Lidl

[inquisitor]

That's really bad luck. I haven't bought Lidl SIMs that often but whenever I did they had enough in stock. Perhaps their recent promotional price of € 5 per SIM has driven down inventories.
From my observation data options are activated faster if subscribed to online instead of SMS.
Btw I don't know if the referral program actually works between Lidl and Fonic customers or if is limited to the communities of each of these tariffs. Could you report back if you get those € 5? You'll find out by going to "Gesprächsübersicht" (after login the second of four big buttons on top) and then selecting a time range and clicking on "Entgeltnachweis als PDF ansehen" - now you should get a PDF statement which should show an item called "Freunde werben Freunde".

[Motel75]

I can verify that it works (I gave a Fonic number to activate my Lidl account). I can also verify that it works even if the owner is the same person (I gave my first Lidl number when I activated my second). However, there is a limit of five referrals per month, so you should always make sure that the referrer hasn't already used up the number of referrals.

[inquisitor]

What happens if the referer has already recruited five customers in a month? Will only he not get those € 5 or will also the refered new customer not get them?

[Motel75]

I don't know. There's only one way to find out.

[inquisitor]

Interestingly allthough my Lidl SIM has been activated only on September 4th, I have already received six bonuses from the referal program during the past two weeks. I wonder if that limitation of five bonuses per month is actually being enforced.

[Standroid43]

Originally Posted by inquisitor

Interestingly allthough my Lidl SIM has been activated only on September 4th, I have already received six bonuses from the referal program during the past two weeks. I wonder if that limitation of five bonuses per month is actually being enforced.

I wonder too? Can you confirm that my referal is among those credited to your account? The last four digits of my new Lidl-mobile number is ...5494. I ask because the 5 Euro bonus has not been credited to my account. Perhaps they did cut you off!

That extra 5 Euro Guthaben would have been useful on the first day of my planned trip. I will be arriving with bike cases and luggage and do not look forward to finding a Lidl on my first day.

On the other hand, if someone would be so kind as to purchase a 20 Euro Aufladebon at their local Lidl and email me the Aufladebonnummer, I could reimburse them via PayPal and would be happy to add a little for their trouble - HINT, HINT!

Stan

[Motel75]

Somewhat relatedly, I've been trying to port a number from a rarely-used Mobilcom Vodafone card to one of my new Lidl ones. In contrast to "real" Vodafone, which released the number almost immediately, Mobilcom-Debitel (as it now is) has ignored the Verzichtserklärung (notification form), which I faxed to them four times (each 3-4 days apart), and has also ignored contact via their online customer service contact form. Calling them didn't help either - all they did was to send me a new Verzichtserklärung in the post. It's like they don't want to let me go, even though I'm giving them 30 euro for essentially nothing.

[wco81]

Looking for a 1-week stay in Munich.

Is this the best option for prepaid data? Looks like the 8.99 Euro Handy Internet Flatrate which throttles after 500 MB?

Or maybe the 24h-Flatrate if you anticipate heavy use (not just on mobile phones but in place of hotel Wifi, for instance)?

Are Lidl stores common in Munich? Do they just sell the SIMs or will they activate it for you at the stores? Can they activate the special data tariff plans too

[inquisitor]

Originally Posted by wco81

Is this the best option for prepaid data? Looks like the 8.99 Euro Handy Internet Flatrate which throttles after 500 MB?

Blau.de and simyo.de sell 1GB valid for a month for € 9.90, but they are both on the eplus network, which is generally throttled to 1 MBit/s and suffers from regular congestions resulting in modem-like througput. A network review by German computer magazine chip.de from September 2011 confirmed once more, that eplus has the worst network when it comes to data:

© CHIP Xonio Online GmbH 2011

If you want a more reliable network with better 3G coverange and much higher average throughput (usually 2-3 MBit/s download), Lidl (based on the O2 network) is the cheapest alternative. Since O2 is based in Munich local coverage is exceptionally well with most downtown basestations already supporting HSPA+ (with up to 28.8 MBit/s).

Or maybe the 24h-Flatrate if you anticipate heavy use (not just on mobile phones but in place of hotel Wifi, for instance)?

500MB are not much for a week if you tether your laptop. For my purposes I usually reckon with 200MB/day when I use my laptop. Notice that once you have subscribed to one of Lidl's monthly flatrates you cannot switch to any other data tariff during the 30-day billing period. So if you consume those 500MB you will be trapped with throttled bandwidth (64 KBit/s) for the rest of your stay.

Are Lidl stores common in Munich?

There are about 40: Lidl near Munich, Germany - Google Maps

Do they just sell the SIMs or will they activate it for you at the stores?

They just sell the SIM on the checkout counter and acutally don't have the slightest idea what it's for. You can only activate your SIM online, by phone or by sending the included registration form by fax or snail mail.

Can they activate the special data tariff plans too

No, you can only do that online, by phone or by SMS.

As I've done to half a dozen other PPGSM users before, I would also offer you to send you a Lidl SIM at cost (€ 9.95 for the SIM + € 2.80 for insured shipping + € 1 PayPal fees = € 13.75).
Your advantage would be that I could tell you your Lidl phone number and the activation code already tomorrow. Then you could not only give people your German number before leaving, but you could activate your SIM immediately and you will perhaps receive your bonus credit from the customer referal program (€ 5) before arrival in Germany (it may take up to three weeks for the bonus to be accredited) and you could also activate your desired data option before leaving the US (activation or change of data options may take up to 24 hours).
However despite Deutsche Post's promise to deliver letters to North America in less than five days, it recently took almost three weeks for two letters sent to Canada to arrive. So we should have enough slack time for delivery. Alternatively I could send the SIM to the German address you'll be staying at in advance, which would be € 0.20 cheaper for shipping.

[wco81]

Thanks for the rundown.

This would be for early February but I don't know for sure that I'll be going. Or I might go elsewhere.