Lidl

[toofrequentflyer]

inquisitor, many thanks for your helpful responses to all these questions. Also for your web page at the PWIA site. One more Lidl question, if you can stand it...

I will be going to Germany in a couple of weeks and plan to buy two Lidl SIMs -- one for my phone, and the other for an unlocked USB data stick (or possibly my iPad). There should be no problem with the one for the phone.

However the activation instructions on the PWIA page imply that buying the data packages ("Tagesflatrate" or "Monatsflatrate") has to be done through SMS, and I can't do that with the data stick or iPad. Is it possible to select these over the web? If this will not work, I assume that I could put the SIM in my phone to sign up the data package, then remove it and put it in the data stick. But that seems a little awkward.

One more question... I will give my hotel as my address when activating the SIMs. If the registration letter arrives at my hotel after I depart, will they cancel the account? I will only be in Germany a few days but expect to visit again (to a different city) in a few months so it would be convenient to have a working SIM already. In fact it would even be useful when traveling to other places in Europe as I often have long connections at Frankfurt or Munich airport, where wifi is expensive.

[inquisitor]

Originally Posted by toofrequentflyer

However the activation instructions on the PWIA page imply that buying the data packages ("Tagesflatrate" or "Monatsflatrate") has to be done through SMS, and I can't do that with the data stick or iPad.

The iPad indeed doesn't support SMS but all USB modems I've seen so far support SMS, at least if you use the unbranded dashboard software from the device's manufacturer.

Is it possible to select these over the web?

Have you actually read the very first sentence below the heading "data tariffs" on the PWIA wiki?
It says:

the following data options can be subscribed and cancelled by SMS or online through LIDL's customer service portal, which may take several hours to take effect (tariff changes made online seem to become effective faster)

So you can flawlessly select data packages online on Lidl's webpage, which from my observation actually takes effect faster than requests submitted by SMS.

If this will not work, I assume that I could put the SIM in my phone to sign up the data package, then remove it and put it in the data stick. But that seems a little awkward.

Yes, this would work, too.

One more question... I will give my hotel as my address when activating the SIMs. If the registration letter arrives at my hotel after I depart, will they cancel the account?

They will only deactivate your SIM card if the confirmation letter returns due to being undeliverable. If your hotel accepts the letter your SIM card will remain active for quite a while (at least 18 months after your last usage). So it would not be a problem if the letter arrived after your departure as long as your hotel does not return it. Just tell them to litter that letter from Fonic (that's the company behind Lidl) addresses to you.

However a problem could be for you that Lidl still don't sell microSIMs. If you want to use the SIM card in an iPad you would need to punch out a microSIM from the regular SIM. So you should buy and carry a microSIM cutter (sold for $4 on ebay.com) in order to render your Lidl SIM card iPad-compatible. Alternatively I can offer you to get you some Lidl SIM cards and punch out microSIMs from them as I recently bought such a microSIM cutter after I got a Sony Xperia P which requires microSIMs.

[toofrequentflyer]

Originally Posted by inquisitor

Have you actually read the very first sentence below the heading "data tariffs" on the PWIA wiki?
It says:

So you can flawlessly select data packages online on Lidl's webpage, which from my observation actually takes effect faster than requests submitted by SMS.

Ouch! I plead stupidity. Or maybe negligence. No, stupidity will do...

However a problem could be for you that Lidl still don't sell microSIMs. If you want to use the SIM card in an iPad you would need to punch out a microSIM from the regular SIM. So you should buy and carry a microSIM cutter (sold for $4 on ebay.com) in order to render your Lidl SIM card iPad-compatible. Alternatively I can offer you to get you some Lidl SIM cards and punch out microSIMs from them as I recently bought such a microSIM cutter after I got a Sony Xperia P which requires microSIMs.

Thanks but I have a SIM cutter already and have used it successfully a few times. In my experience it also is generally possible to snap the cut SIM back into the card and use it as a regular sized SIM -- usually the tension of the SIM holder is enough to keep the parts together. This is handy for moving a SIM between devices.

Thanks again for your help. I will remember to use your number so you get the referral bonus. (See, I can read after all...)

[inquisitor]

Originally Posted by toofrequentflyer

Thanks but I have a SIM cutter already and have used it successfully a few times. In my experience it also is generally possible to snap the cut SIM back into the card and use it as a regular sized SIM -- usually the tension of the SIM holder is enough to keep the parts together. This is handy for moving a SIM between devices.

Yes, that usually works.

Thanks again for your help. I will remember to use your number so you get the referral bonus. (See, I can read after all...)

Thank you! Btw you'll also get some € 5 from the referral, so we'll both benefit from this. Since you said you were intending to buy two Lidl SIM cards, wait with the activation of the second SIM card until the first one is fully active (you'll notice this by the capability to place outgoing calls and your balance to be displayed after dialing *101#). Otherwise the referral between your first and your second SIM may fail (I assume that you'll provide your first SIM card's number as referral during activation of your second one). The only issue with the referral bonus is, that it may take up to 3 weeks (usually 1-2 weeks) to be accredited. So depending on the length of your stay you may not receive the bonus during your first stay in Germany.

[smbgaiden]

Thank you for your detailed instructions! I was able to activate the 5Euro card then the 15 euro top up successfully. The calling and SMS works, but I am unable to get the data to work. I did the SMS to start then confirm the dailz flat rate internet. Howver, even after adding the APN I am still not able to establish an internet connection. The phone worked well with SFR prepay in France. Is there some step that you can think of which I may have missed?

Many thanks!