Listicle · 8 picks
Which prepaid SIM in Germany is best in 2026?
Updated May 14, 2026 · By Jules de Bruin · A full survey of German prepaid — supermarket MVNOs, premium D-Netz brands, direct-from-operator SIMs and international specialists, ranked.
Updated May 2026. The German prepaid market clears at €8.99 per 4 weeks for 25 GB across every supermarket brand. ALDI TALK on O2 is the most-sold prepaid SIM in Germany with over 11 million customers. fraenk (Telekom) ships an app-first 17 GB plan for €10/month with no SCHUFA check. congstar is the premium D-Netz pick. Telekom MagentaMobil Prepaid, Vodafone CallYa and O2 Loop sell directly on each MNO. Every prepaid SIM in Germany requires PostIdent or VideoIdent registration under section 111 of the Telekommunikationsgesetz.
Which prepaid SIM in Germany is best in 2026?
Best overall · Best D-Netz value · App-first no-SCHUFA · Direct-from-MNO · International specialist
Eight prepaid brands cover almost all real-world German use cases. ALDI TALK on O2 is the default pick — cheapest mainstream tier, sold in 4,200+ stores. congstar on Telekom is the premium D-Netz value pick. fraenk ships an app-first 17 GB plan with no SCHUFA. Telekom MagentaMobil Prepaid, Vodafone CallYa and O2 Loop are the direct-from-MNO options. Lebara Germany wins on international calling.
ALDI TALK is the most-sold prepaid SIM in Germany — over 11 million active customers per Telefónica Germany. The Kombi-Paket S bundles 6 GB and 200 minutes for €7.99 per 4 weeks, jumping to 25 GB at €12.99 on the Kombi M. Sold in every ALDI Nord and ALDI Süd — over 4,200 stores nationwide — with same-store ID via PostIdent.
congstar is Telekom's in-house value brand. The Prepaid Allnet M ships 15 GB at 50 Mbit/s, an allnet flat for calls and SMS, and full access to Telekom D1 5G in coverage areas at €15 per 4 weeks. Top-up code or app-managed auto-renewal, no minimum term, free incoming EU roaming. Premium-network pricing without the Telekom retail premium.
fraenk is a Telekom-owned app-only brand built for a younger demographic. The single tariff ships 17 GB on Telekom 5G, allnet flat, EU roaming, all for €10 per month billed monthly — one of the only Telekom-network SIMs at this price. Sign-up is end-to-end in the fraenk app via VideoIdent, no SCHUFA, no paper, no waiting for SIMs (eSIM only).
LIDL Connect on Vodafone D2 prices 25 GB at €8.99 per 4 weeks with full 5G access. Sold at every LIDL till and in the LIDL Plus app. The Smart S tier suits low-to-mid users; the "Smart-Internet" boosters let you re-up 1 GB on demand. Underlying carrier is Vodafone Germany, so 5G NSA covers most of the urban footprint that ALDI TALK trails on.
Buying direct from Telekom is the most expensive route but guarantees full Telekom 5G priority, the strongest coverage profile in Germany (winner of connect Netztest 13 years running), and entry into MagentaEINS bundles for household discounts. MagentaMobil Prepaid M ships 12 GB at €14.95 per 4 weeks with telephony flat. Pay a premium over congstar for the same network, in exchange for Telekom retail support.
CallYa is Vodafone's direct prepaid line and the most flexible 5G option from a tier-1 carrier. CallYa Digital ships 25 GB and an allnet flat for €19.99 per 4 weeks with 5G included; CallYa Start gives 7 GB at €9.99/4w. eSIM activation runs through the MeinVodafone app with VideoIdent — usually live within 20–30 minutes. Sound choice if you want Vodafone D2 without an MVNO middle layer.
O2 Loop is Telefónica's in-house prepaid line. The standout product is the O2 Loop Jahrespaket: 365 days of service for €89.99 with 150 GB total, no 4-week renewal trap, no auto-debit surprises. The standard Loop S sits at €9.99 per 4 weeks for 4 GB. Same O2 5G network as ALDI TALK, but with O2 priority and full retail-store support.
Lebara Germany on O2 is the dedicated international-calling prepaid — bundles cover 50+ destinations from a single tariff. Allnet S sits at €9.99 per 4 weeks with 6 GB plus bundled international minutes to India, Turkey, Poland, Romania, the Balkans and West Africa. Strongest fit for first- and second-generation migrant households calling landlines abroad. EU roaming included.
