What Are the Best eSIMs for New Arrivals in Germany? (2026)
The verdict for new arrivals
Buy Airalo Discover+ 1GB/7d (10 min/10 SMS) at EUR 7.74 per 7 days for 1 GB on the Multi (170 countries) network. Treat that as the bridge, not the plan. A travel eSIM arrives as a QR code in your inbox while you are still at the gate, needs no identity check, and is live the moment you land. What it cannot do is receive an SMS, because it is data only and carries no German number.
Week one, once you land
Native German eSIMs carry a real number and come from Telekom, Vodafone, O2, congstar and ALDI TALK: ALDI TALK sells 25 GB for EUR 8.99 per 28-day cycle on the O2 network, and Telekom's prepaid ladder starts at EUR 4.95. Every one needs identity verification, because Germany requires it on every line: take the VideoIdent call with your passport, 24/7. Prepaid asks for no German address and no bank account.
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Which eSIM is the best for new arrivals?
Sorted by price, not our recommendation. The default view is our ranking, weights published below.
Sorted by price per gb, not our recommendation. The default view is our ranking, weights published below.
Sorted by coverage, not our recommendation. The default view is our ranking, weights published below.
★ Newcomer pick
Airalo Discover+ 1GB/7d (10 min/10 SMS)
Adds a US +1 number for calls and texts, though German banks often reject it.
Key information
- Contract
- Prepaid, no lock-in
- Coverage
- Runs on the Multi (170 countries) network
- Support
- German-only support
Plans(4)
- Airalo Germany Moin Moin 1GB/3d1 GB / per 3 days · EUR 3.44 per GBEUR 3.44
- Airalo Discover+ 1GB/7d (10 min/10 SMS)Our pick here1 GB / per 7 days · EUR 7.74 per GBEUR 7.74
- Airalo Discover+ 3GB/30d (30 min/30 SMS)3 GB / per 30 days · EUR 10.32 per GBEUR 30.96
- Airalo Discover+ 10GB/180d (100 min/100 SMS)10 GB / per 180 days · EUR 6.79 per GBEUR 67.94
Prices as of 17 August 2026, verify on the provider site.
- Price per GBBest
- EUR 7.74
More details
- Physical network
- Multi (170 countries)
- German number
- Yes, receives SMS
- ID to activate
- None
- Billing cycle
- Monthly
Best for new arrivals who want the most data per euro.
Also great
ALDI TALK Kombi-Paket S 25GB/28d
Comes with a German +49 number, so bank and ELSTER SMS codes arrive.
Key information
- Contract
- Prepaid, no lock-in
- Coverage
- Runs on the O2 network
- Support
- German-only support
Plans(4)
- ALDI TALK Jahrespaket60 GB / per year · Unlimited minutes, Unlimited SMS · EUR 0.10 per GBEUR 5.83
- ALDI TALK Kombi-Paket S 25GB/28dOur pick here25 GB / per 28 days · EUR 0.36 per GBEUR 8.99
- ALDI TALK M/L50 GB / per 28 days · Unlimited minutes, Unlimited SMS · EUR 0.28 per GBEUR 13.99
- Aldi Daten Home&Go S150 GB / per 28 days · EUR 0.13 per GBEUR 19.99
Prices as of 17 August 2026, verify on the provider site.
- Price per GB
- EUR 0.36
More details
- Physical network
- O2
- German number
- Yes, receives SMS
- ID to activate
- Passport or ID card
- Billing cycle
- Monthly
Best for new arrivals who need a different physical network.
Best value
Telekom MagentaMobil Prepaid S 1GB/28d
VideoIdent, then a free eSIM QR inside the MeinMagenta app.
Key information
- Contract
- Prepaid, no lock-in
- Coverage
- Runs on the Telekom network
- Support
- German-only support
Plans(4)
- Telekom MagentaMobil Prepaid S 1GB/28dOur pick here1 GB / per 28 days · EUR 4.95 per GBEUR 4.95
- MagentaMobil Prepaid M20 GB / per 28 days · Unlimited minutes, Unlimited SMS · EUR 0.50 per GBEUR 9.95
- MagentaMobil Prepaid L40 GB / per 28 days · Unlimited minutes, Unlimited SMS · EUR 0.37 per GBEUR 14.95
- Telekom Prepaid 5G Jahrestarif 240GB/year (20GB/month)240 GB / per year · EUR 0.50 per GBEUR 99.95
Prices as of 17 August 2026, verify on the provider site.
