My experience of activating Handy Internet Flatrate on a new SIM:

Sent 'START HANDYINTERNET', was asked for confimation, sent 'JA', and got an SMS that it would be activated soon : 'Sie erhalten in Kuerze...'. Nothing for 3 days. I tried using the AP 'Internet, but still on volume-based charging.

So yesterday I went on the Mein Fonic site
https://www.fonic.de/selfcare2/servlet/Start
and changed the data tariff there - very easy. I got an SMS to say it was activated today, 18 hours later, and the balance has been debited.

The frequent delays or even failures when requesting tariff changes by SMS is really annoying and a shame as well. May be I should add a warning that SMS-triggered tariff changes sometimes are not applied at all at LIDL mobile - Prepaid Wireless Internet Access which currently says: "tariff changes made online seem to become effective faster"

P.S.: just changed the text to "Tariff changes requested by SMS often take much longer to take effect or even fail sometimes, while those made online seem to become effective reliably and much faster. Therefore tariff changes should preferable be made online."

Lidl does seem rather slow. Today - 6 days after registering the SIM and a day after finally getting the Handy Internet Flatrate working - I received 2 emails.

One welcomed me to Lidl mobile and, inter alia, told me about the Mein Fonic online service.

The other suggested I try Handy Internet Flatrate - and offered a 1 month free trial:

Senden Sie einfach eine SMS mit "START PROBESURF" an die Telefonnummer 54356 *
*("LIDLM"). Sie erhalten eine Bestätigungs-SMS und danach können Sie kostenfrei surfen*. *
*

I've guided dozens of people through the activation procedure and I have never seen similar issues so far. There are also two reports from people who couldn't get their SIMs activated at Registered but no service - Prepaid Wireless Internet Access.
I assume they had some system maintenance or so - maybe this trial month, of which I hear for the first time, is a result of this.
Your report about the trial month, about which I hear for the first time, gave me a hint of why your tariff change by SMS failed: Lidl seem to have introduced their own number for SMS subscriptions which is 54356 (LIDLM) while before they shared the number with Fonic (36642 = FONIC).

I've just activated two Lidl SIMs with no problem at all, welcome letter received two days later. Next I'll see how smoothly the (ex-Vodafone) numbers are ported from Solomo.

FWIW, one other difference between Fonic and LM not mentioned in this thread is that the phone displays "LIDL MOBILE" not "FONIC".

I posted earlier on my problems activating Handy Internet Flatrate on my new SIM. I put the SIM in an iPad and verified that it worked. For the next week I had free internet at my hotels so I didn't use it. When I then tried to use it it wouldn't work. I put the SIM back into a phone and discovered that I couldn't make calls either, though I could receive them.

That evening I had wifi again and saw that on Mein Fonic it said Status SIM Karte: Nur erreichbar.

I used a UK mobile to ring customer service on 0176 8888 0000 - I'd read that they had English-speaking operators. They didn't - at least not on a Sunday evening. I don't speak German but I think I heard 'morgen' so perhaps they do during working hours. But I was only in Germany for two more days and I wasn't willing to waste more money trying to solve the problem. I did however send a message, via Mein Fonic, in English asking why the SIM was blocked. I was promised a response in 3 days.

I'm now back in the UK. Yesterday I got an email yesterday saying: "Unfortunately, the processing of your email inquiry is still going on. We therefore ask you to be patient."

If they ever tell me why it was blocked I'll let you know. I can think of 3 possible reasons:
1 The Berlin hotel I gave as an address was rejected. (Do all German SIMs require a German address?)
2 They detected the SIM was used in an iPad and they don't allow that.
3 The muddle over SMS and online change of data tariff confused their system.

On the plus side I got the 5€ credit for the referral!

(We enjoyed our holiday though: walking on Rügen Island and in the Hartz, and a couple of days in Berlin.)

"Nur erreichbar" means "only reachable" which usually only shows up if your SIM card has been blocked for all outgoing connections due to the verification letter having returned. I guess your hotel didn't accept the letter or returned it for whatever reason. Perhaps they thought it was junk mail because guests usually won't receive mail from a phone company.
Anyway, you will need to contact customer care and tell them that you are a foreigner and that you used your hotel's address for registration. If you also provide your address in the UK, they will reactivate your SIM.
Lidl do not have any restrictions on the allowed hardware, so using your Lidl SIM in an iPad was absolutely legal.

Hello all. Is there any way to active the free trial month for "Handy-Internet-Flatrate" from the website? I know you can SMS "START PROBESURF" but I was hoping there is a way on the website so I can do it before I go. Or can you SMS active from outside Germany?

I also did not receive my referral credit even though I signed up on August 21st. It shouldn't take more than a month, correct? Any way to check on the status?

Thanks!!!

Unfortunately not.

Yes, you can but from the US you'll be charged € 0.39 per text and you will need to send two text messages for activation (After your first text you'll be asked to confirm your activation by a second SMS containing "JA"), so activation from the US would cost € 0.78.

It may take up to 3 weeks but usually it should arrive within two weeks after activation.

Thanks for the reply. I think that I changed my mind anyway and am going to go with the 5GB plan but good to know about the SMS from the US. I already found out the text costs by just putting in the SIM. The welcome and roaming cost texts cost € 0.39 each as well :(

Very strange about my referral credit. It seems to have been plenty of time. I thought that I did it correctly at activation. :???: