Buying a SIM Card or eSIM in Germany

There are plenty of amazing things about Germany besides just the beer. Although that’s amazing too, of course. I visited in winter, which is definitely the off-season. Luckily, that’s one of my favorite times to travel.

Besides the obvious of not having to deal with large crowds of tourists, It also means the Christkindl Markets were open and going strong.

There’s nothing better on a cold German evening than a hot ceramic shoe full of spiced and spiked Glühwein. Add a bratwurst or schnitzel, and that’s my idea of some satisfyingly unhealthy calorie consumption right there.

When it comes to staying connected, there are many options available, based on your data, text, and voice requirements. Costs are reasonable but not necessarily cheap, however, and the purchase and registration process can vary a lot.

Top-ups are easy to do, at least, and readily available at local gas stations, convenience, and grocery stores.

If you only need data, though, you’ll likely be better off with a travel eSIM. Prices are low, especially if you don’t need much data but even if you do, and there’s none of the hassle around buying or registering the card.

However you choose to do it, here’s what you need to know.

There are three major network providers in Germany, with many, many companies reselling their services.

Deutsche Telekom (formerly known as T-Mobile) is generally considered to have the best network. It has the best LTE availability and the most free Wi-Fi hotspot locations. Resellers include Congstar, ja!mobile, and Lebara Mobile.

Vodafone has a network almost as good as Deutsche Telekom, and includes roaming for all EU/EEA countries (except Switzerland) at the German rates. Resellers include Fyve, Otelo, and Lycamobile.

O2 has the smallest network, and while it has improved in recent years, it’s still more prone to congestion than the others. Unless you find a particularly great deal on offer, there’s no particular reason for travelers to use it. Resellers include ALDI Talk, NettoKOM, Ortel, mobile, and WhatsApp.

I only listed a few of the reseller options but there are many others. They’re generally cheaper and offer a wide range of incentives and offers. This can make them more attractive than the major players if you’ve got the time and energy to hunt them down.

Registering your SIM can be more of a hassle with the resellers, however: you’re unlikely to be able to do it in person, which likely means wading through an online portal (in German) to try and get it working.

Coverage is very good in towns and cities, but there are some surprisingly large black spots in the countryside and other remote areas with all networks. LTE is the standard option, with 5G rolling out. 3G networks have been shut down nationwide.

I bought a Vodafone SIM, as it was available at a store close to where I was staying, and cheaper than the Deutsche Telekom option while providing more data.

While prices for physical SIMs are reasonable in Germany, you may still find that a travel eSIM is both a cheaper and an easier option. I often use them when traveling internationally these days, and find them super-convenient.

If you’re in the country for a short period or don’t expect to use much data, you’ll likely save money with an eSIM from aloSIM or Airalo. I’ve sometimes found that aloSIM provides higher speeds, but have been happy with both companies.

Even if you need a lot of data, though, there’s often not much difference in price between the travel eSIMs and the local companies, with the big benefit that the eSIM version lets you get set up at home and be connected as soon as you arrive.

Like most travel eSIMs, those in Germany are 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)

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.

We’ve also got a quick and easy eSIM finder that lets you find the best provider in every country in a few seconds!

When I arrived at Hamburg airport I was in a rush to catch my train, so didn’t check the availability of SIMs there. A quick search on Google suggests SIM cards are available at phone stores in the terminal, however, if you’ve got more time than me.

Outside the airport, SIM cards are available in grocery and convenience stores as well as specialty “Handy” stores. Yes, Germans call their cell phones “handys.”

Websites like Lebara.de (Telekom reseller) offer a SIM you can order for free and have delivered to a valid German address. I ordered one and gave my aunt’s address, but ended up leaving before it arrived.

Regardless of where you buy your SIM, it needs to be registered and a data/voice package set up. Registration can be done in official carrier stores and some major electronics stores, or via a video chat-based system called WebID.

Foreign credit cards aren’t always accepted for buying data and voice packages: if that happens to you, have a German friend available or just use cash.

To buy my card I walked to the local Handy store where I was staying in Timmendorfer Strand. I speak absolutely no German. The gentleman at the Handy store spoke only a few words of English, but generous use of hand gestures and grunting got me the available options and costs for each.

You’ll need your passport for registration, along with a German address. The easiest option is to use that of your hotel or hostel.

The whole process of buying the card and getting it set up was easy and painless. It can take up to two hours to activate with some companies, but I was connected within five minutes. My entire time spent in the store was about 15 minutes.

Vodafone

A SIM card starter package cost €9.95, but came with €10 of credit, making it effectively free. That amount of credit buys a bundle with 6GB of data, unlimited domestic texts and calls, and 200 minutes/texts to elsewhere in the EU.

That package lasts four weeks: others with more or less data are also available, including a €20 version with 20GB of data, and a €79 pack with unlimited data.

The Telekom SIM package I was offered had less data for more money, and the store didn’t offer any O2 or reseller SIM’s.

Registration is free (it’s illegal to charge for it), but it’s not uncommon for Vodafone stores to charge an unofficial fee of up to €10 to do it. Stand your ground for as long as you’re willing to, or find somewhere else that doesn’t charge!

To check the balance on my Vodafone SIM, I dialed *100#

aloSIM

As is often the case, aloSIM and Airalo usually have near-identical pricing in Germany. I’ve sometimes found aloSIM to have higher speeds, which is why I prefer them, but have been happy with service from both companies. Use whichever one you like best!

They’re not the only travel eSIM companies, of course. We’ve compared many of them in the past, and here’s how the best ones stack up in Germany.

Nomad tends to have higher prices than the rest for smaller data packs, and better prices for large ones. Prices and promotions change all the time, though, so check the table below for the latest. I update the details each week, most recently on 14 April 2025.

Topping Up

Vodafone

Topping up is as simple as going into a grocery or convenience store and finding the cards hanging by the checkout lanes. I found Vodafone top-up cards at REWE and Aldi grocery stores, and most gas stations also have them.

Top-ups can be done at the network’s websites, but these sometimes only accept German cards. There are third-party top-up services such as prelado.de that may accept some non-German credit cards but also have an option to use Paypal.

The most reliable way is going to a physical store, as they accept both cash and foreign credit cards. It’s quick and easy, and the top-up cards are available everywhere.

Speeds were very good everywhere I tested them, although I didn’t go far from major cities on this trip. Whether I was just using my phone normally or tethering my laptop to it to get some work done, it was always fast enough for anything I needed to do.

With the travel eSIM companies, both aloSIM and Airalo use the O2 network: like I said, you should have similar coverage to the bigger players, but it’s more prone to congestion and slowdowns.

If that’s a concern, go for Nomad instead: it can use all three of the major networks, so you can just switch from one to another if you’re getting low speeds or no service.

Germany 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.

There are some exceptions and limits, however, especially with large data packages. Double-check the exact details at time of purchase, but I’ve generally found roaming to be included with Vodafone.

If you’re using a travel eSIM and planning to roam elsewhere in Europe, it’s worth looking at the regional data packs I mentioned earlier as well.

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Check out our guides to SIM cards and eSIMs in 65+ other countries here.