- Price per GB
- EUR 4.95
More details
- Physical network
- Telekom
- German number
- Yes, receives SMS
- ID to activate
- Passport or ID card
- Billing cycle
- Monthly
Best for new arrivals who need a different physical network.
O2 my Prepaid S 20GB/28d (+app/Lastschrift bonuses up to +11GB; summer promo to 30 Sep 2026: M=50GB, L=100GB)
SIM and shipping are free, and the eSIM swap happens in the Mein O2 app.
Key information
- Contract
- Prepaid, no lock-in
- Coverage
- Runs on the O2 network
- Support
- German-only support
Plans(4)
- O2 my Prepaid S 20GB/28d (+app/Lastschrift bonuses up to +11GB; summer promo to 30 Sep 2026: M=50GB, L=100GB)Our pick here20 GB / per 28 days · EUR 0.50 per GBEUR 9.99
- O2 my Prepaid M40 GB / per 28 days · Unlimited minutes, Unlimited SMS · EUR 0.37 per GBEUR 14.99
- O2 my Prepaid L80 GB / per 28 days · Unlimited minutes, Unlimited SMS · EUR 0.25 per GBEUR 19.99
- O2 my Prepaid Max999 GB / per 28 days · Unlimited minutes, Unlimited SMS · EUR 0.37 per GBEUR 74.99
Prices as of 17 August 2026, verify on the provider site.
- Price per GB
- EUR 0.50
More details
- Physical network
- O2
- German number
- Yes, receives SMS
- ID to activate
- Passport or ID card
- Billing cycle
- Monthly
Best for new arrivals who need a different physical network.
Vodafone CallYa Start 2GB/28d
eSIM is free on CallYa, set up in MeinVodafone after VideoIdent.
Key information
- Contract
- Prepaid, no lock-in
- Coverage
- Runs on the Vodafone network
- Support
- German-only support
Plans(4)
- Vodafone CallYa Start 2GB/28dOur pick here2 GB / per 28 days · EUR 2.50 per GBEUR 4.99
- CallYa Jahrespaket M250 GB / per year · Unlimited minutes, Unlimited SMS · EUR 0.04 per GBEUR 8.33
- CallYa Allnet Flat S25 GB / per 28 days · Unlimited minutes, Unlimited SMS · EUR 0.40 per GBEUR 9.99
- CallYa Allnet Flat M50 GB / per 28 days · Unlimited minutes, Unlimited SMS · EUR 0.30 per GBEUR 14.99
Prices as of 17 August 2026, verify on the provider site.
- Price per GB
- EUR 2.50
More details
- Physical network
- Vodafone
- German number
- Yes, receives SMS
- ID to activate
- Passport or ID card
- Billing cycle
- Monthly
Best for new arrivals who need a different physical network.
congstar Prepaid Allnet S (~5GB/28d, effective from EUR 5.85)
The eSIM QR arrives in the app within minutes, once VideoIdent clears.
Key information
- Contract
- Prepaid, no lock-in
- Coverage
- Runs on the Telekom network
- Support
- German-only support
Plans(4)
- congstar Prepaid Allnet S (~5GB/28d, effective from EUR 5.85)Our pick here5 GB / per 28 days · EUR 1.17 per GBEUR 5.85
- congstar Jahrespaket365 GB / per year · Unlimited minutes, Unlimited SMS · EUR 0.04 per GBEUR 8.33
- congstar Prepaid Allnet M30 GB / per 28 days · Unlimited minutes, Unlimited SMS · EUR 0.33 per GBEUR 10
- congstar Prepaid Allnet L (~25GB/28d)25 GB / per 28 days · EUR 0.52 per GBEUR 13
Prices as of 17 August 2026, verify on the provider site.
- Price per GB
- EUR 1.17
More details
- Physical network
- Telekom
- German number
- Yes, receives SMS
- ID to activate
- Passport or ID card
- Billing cycle
- Monthly
Best for new arrivals who need a different physical network.
