PrePaids in Europe this summer.

[snaimon]

Originally Posted by borjeg

We have been around a bit this summer and I have tried out as many PrePaids as possible.

Germany: 7 cards, Loop and Tchibo from O2, Medion Mobile from Rewe (E-Plus), Ja! from Aldi (T-mobile), Xtra from T-mobile, CallYa from Vodafone, Smobile from Schlecker (Vodafone). All cards were ok but I had difficulties buying them. Many shops demanded that my address must be in my passport?!?!?! I though that dissapeared with the Soviet Union.

Thanks for the report. Hope it helps some people.

FYI...........

You can purchase both SIMYO and SUNSIM prepaid via internet and non-German credit card; I did so. Mailed to hotel where I was staying.

Medion is from Aldi or Aldi is Medion. Ja! is not sold at Aldi AFAIR.

I believe you can buy an ALDI-talk in ALDI stores. Now I did not do this myself, but I cannot imagine they would require you to show identification in the grocery store checkout line.

A few years ago I purchased 2 Xtra cards (T-Mobile) via eBay.de and simply mailed in the registrations to my contact address in Germany. I believe that included my passport number. I used my USA address. I am going to imagine that one could do the same with many of the prepaid cards on eBay where the seller states he will ship outside Germany.

As a sideline, I went into a TABAK store in Benrath-Duesseldorf that supposedly sold SIMYO refills - per the SIMYO website. They wanted to sell me a brand new SIM card for 19.95 and knew nothing about refills. I walked 1 minute up the street to another TABAK store and they knew exactly what I wanted and sold me a 15 Euro refill card. I do speak German.

Last year I was tempted to to buy a Penneymobile card or two in Penneymarkt. I did not. Again, I cannot imagine they would question you in the grocery store for a passport or ID. I may be wrong. As I wrote, I avoided any of that buy my internet purchases in advance of my trip.

Stan