What categories of German prepaid SIMs exist?
Supermarket MVNOs · Premium D-Netz brands · Direct-from-MNO · International specialists · App-first new wave
German prepaid splits into five distinct categories. Supermarket MVNOs (ALDI TALK, LIDL Connect, ja!mobil, Penny Mobil) win on shelf reach and price. Premium MVNOs (congstar) sit on D1 or D2 at lower retail price than the MNO. Direct-from-MNO (Telekom MagentaMobil Prepaid, Vodafone CallYa, O2 Loop) gives network priority and retail support. International specialists (Lebara, Lyca, AY YILDIZ) bundle calling abroad. App-first (fraenk) skips retail entirely.
| Category | Brands | Underlying network | Typical entry price | Buy how |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supermarket MVNO | ALDI TALK, LIDL Connect, ja!mobil, Penny Mobil, NORMA connect, Kaufland mobil | O2 / Vodafone / Telekom | €7.99–8.99/4w | At store till |
| Premium MVNO | congstar | Telekom (D1) | €10–15/4w | Web, app |
| Direct from MNO | Telekom MagentaMobil Prepaid, Vodafone CallYa, O2 Loop | Telekom / Vodafone / O2 | €9.95–19.99/4w | MNO shop, app |
| International specialist | Lebara Germany, Lyca Mobile DE, AY YILDIZ, ORTEL Mobile | O2 | €7.99–14.99/4w | Kiosks, web |
| App-first (no SCHUFA) | fraenk, sim.de, 1&1 prepaid | Telekom / Vodafone | €10/mo | App only |
Source: Operator pricing pages, Bundesnetzagentur Jahresbericht 2025, verified May 2026
Which category to pick comes down to what you optimise for. Optimise for headline price: supermarket. Optimise for network in a rural Bundesland: direct Telekom or congstar. Optimise for no paperwork and no SCHUFA: fraenk. Optimise for calls to family abroad: Lebara or AY YILDIZ. The categories are largely mutually exclusive — very few SIMs span more than one.
Which German prepaid SIM is the cheapest?
Entry tier · 25 GB tier · cost-per-GB · annualised price
At the entry tier, ALDI TALK and LIDL Connect tie at €7.99 per 4 weeks. At the popular 25 GB tier, every supermarket brand converges at €8.99/4w — the market clearing price. On annualised cost (13 cycles × €8.99 = €116.87/year), the cheapest cost-per-GB winner is O2 Loop Jahrespaket at €89.99 for 150 GB — roughly €0.60 per GB.
| Plan | Data | Per cycle | Annualised | Cost / GB | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALDI TALK Kombi S | 6 GB | €7.99/4w | €103.87 | €1.44 | O2 |
| LIDL Connect Smart S | 5 GB | €7.99/4w | €103.87 | €1.73 | Vodafone |
| ALDI TALK Kombi M | 25 GB | €12.99/4w | €168.87 | €0.56 | O2 |
| LIDL Connect Smart M | 25 GB | €8.99/4w | €116.87 | €0.39 | Vodafone |
| fraenk Allnet Flat | 17 GB | €10/mo | €120.00 | €0.59 | Telekom |
| congstar Prepaid Allnet M | 15 GB | €15/4w | €195.00 | €1.08 | Telekom |
| Vodafone CallYa Digital | 25 GB | €19.99/4w | €259.87 | €0.87 | Vodafone |
| Telekom MagentaMobil Prepaid M | 12 GB | €14.95/4w | €194.35 | €1.25 | Telekom |
| O2 Loop Jahrespaket | 150 GB/yr | €89.99/yr | €89.99 | €0.60 | O2 |
Source: Operator pricing pages, verified May 2026. Annualised = 13 cycles × per-cycle price for 4-week tariffs.
The cheapest cost-per-GB sit on Vodafone (LIDL Connect Smart M, €0.39/GB) and O2 (Loop Jahrespaket, €0.60/GB). Cheapest D-Netz cost-per-GB is fraenk on Telekom at €0.59/GB — an outlier created by Telekom subsidising its own app-first sub-brand.
Which German prepaid SIM has the best network?
