Best SIM cards for expats in Germany in 2026
Prepaid German SIMs need no Anmeldung and no Schufa. What each network actually costs, the speed caps nobody mentions, and why you pay 13 times a year.
Getting a German phone number is one of the few pieces of German admin that is genuinely easy. Prepaid SIMs need no registered address, no credit history and no contract, which makes them the rare thing you can sort out in your first week rather than your first month.
The complications are smaller but worth knowing before you buy: the discount brands cap your speed, plan periods are four weeks rather than a month, and activation involves a video identity check that catches people out.
The sequence that works
Land with a travel eSIM so you have data at the airport, buy a German prepaid SIM within your first few days, and only consider a contract months later once your address is settled. Around €9 to €10 buys 20 to 30GB on any network, which is more than most people use.
A detail worth adopting early: keep your home SIM in the second slot for banking two-factor codes and old contacts, and run the German eSIM as your primary. Losing access to your home bank because you swapped SIMs is a common and avoidable headache.
Prepaid options compared, 2026
Prices are indicative and change. Plan periods run in four-week blocks.
| Provider | Network | Typical price | Notable for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aldi Talk | O2 | €9.99 for 25GB | Cheapest per GB, sold at every Aldi |
| Congstar | Telekom | from €8 per 4 weeks | Telekom coverage at a discount price |
| Vodafone CallYa | Vodafone | €9.99 for 25GB | Free SIM, strong urban 5G |
| Telekom Prepaid | Telekom | from €9.95 | Best rural and rail coverage |
| Lidl Connect | Vodafone | around €8 | Cheap, sold at Lidl |
| Lebara | O2 | €4.99 for 20GB | Cheap calls outside the EU, multilingual support |
Three things the price does not tell you
Discount brands cap your speed
Congstar prepaid runs at roughly 25 Mbit/s. Telekom and Vodafone prepaid allow up to 300 Mbit/s on LTE.
You pay 13 times a year, not 12
German prepaid plans run in four-week blocks rather than calendar months.
Activation needs a video identity check
German law requires identity verification for every SIM, done by video call or in store.
Which network actually matters
Germany has three physical networks and everything else resells capacity on one of them. Telekom has the strongest rural and rail coverage, which matters more than people expect if you travel between cities by train. Vodafone performs best on urban 5G. O2 gives the most data per euro.
This is why checking the underlying network matters more than the brand name. Aldi Talk and Lidl Connect are cheap because they are resellers, not because they are worse, and congstar gives you Telekom coverage at a discount because Telekom owns it.
When a contract makes sense
Contracts offer better rates and full network speed, but require a Schufa credit check that newcomers routinely fail, a German bank account for direct debit, and a 24-month commitment.
One thing has improved. German law used to auto-renew contracts for another full year if you forgot to cancel. That was stopped, so after the initial 24 months a contract now converts to a rolling monthly arrangement you can leave with one month of notice. The first two years still lock you in, so the advice stands: stay prepaid until your address and plans are settled.