New EU roaming rules from May 2016 - which SIM for roaming

wolfbln · 04-05-2016, 22:29

about Vodafone CallYA activation:

I really don't understand the problems:
1.) There are the "Freikarten" = free SIMs. They are still sent all over Germany by mail already pre-activated connecting to the network rightaway. They don't have credit preloaded and you still need to top them up. The plan starts when you top it up. This is the easiest way, if you know anybody with a German postal address as they can be started anytime or later too. They can be ordered for free to any German postal address on the Vodafone website only: https://www.vodafone.de/freikarten/?redo - click on purple jetzt kostenlos bestellen
2.) There are starter packs which are sold in service stations, small shops, super markets etc. all over the country for €10. They have 9.99 € credit on it and are set to either Talk&SMS rate (without monthly fee) or Smartphone Special (for 9.99€ with free roaming included). These starters are redistributed on eBay.de or Amazon.de. Most of the shops will send it abroad. It's not a problem of activation or passport data, but of postage. So ask them directly. Amazon warehouse shops aremore open to foreign distribution. But you can ask the small phone shops selling on eBay too.
These starters can be activated on this Vodafone site that can be switched to English: https://www.vodafone.de/komfortaufla...uest_locale=en
You don't need a German passport or registered address. This is nonsense. Vodafone says: "Please enter your personal data correctly.
If you have no permanent residence in Germany, please state the address of your current residence."
So you can use any address you know of in Germany, like a hotel, apartment etc.
These starters start the moment they are activated and charge the 1st 28 days of Smartphone Special from the preloaded credit. But you can activate a Talk&SMS SIM too, stay on the plan without monthly base rate and change to Smartphone Special (with free roaming) later.

So all the people talking about passport data etc. Some merchants want to take advantage of a customer referal bonus. But this is for their own benefits as they sell the SIM below the recommended sales price of €10. All the SIM cards Germans still buy in shops need to be activated online. Only the SIMs you buy in a Vodafone shop, they may activate them there, if you are lucky. For all 6 SIMs I bought for Spain for testing roaming for the WIKI and to give them to my friends here, I didn't need an German ID no. or any special ID check.

I will feature this SIM plan on a new featured site on the prepaid WIKI soon. Please be a bit patient. I'm working on it. Having said this, it's harder to get a LIDL Connect or a Rossmann mobil SIM abroad because there is no secondary market. For the moment, there is no other way but to go to a Lidl store or Rossmann market in Germany and buy it there. But again, these SIMs are to be activated online, without the need of any ID no.

P.S. If you are so scared about the German activation (which is still a joke), take a Vodafone Netherlands SIM instead. They have the same scheme and no activation at all. I'm in contact with merchants there too. They will offer it on eBay soon.
In both countries discussions are going on to tighten the laws on unaccounted prepaid SIMs, but nothing has been finalised yet. So you are not breaking the law.

One final word: It's still unclear if the Lidl Surf Stick plan (5GB@€15) is included in the roaming without surcharges scheme. I was not able to try it yet and users got opposite statements by the customer service. But on all other Lidl Connect (that's the NEW Lidl brand) packages and included allowances you are safe to go. For the Surf Stick pack, we need to wait until confirmed by an user.

dchs · 07-05-2016, 20:31

Many thanks for the detailed and helpful reply. lover08 sent me a private message with links to their sim cards on different network and hence offered a pretty biased advise suggesting passport requirement,etc for the alternatives.
Anyway,as you noted some merchants on ebay offer the starter packs(including 10EUR credit covering the first month fee) and the price is well below 10,most around 2EUR,there's even one for 1EUR and it states 500MB as opposed to 750MB,which I assume is some older offer.I don't know what the deal is-whether they want a referral bonus or expect to get a commission on future top ups but it was unclear when the cards are activated. IT's pretty clear that 1 or 2 EUR can hardly cover the postage and ebay fees,but EE for example sell sim cards for 0.99GBP which has 5GBP in it loaded .I sent messages to some ebay sellers in English asking if they can activate the cards at a later stage so the countdown starts when I need the card but only one replied vaguely to buy when I need it.There are offers on amazon but the buyers there complain that the starter packs have low credit(1eur or pennies)not enough to activate the first month.I have no problem with postage as I have a forwarding address in Germany I can use and postage upto 1kg will be delivered to my country for 1.70EUR,but I can only buy online.I think people might be able to use shipito like services but I'm not sure if it's viable.
As far as I know there's no easy option to top up if you don't have a German bank account/credit(debit) card?
Hence,I decided to go for starter packs on ebay as they are cheaper and if I manage to get a couple I won't need to top up ever(will just bin them after package expires)but I'm still unclear if the starter packs on ebay are pre-activated by sellers for some reason.

