BEST OVERALL
Vodafone-network 5G at €8.99/4w. Includes "Unlimited on Demand" top-up mechanic and first-eSIM-swap-free.
Why we picked it: LIDL is the only supermarket brand with both a free eSIM swap and the Unlimited on Demand re-top-up mechanic.
BEST RURAL COVERAGE
Telekom-network 5G at the same €8.99/4w. Same price, but Telekom signal in rural areas where Vodafone and O2 drop.
Why we picked it: Pick this over LIDL if you spend any time outside major cities.
BEST FOR O2
O2-network at €8.99/4w. Strong in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich.
Why we picked it: Annual pack option is the cheapest entry-level annual SIM in Germany.
BEST FOR HEAVY USERS
100 GB at €18.99/4w on Vodafone. Plus an Unlimited on Demand version that re-tops 1 GB endlessly.
Why we picked it: Most data per Euro at the higher tier. LIDL's Unlimited on Demand is uniquely useful for variable users.
| Brand | Network | Sold at | 25 GB price | Distinctive feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIDL Connect | Vodafone | LIDL stores | €8.99/4w | Unlimited on Demand, free first eSIM swap |
| ALDI TALK | O2/Telefónica | ALDI stores | €8.99/4w | Cheapest annual pack at €69.99 for 60 GB |
| NORMA connect | Telekom | NORMA stores | €8.99/4w | Cheapest D-Netz, Switzerland in zone 1 |
| KAUFLAND MOBIL | Telekom | Kaufland stores | €8.99/4w | Half-year pack: 25 GB for €29.99/6mo |
| ja! mobil | Telekom | REWE stores | €8.99/4w | REWE-branded; eSIM available after first SIM |
| Penny Mobil | Telekom | PENNY stores | €8.99/4w | PENNY-branded; same congstar stack as ja! |
Network varies by brand. LIDL Connect uses Vodafone, ALDI TALK uses O2, and NORMA, KAUFLAND, ja!, Penny all use Telekom. For rural and alpine coverage, the Telekom-network brands win. For dense city use, all three networks are fine. Berlin reaches 99.97% 5G on all networks.
Not quite. Same headline price, same data allowance, but different networks (which matters for coverage) and different extras (LIDL has Unlimited on Demand, KAUFLAND has a half-year pack, ALDI has annual packs). The fact that congstar services back ja! mobil and Penny Mobil is largely invisible to consumers.
Telekom sells wholesale capacity to MVNOs as a business. congstar is Telekom's in-house MVNO and resells under multiple supermarket flags: ja! mobil (REWE), Penny Mobil, plus the NORMA connect and KAUFLAND MOBIL arrangements. All use Telekom cells; speed caps and brand-specific extras differ.
LIDL Connect sells eSIM directly with first swap free. ja! mobil and Penny Mobil eSIM activation requires a one-time SMS code from an already-active SIM — awkward for new customers. KAUFLAND, NORMA: physical SIM verified; eSIM availability not fully confirmed in source material.