Mobile & SIM
Get connected in Germany. Compare eSIMs you can activate before landing with local prepaid and contract options.
Get connected before you land
Activate instantly before arrival. No German bank account required. Perfect for having data from day one.
Flexible German prepaid plans
Get a real German phone number. No Schufa required, no long contracts.
Budget prepaid options
Lowest cost options once settled in Germany. Buy SIM cards at any supermarket or discounter.
Renting a phone or laptop
An option if you would rather not buy a device outright before your income is settled.
Getting connected in the right order
Connectivity is one of the few things you can genuinely solve before you land, and doing so removes a surprising amount of early friction. An eSIM activated before departure means you have working data the moment you clear the airport, which matters when you need maps, translation and the ability to contact a landlord on your first day.
The limitation is that eSIMs are data-only and give you no German phone number. That becomes a problem quickly, because bank verification, appointment booking and delivery notifications all assume a German mobile number. So the sensible sequence is an eSIM for the first days, then a German prepaid SIM once you have an address, then a contract much later if you want one.
Why not to sign a contract at first
German mobile contracts offer the best rates and the best network access, but they carry a standard 24-month commitment, require a Schufa credit check that newcomers routinely fail, and need a German bank account for direct debit. Cancellation requires three months notice before the contract end, and missing that window rolls you into another year.
Prepaid avoids all of this. There is no credit check, no commitment, and you can move to a contract after six to twelve months once you have a Schufa history and know whether you are staying. The price difference over a first year is small compared with the cost of being locked into the wrong plan.
Networks, and what actually differs
Germany has three physical networks: Telekom, Vodafone and O2. Everything else, including the supermarket brands, 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.
This is why a budget brand running on the Telekom network can be a better choice than a premium-priced plan on a weaker one. Check which network a provider uses rather than comparing on price alone.
One practical note: German law requires identity verification for every SIM. For supermarket brands that usually means an in-store or video check, so a SIM bought online cannot simply be inserted and used.
About long-term contracts
Traditional German mobile contracts (Telekom, Vodafone, O2) offer the best rates long-term but come with barriers:
- 24-month contract commitment is standard
- Schufa credit check required — newcomers usually fail this
- German bank account (SEPA) needed for direct debit
- Cancellation requires 3 months notice before contract end
- Recommendation: start with prepaid, switch to contract after 6–12 months once you have Schufa history