Recommendation for prepaid surfstick in multiple countries
 

Does anyone have a recommendation on what our best option for a prepaid surfstick would be with the following needs:

1) Must be able to purchase a large (or preferably unlimited) data plan without a contract (we'll be there for 36 days)
2) Would like for it to be compatible/available for purchase with a router so my boyfriend and I can both use it
3) Must be available for purchase in Germany
4) Needs to work in most (if not all of the following): Germany, Austria, Italy, France, Belgium, Switzerland

Is there anything that fits that bill? Or am I pipe dreaming?

Thanks!

The cheapest option for data roaming in the EU (N.B. Switzerland is not part of the EU) with a German prepaid SIM card comes from Aldi who offer the "EU Internet-Paket 60" for € 4.99 which includes 60MB valid for 7 days. So you would pay $0.10/MB and each time you have used up one of these 60MB packs you would need to order another one by a phone call to their computer-based customer service, which is neither really cheap nor covenient if you're looking for heaver data usage.

Actually I don't know of any cheaper offer from any other European operator even not for contract customers, so your requirement of availability in Germany doesn't do any harm.

While you are in Germany data usage with an Aldi SIM is cheaper as you can subscribe to one of the following options:

• 500 MB for € 6.99 (Internet-Flatrate M)
• 1500MB for € 9.99 (Internet-Flatrate L)
• 5000MB for € 14.99 (Internet-Flatrate XL)

But be warned that Aldi is based on the eplus network which often delivers subpar performance with bandwidth sometimes dropping to significantly below 1 MBit/s (this only applies while you are in Germany and using the SIM card's home network).

As you seem to look for heavier data usage there's no alternative to buying local SIM cards in each of the countries you travel to.

USB modems such as the Huawei E173 are often (but not always) sold bundled with O2 prepaid SIM cards by the large electronics retail chains (Saturn and Mediamarkt) for some € 10 and unlocking the ones produces by Huawei (see backside of box for manufacturer) is pretty straightforward. You just need to obtain a free unlock code from here and enter it once the dashboard software asks for it which will happen once you insert another SIM card.

Currently a German online retailer sells the Huawei E173 for € 9 including shipping within Germany:
O2 Prepaid Surfstick Huawei E 173 weiss inkl. 2 Farbschalen o2Go

The Huawei E173 is a pretty good offer as it supports voice calls from your computer so you could order those 60MB packs directly from your computer instead of putting the Aldi SIM into a phone each time you need another pack.

As of router compatibility this depends on the router you intend to use, but usually Huawei sticks are the primary ones to be supported. You might also consider picking up a MiFi such like the American version of the ZTE MF61 which is named "Sonic 4G Mobile HotSpot" by T-Mobile USA and is sold unlocked for some $80 on eBay.com (from an American seller):
T-Mobile 4G Wifi Hotspot UNLOCKED GSM ZTE MF61 US Seller 610214625892 | eBay
It supports T-Mobile's American 3G frequency (1700/2100 MHz aka UMTS band IV), one of AT&T's 3G frequencies (850 MHz aka UMTS band V) and the major European 3G frequency (2100 MHz aka UMTS band I), so it would be useful for your trip but also back in the States.

Thank you so much for your help. I think I've decided on the Lidl sim cards for our phones. Still working out the laptop data issue, but at least now I know what I'm looking for.

I was wondering, is it possible at all to buy Lidl sim cards while we're still in the USA? I'd like to have them in the phones and activated when we take off, just in case we run into problems once we land.

Thanks!

The only option to purchase Lidl SIM cards outside of Germany is me. ;-) Just check your private messages.

By the way Lidl also offer a roaming option for EU-countries which gives you 10MB per day for € 3. This option is automatically activated if you subscribe to their domestic "Handy-Internet-Flatrate" (500MB for € 8.99/month) but it is not available to customers on any other data tariff (even not if you subscribe to the larger 5000MB pack for € 14.99/month - don't ask me for the logic behind this).
Nevertheless € 3 for 10MB is a rip-off and nothing I would seriously consider for such a long trip like your's.

You can only activate it once per 7 days :(

for medium-heavy data usage within europe you better select ROAMLINE, € 0.39/mb.
billing per only 1kb. best possible coverage, because roamline rate apply to almost every network per country, that KPN has a data agreement ofcourse. www.roamline.com
this rate also apply while data roaming is US and Canada.

for light data usage (below 60mb per week) which is very little, choose ALdi talk "EU Internet-Paket 60" for € 4.99 which includes 60MB valid for 7 days.

Sorry, I didn't know that you cannot order another pack before 7 days have passed. I also read that after you consume those 60MB you'll be seemlinglessly charged with the standard roaming rate of € 0.49/MB instead of the connection being interrupted. Only a text message which may come with significant delay will warn you that you ran out of data volume. What a rip-off!

yes, aldtralk allows only one data bundle with 60mb to be acivated per week.
so 60mb for a whole week for a smartphone or laptop usage is almost nothing.
so if someone runs out of free mb will be charged with the standard € 0.49/MB.
alditalk also bills per 10kb incresements, instead the 1kb of roamline.


for the moment the best choise for medium-high usage data roaming within europe and north-america is Roamline.

Here you are: T-Mobile.nl: Internet Europa :)

Currently at €9,95 per month, normally €14,95. It gives you 500MB @ unlimited speed, and then throttles to 64kbps.

Valid in: EU, Switzerland, Norway, all European micro-states and most overseas territories.

If it were Vodafone or KPN I'd actually be seriously considering getting myself a contract there, but after playing around with *bliep a little I found out I really can't live with the crappy T-Mobile coverage here in The Netherlands.