D1 Telekom · D2 Vodafone · O2 Telefónica · connect Netztest ranking
Germany has three host networks. Telekom (D1) has won the connect Netztest 13 years running — best rural and Autobahn coverage. Vodafone (D2) finishes second, strong in major cities. O2 (Telefónica) finishes third overall but now covers 98%+ of the population with 4G/5G after the E-Plus integration. Your network matters more than the brand on top of it — ALDI TALK gets exactly the same O2 signal as O2 Loop.
| Network | connect 2025 score | Coverage strength | 5G availability | Prepaid brands on it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Telekom (D1) | Überragend (#1) | Best rural, Autobahn, ICE rail | ~96% population | MagentaMobil Prepaid, congstar, fraenk, ja!mobil, Penny Mobil, NORMA connect, Kaufland mobil |
| Vodafone (D2) | Sehr gut (#2) | Strong urban + west | ~92% population | CallYa, LIDL Connect, 1&1 (partial), otelo |
| O2 (Telefónica) | Sehr gut (#3) | Strong urban, weaker rural east | ~90% population | O2 Loop, ALDI TALK, Lebara, Lyca, AY YILDIZ, Blau, ORTEL |
Source: connect Netztest 2025, Bundesnetzagentur Mobilfunkmonitoring Q1 2026, verified May 2026
Two practical rules apply. First, if you live or commute in rural Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Thüringen, Sachsen-Anhalt or large parts of Bayern outside Munich, pick a Telekom D1 brand — congstar, fraenk or a supermarket SIM on D1 (ja!mobil, Penny Mobil). Second, in major cities (Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt), all three networks are functionally equivalent for prepaid users — pick on price.
How do you activate a German prepaid SIM?
Buy SIM · PostIdent at Deutsche Post or VideoIdent in-app · Activate · Top up
Every prepaid SIM in Germany requires identity verification under section 111 of the Telekommunikationsgesetz (TKG) — enforced by the Bundesnetzagentur. Two methods exist: PostIdent at a Deutsche Post branch (paper-form, ~10 minutes) or VideoIdent in the provider's app (video call to an agent, 10–20 minutes). You will need a valid passport or EU national ID. No Anmeldung is required for prepaid — only for postpaid contracts.
- Pick a SIM and buy it. Supermarket SIMs cost €9.99 at the till and include €5–10 starting credit. eSIM SIMs (fraenk, CallYa, O2 Loop) are downloaded directly inside the provider app after sign-up.
- Choose ID method. PostIdent: print the coupon, walk into any Deutsche Post or Postbank branch with your passport. VideoIdent: open the provider app, click "Identifizierung", attend a 10-minute video call where an agent inspects your ID on camera. (VideoIdent runs Mon–Sun, generally 7:00–22:00 CET)
- Wait for confirmation. PostIdent verification is forwarded electronically and typically clears within 1–3 hours. VideoIdent activates the SIM immediately at end of call. You'll receive an SMS confirming the SIM is live.
- Top up. Buy a top-up voucher at the till (ALDI TALK, LIDL Connect, Vodafone CallYa, O2 Loop), use credit-card auto-top-up in the app, or buy a tariff bundle directly. Without top-up the SIM only carries the starting credit. (supermarket vouchers come in €15, €20, €30 denominations)
- Activate your tariff. Send the bundle activation SMS (varies by brand) or activate from the app. The data and minute allowance starts counting from this moment for the next 4 weeks — not from the moment you bought the SIM.
What's the 4-week billing trap on German prepaid?
28 days, not 30 · 13 cycles a year · what looks like €7.99/month is €103.87/year
Most German prepaid tariffs renew every 28 days, not every calendar month. Over a 365-day year that's 13.04 cycles, not 12. A €7.99 "4-Wochen-Tarif" therefore costs €7.99 × 13 = €103.87/year, not €95.88. The marketing emphasises the headline cycle price; the calendar maths quietly hide an extra cycle. To compare to a true monthly tariff (e.g. fraenk's €10/mo), multiply 4-week prices by 13, not 12.
| Headline price | Naive × 12 | Real (× 13) | Hidden cost / yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| €7.99 / 4 weeks | €95.88 | €103.87 | €7.99 |
| €8.99 / 4 weeks | €107.88 | €116.87 | €8.99 |
| €12.99 / 4 weeks | €155.88 | €168.87 | €12.99 |
| €14.95 / 4 weeks | €179.40 | €194.35 | €14.95 |
| €19.99 / 4 weeks | €239.88 | €259.87 | €19.99 |
Source: 365 / 28 = 13.04; ceiling to 13 billing cycles. Verified May 2026.
Three escape routes exist. First, monthly tariffs (fraenk €10/mo, congstar postpaid, MagentaMobil postpaid) bill exactly 12 times per year. Second, annual prepaid (O2 Loop Jahrespaket, ALDI TALK Jahrespaket) bills once. Third, disable auto-renewal — supermarket SIMs all allow you to switch off the auto-deduction, leaving you on a pure PAYG fallback between bundle activations.
