Lidl

[inquisitor]

February is rather traveling time for the Southern hemisphere. I'm sure they have a country with cheap prepaid internet rates there, too.

[wco81]

That's true, but airfares to Latin America or Australia are rather dear compared to airfares to Europe.

I've visited Spain around this time of the year and that may be where I end up going. But I've also been to Austria and Switzerland this time of the year too.

I can deal with the cold weather as long as it's not raining. Moderate snow is easier to deal with than rain too. Went to Berlin in July a few years ago. It got cold and windy during my stay.

[RobF]

The prepaid SIMs from Lidl do look good, including for mobile surfing with a laptop (e.g. their Internet flatrate offering 5 GB/month for €15) but there may be an even better deal available for that from Tchibo who use the O2 net as well.

Last week I bought a Tchibo mobil Internet-Stick at a Tchibo shop for €19,90. Included in the package was a Huawei E173u-1 USB 3G-modem with locked SIM card plus one month of free Internet surfing. I activated the SIM online, and on the form there, under "Zusatz-Optionen", I had the option of either checking their L or their XL plan, with the first month of use being free for either option. The XL option offers unlimited surfing with a cap of 5 GB/month for high-speed access, for €20/mo (L provides 500 MB for . I checked the XL option and indeed wound up with an available data volume of 5120 MB for the first month. Since that's a €20 value, I essentially got the surf stick for free.

Since there doesn't seem to be any problem with unlocking the Tchibo SIM card, I may want to do that, and from the second month on use a Lidl card for their 5GB surfing plan for €15, or else stay with Tchibo, if that's more convenient and they offer better terms for the €5/mo extra.

The Tchibo stick supports VoIP and video telephony with Skype. Does the Lidl plan support that as well?

I have to say though, there was some kind of glitch with this stick/SIM, when I tried to use it in Windows XP as well as in Linux - I lost Internet access, and I got out of this hole only by exchanging the stick in the store. l'll post that story here in the Germany forum, under the title "Huawei E175 modem from Tchibo/O2 - install in Win & Linux; lost Internet." Perhaps one of you can shed some light on what might have happened there.

[inquisitor]

Tchibo is interesting if you need a UMTS-stick. Otherwise Lidl is cheaper (5GB cost € 15 instead of € 20 while giving absolutely the same service including VoIP- and Skype-allowance) and more flexible due to the more data options. Further Lidl has way better calling rates and so is also attractive for voice calling, especially for foreign visitors who might want to call home.

[siskiou]

I've purchased 2 Lidl cards, and activated them, using your (inquisitor's) number as referral for one of them. Now I wonder if you and I will get the 5 Euro each, or not, since there was a mention about a cutoff per month.
I guess, time will tell. I hope it works.

And I've got a question: are there any kind of settings (APN, WAP) I will have to enter to make the data part work on my smartphone, once I'm in Germany?
It's a Droid Incredible 2 (equivalent to the Incredible S, I think), with global capabilities.

[inquisitor]

Originally Posted by siskiou

I've purchased 2 Lidl cards, and activated them, using your (inquisitor's) number as referral for one of them. Now I wonder if you and I will get the 5 Euro each, or not, since there was a mention about a cutoff per month.
I guess, time will tell. I hope it works.

So far everybody has received the bonus despite there were more than five activations refering to my Lidl number last month. Be aware that it takes up to three weeks the bonus to be accredited.

And I've got a question: are there any kind of settings (APN, WAP) I will have to enter to make the data part work on my smartphone, once I'm in Germany?
It's a Droid Incredible 2 (equivalent to the Incredible S, I think), with global capabilities.

Since O2 Germany (the network Lidl is based on) accept just any random APN, you don't need to make any special settings. You just need to make sure there's a profile set under Settings | Wireless & Networks | Mobile Networks | Access Point Names and it is actually activated (tip the a so-called radio button next to the corresponding profile). If there's no profile yet, hit the menu key and add a new APN, where you only need to enter something (e.g. "MickeyMouse") under "APN" (all other fields can be left blank) and afterwards press again the menu key and save the new profile.
And make sure your Droid Incredible is actually unlocked! At least from the Droid 2 Global I know that it is sold locked and you have to request an unlock code with Verizon's customer care. If locked your phone will ask you for the unlock code as soon as you insert a third-party SIM card.

[siskiou]

Thanks for the help!
The phone is unlocked, so should work fine over there.
But when I look in the settings, there are no options to set up an APN anywhere that I can find. No Access Point names or anything *about* access points under mobile networks.

It's currently set for "Global mode".

Edited to add: Found it! I have to switch to GSM/UMTS mode, and then I see the APNs.

[Motel75]

Is it just me or did Lidl just give everyone 5 euro extra last month?

[inquisitor]

Originally Posted by Motel75

Is it just me or did Lidl just give everyone 5 euro extra last month?

€ 5 for what? I didn't receive anything apart from the bonuses from the referal program.

[Motel75]

Originally Posted by inquisitor

€ 5 for what?

That was my question. Both my cards suddenly gained € 5 credit that I couldn't explain (I didn't refer anyone). I'm certainly not complaining.