Buying a German SIM card from Canada

[inquisitor]

Originally Posted by astro

The page you mention I've already looked at in detail, and it does NOT answer my question:
This addresses activation, not online SIM purchase. Hence, my question.

Sorry. You are right of course. Online orders with Fonic require a German bank account.

Regarding your decission between O2 and eplus you might also consider that from July, 1st roaming fees will decline once again due to EU-regulation. Then no German operator may charge outgoing calls with the EU with more than € 0.42/min and incoming ones not with more than € 0.13/min. However this does not apply for calls from other European countries to Canada.

Is shipping within Germany, the EU (where offered), typically included in the on-line SIM cost or is it additional? I don't recall seeing this mentioned. Of course, I might just have missed it.

Yes, it is.

Perhaps some E-Plus provider (although it doesn't seem likely, does it?) other than solomo is the answer? Or, inquisitor, are they all afflicted?

Other eplus providers at least don't suffer from the problems resulting from the vistream infrastructure, but afaik there's no other prepaid tariff on the eplus network with international or roaming tariffs that would be lower than Fonic's.
Note that Blauworld and Ortel charge a call-setup fee of € 0.15 per call, which doesn't exist with Fonic.

Aside: Is the Rufaufbautaste [literally build-the-call key] just the button we push to start a call, to answer a call and to go off-hook?

Yes, the "Rufaufbautaste" is the usually green key, that initiates a call. In the English-speaking world it's sometimes called the "send" key (and once this key was even labeled "SEND").

[Kritiker]

I have been looking at the roaming rates for more of the discount carriers and can find nothing that beats the Fonic direct rates or the solomo pro call back rates.

Since, in the end, it is the ability to make and receive calls and SMSes effectively, and without a lot of bother, that matters, that leaves only Fonic, as you have suggested. I may supplement with a cheap Dutch SIM for the time we'll spend in the Netherlands and just roam in Austria, Switzerland and France, since our time there will be relatively short.

Thank you all for your help. It is greatly appreciated.

[theotherbob]

Originally Posted by inquisitor

Regarding your decission between O2 and eplus you might also consider that from July, 1st roaming fees will decline once again due to EU-regulation. Then no German operator may charge outgoing calls with the EU with more than € 0.42/min and incoming ones not with more than € 0.13/min. However this does not apply for calls from other European countries to Canada.

Does this new regulation affect data roaming? I had read that the EU capped data roaming at €0.49/MB, but FONIC's web site reports €0.50/100kB! This is my biggest concern about a provider for my upcoming trip, ~14 days in DE and 8 in NE, BE, and FR.

[inquisitor]

No, data is not affected yet. Currently there are only two EU rules applying for data: One affects only operators, who may not charge more than € 0.50/MB each other (however consumer tariffs may still be higher) and the other says that consumers must be cut off from data usage after reaching € 50 (+VAT)/month (see Roaming: The roaming regulation | Europa - Information Society), but it does not rule the actual price.
There are plans to introduce a price cap of € 0.90/MB from 2012, which shall be reduced to € 0.50/MB until 2014, but these are still in an early stage of legislation.

[simcardabroad]

Originally Posted by inquisitor

No, data is not affected yet. Currently there are only two EU rules applying for data: One affects only operators, who may not charge more than € 0.50/MB each other (however consumer tariffs may still be higher) and the other says that consumers must be cut off from data usage after reaching € 50 (+VAT)/month (see Roaming: The roaming regulation | Europa - Information Society), but it does not rule the actual price.
There are plans to introduce a price cap of € 0.90/MB from 2012, which shall be reduced to € 0.50/MB until 2014, but these are still in an early stage of legislation.

But this is only applicable for EU travelers traveling within EU. Not for tourists from countries outside EU.

[george]

Hi, Kritiker!

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