How did we rank these German prepaid SIMs?
Five-dimension scoring · operator-verified data · affiliate-independent
All eight brands were ranked on five equally weighted dimensions: annualised cost (corrected for the 13-cycle 4-week trap), underlying network (connect Netztest 2025 + BNetzA coverage register), 5G availability, activation friction (PostIdent vs VideoIdent vs in-store), and bundled extras (EU roaming, international minutes, eSIM, no-SCHUFA). Pricing was pulled from each operator's public tariff page in May 2026 and cross-checked against operator-published terms.
1. Annualised cost
13 × 4-week price, normalised across true monthly and annual tariffs.
2. Network quality
connect Netztest 2025 score and BNetzA coverage register for the host network.
3. 5G access
Whether the brand passes 5G NSA through to prepaid subscribers without surcharge.
4. Activation friction
PostIdent vs VideoIdent vs in-store, plus time-to-live for the SIM.
5. Bundled extras
EU roaming cap, international minutes, eSIM, optional no-SCHUFA path.
Affiliate disclosure
SimCompare365 may earn a commission on confirmed sign-ups. Rankings are independent — see disclosure.
Primary sources: connect Netztest 2025, Opensignal Germany Q1 2026, Bundesnetzagentur Mobilfunkmonitoring, Telefónica Germany Q4 2025 investor release (ALDI TALK subscriber count), and each operator's published tariff terms.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do prepaid SIMs need ID in Germany? expand_more
Yes. Every prepaid SIM in Germany requires identity verification under section 111 of the Telekommunikationsgesetz, enforced by the Bundesnetzagentur since 2017. You must verify with a valid passport or EU national ID via PostIdent (at a Deutsche Post branch) or VideoIdent (in-app video call). No Anmeldung (registered address) required for prepaid — only for postpaid contracts.
Is ALDI TALK really on the O2 network? expand_more
Yes. ALDI TALK runs on the Telefónica Germany (O2) network. Historically it sat on E-Plus before the 2014 merger with O2; the legacy E-Plus brand has been fully integrated into O2 since 2020. ALDI TALK subscribers get the same signal coverage as direct O2 Loop customers, though network prioritisation may differ on congested cells.
Can a tourist buy a German prepaid SIM? expand_more
Yes. Tourists can buy and activate German prepaid SIMs with a valid passport. PostIdent works for non-residents at any Deutsche Post branch. VideoIdent works for passport holders worldwide. EU citizens can also use their national ID. Fastest options for arrival-day activation: Vodafone CallYa eSIM (download at the airport, VideoIdent in ~20 min) or O2 Loop from an O2 retail shop.
Do German prepaid SIMs work with eSIM? expand_more
Most do, but coverage is uneven. Vodafone CallYa, O2 Loop, fraenk, LIDL Connect, ja!mobil, Penny Mobil and Lebara Germany all support prepaid eSIM. congstar and Telekom MagentaMobil Prepaid support eSIM but only for selected tariffs and may require a swap from a physical SIM first. ALDI TALK ships eSIM on newer SIM packs sold from late 2024 onward.
Does EU roaming work on German prepaid? expand_more
Yes. EU Roam Like at Home (RLAH) is mandatory across all German prepaid SIMs — including ALDI TALK, LIDL Connect, fraenk, congstar, CallYa, MagentaMobil Prepaid, O2 Loop and Lebara. Your domestic data, minutes and SMS work across the EU-27 plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway at no extra cost. Switzerland and the UK are excluded — check each tariff's specific EU roaming page.
Can you keep your number when switching prepaid? expand_more
Yes — and it's free. Under the 2021 German telecom law (TKG novel), porting (Rufnummernmitnahme) is free for all consumers, including prepaid-to-prepaid. Request a Verzichtserklärung from your old provider; provide it to the new operator at sign-up. Porting typically completes within 1–7 business days, often same-day for MNOs.
Does fraenk really skip the SCHUFA check? expand_more
Yes. fraenk runs a monthly prepaid billing model: you pre-pay each month before service, so there is no credit risk and no SCHUFA query against your record. Same applies to all supermarket prepaid brands (ALDI TALK, LIDL Connect, Penny Mobil) — they're prepaid by definition. Only postpaid contracts (Vertrag) with monthly invoicing require SCHUFA.