	(#1)
wolfbln (Offline) Senior Member Prepaid Expert Posts: 206 Join Date: 14 Jul 2014 Country:	04-05-2016, 22:29 about Vodafone CallYA activation: I really don't understand the problems: 1.) There are the "Freikarten" = free SIMs. They are still sent all over Germany by mail already pre-activated connecting to the network rightaway. They don't have credit preloaded and you still need to top them up. The plan starts when you top it up. This is the easiest way, if you know anybody with a German postal address as they can be started anytime or later too. They can be ordered for free to any German postal address on the Vodafone website only: https://www.vodafone.de/freikarten/?redo - click on purple jetzt kostenlos bestellen 2.) There are starter packs which are sold in service stations, small shops, super markets etc. all over the country for €10. They have 9.99 € credit on it and are set to either Talk&SMS rate (without monthly fee) or Smartphone Special (for 9.99€ with free roaming included). These starters are redistributed on eBay.de or Amazon.de. Most of the shops will send it abroad. It's not a problem of activation or passport data, but of postage. So ask them directly. Amazon warehouse shops aremore open to foreign distribution. But you can ask the small phone shops selling on eBay too. These starters can be activated on this Vodafone site that can be switched to English: https://www.vodafone.de/komfortaufla...uest_locale=en You don't need a German passport or registered address. This is nonsense. Vodafone says: "Please enter your personal data correctly. If you have no permanent residence in Germany, please state the address of your current residence." So you can use any address you know of in Germany, like a hotel, apartment etc. These starters start the moment they are activated and charge the 1st 28 days of Smartphone Special from the preloaded credit. But you can activate a Talk&SMS SIM too, stay on the plan without monthly base rate and change to Smartphone Special (with free roaming) later. So all the people talking about passport data etc. Some merchants want to take advantage of a customer referal bonus. But this is for their own benefits as they sell the SIM below the recommended sales price of €10. All the SIM cards Germans still buy in shops need to be activated online. Only the SIMs you buy in a Vodafone shop, they may activate them there, if you are lucky. For all 6 SIMs I bought for Spain for testing roaming for the WIKI and to give them to my friends here, I didn't need an German ID no. or any special ID check. I will feature this SIM plan on a new featured site on the prepaid WIKI soon. Please be a bit patient. I'm working on it. Having said this, it's harder to get a LIDL Connect or a Rossmann mobil SIM abroad because there is no secondary market. For the moment, there is no other way but to go to a Lidl store or Rossmann market in Germany and buy it there. But again, these SIMs are to be activated online, without the need of any ID no. P.S. If you are so scared about the German activation (which is still a joke), take a Vodafone Netherlands SIM instead. They have the same scheme and no activation at all. I'm in contact with merchants there too. They will offer it on eBay soon. In both countries discussions are going on to tighten the laws on unaccounted prepaid SIMs, but nothing has been finalised yet. So you are not breaking the law. One final word: It's still unclear if the Lidl Surf Stick plan (5GB@€15) is included in the roaming without surcharges scheme. I was not able to try it yet and users got opposite statements by the customer service. But on all other Lidl Connect (that's the NEW Lidl brand) packages and included allowances you are safe to go. For the Surf Stick pack, we need to wait until confirmed by an user. Last edited by wolfbln; 04-05-2016 at 23:04..

	(#2)
dchs (Offline) Junior Member Newbie Posts: 4 Join Date: 03 May 2016 Country:	07-05-2016, 20:31 Many thanks for the detailed and helpful reply. lover08 sent me a private message with links to their sim cards on different network and hence offered a pretty biased advise suggesting passport requirement,etc for the alternatives. Anyway,as you noted some merchants on ebay offer the starter packs(including 10EUR credit covering the first month fee) and the price is well below 10,most around 2EUR,there's even one for 1EUR and it states 500MB as opposed to 750MB,which I assume is some older offer.I don't know what the deal is-whether they want a referral bonus or expect to get a commission on future top ups but it was unclear when the cards are activated. IT's pretty clear that 1 or 2 EUR can hardly cover the postage and ebay fees,but EE for example sell sim cards for 0.99GBP which has 5GBP in it loaded .I sent messages to some ebay sellers in English asking if they can activate the cards at a later stage so the countdown starts when I need the card but only one replied vaguely to buy when I need it.There are offers on amazon but the buyers there complain that the starter packs have low credit(1eur or pennies)not enough to activate the first month.I have no problem with postage as I have a forwarding address in Germany I can use and postage upto 1kg will be delivered to my country for 1.70EUR,but I can only buy online.I think people might be able to use shipito like services but I'm not sure if it's viable. As far as I know there's no easy option to top up if you don't have a German bank account/credit(debit) card? Hence,I decided to go for starter packs on ebay as they are cheaper and if I manage to get a couple I won't need to top up ever(will just bin them after package expires)but I'm still unclear if the starter packs on ebay are pre-activated by sellers for some reason.