Also a strong fit
Same eligibility, a different shop or network. Every plan is in the full market overview.
Install before the flight, not after. A travel eSIM arrives as a QR code in your inbox while you are still at the gate, and it is the only one of the two that needs no identity check. The native eSIM is the second step, and the one worth doing in week one.
How we ranked this for new arrivals5 criteria, weights published
A reader we describe as new arrivals is not the average reader, so this page does not use the average weights. Ease of buying carries 45% here against 30% on the general ranking, and Price per GB carries 15% here against 25% on the general ranking. The weights were fixed on 17 August 2026, before the prices were collected.
Criteria weighting
Fixed 17 August 2026, before pricing was collectedWhat is ruled out, and why
A blocker is not a drawback. It is something that makes the product unbuyable for this reader, and it caps the score at 1.0 however good the tariff is otherwise.
What you actually need to activate an eSIM on arrival
It depends entirely on which of the two products you buy, because they are not the same thing. A travel eSIM is data only: bought online with an email address and a card, installed before you fly, live the moment you land. It carries no German number, so it cannot receive an SMS. A native German eSIM carries a real German number, and therefore falls under Germany's identity rules.
Those rules cover every German line in the catalogue, prepaid included. VideoIdent accepts any passport, runs 24/7, and the line activates minutes to hours after the call. What prepaid does not ask for is a German address or a German bank account. A contract tariff asks for both, plus a SEPA direct debit and a SCHUFA credit check, which a reader who registered last week has no history to satisfy.
Native German eSIMs come from Telekom, Vodafone, O2, congstar and ALDI TALK. ALDI TALK's Kombi-Paket S is EUR 8.99 for 25 GB on the O2 network; Telekom's MagentaMobil Prepaid ladder runs EUR 4.95 for 1 GB to EUR 19.95 for 80 GB. Every one of those renews every 28 days, which is 13 payments a year, not 12.
The same tariffs, ranked for other readers
View all 159 eSIM plansThe plan picker is the full market overview: every named tier from every provider with its allowance, price and EUR per GB, filterable by situation and re-rankable.Every persona page ranks the same catalogue. Only the weights differ, and each page states its own. If you are already down to two tariffs, the full market overview puts every named tier side by side on price, data and EUR per GB.
How we compared these
Five criteria, weighted for this reader and published above, fixed on 17 August 2026 before the prices were collected. Every price comes from the provider's own page, dated in the catalogue. A blocker caps a product at 1.0. Unlimited allowances are capped at 200 GB when calculating EUR per GB, or every unlimited plan would win that column automatically.
One limit worth stating: the catalogue carries one fit score per persona, not a score per criterion, so the ordering reflects that score and the editorial reasoning behind it rather than an arithmetic weighted total. Per-criterion scoring is the next data pass; until it lands, the weights explain the ranking rather than compute it.
Of the 159 plans in the catalogue, 18 score 4 or 5 for this reader, across 6 providers. Where fewer than three providers clear that line, the third card is still the next best option available and is labelled for what it wins on, not presented as a strong fit.
Sources: provider tariff pages and dated German price sources, accessed August 2026. Some links earn a commission at the same rate for every provider, so no weighting favours a payer.
Frequently asked questions
Can you get a German phone number with an eSIM?
Yes, with a native German eSIM. Telekom, Vodafone, O2, congstar and ALDI TALK all sell one, and each carries a real German number. Every one of them requires identity verification first: VideoIdent accepts any passport and runs 24 hours a day, with the line activating minutes to hours after the check.
Do you need a German address or a German bank account for a native eSIM?
Not on prepaid. Prepaid eSIMs need identity verification and nothing else, so no registered German address and no German bank account. Contract tariffs need a German address, a SEPA direct debit and a SCHUFA credit check, which is the one door that stays shut in your first weeks.
Why is a travel eSIM not enough for a new arrival?
Because it is data only and carries no German number, so it cannot receive an SMS code. It works well as a bridge from the plane to the apartment, and it is the only option that skips Germany's mandatory identity check. For anything that texts you, you need a native German eSIM: ALDI TALK is EUR 8.99 for 25 GB per 28-day cycle, and Telekom starts at EUR 4.95.