appear to be fully complying with these rules, however, as detailed above. Check the details at time of purchase if you’re planning to use your SIM elsewhere in the region, or go with one of the regional eSIMs mentioned earlier.

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Check out our guides to SIM cards and eSIMs in 70+ other countries here.

Main image via Julius_Silver