Listicle ยท 5 picks
Updated May 2026. The cheapest mainstream prepaid SIM in Germany sits at €8.99 for 25 GB, available from five different supermarket brands. LIDL Connect S 5G wins on Vodafone-network 5G availability. NORMA connect S 5G and KAUFLAND MOBIL Smart S 5G match the price on Telekom. ALDI TALK Kombi S is the same price on O2. ja! mobil Smart sells the same product through REWE. The cheapest absolute prepaid is LIDL Connect XS 5G at €4.99/4w for 1 GB.
25 GB at €8.99/4w on Vodafone with 5G. Plus "Unlimited on Demand" mechanic and free first eSIM swap. Why: LIDL Connect adds 5G and an "Unlimited on Demand" option that lets you re-top-up 1 GB endlessly. eSIM available.
25 GB at €8.99/4w on Telekom with 5G. Same price as LIDL but Telekom network underneath. Why: Cheapest 25 GB on Telekom premium network. Pick this over LIDL if you live or work outside major cities.
Unlimited data on Vodafone 5G. Cheaper than Telekom Max by €20/4w. Why: The cheapest unlimited 5G prepaid in Germany. No contract.
150 GB for the entire year on O2. Cheapest national-network annual prepaid in Germany. Why: One Euro number for a year. No 4-week cycles, no auto-renewal surprises.
100 GB at €18.99/4w on Vodafone 5G with full 100 Mbit/s speed. Why: For users who stream over cellular or tether laptops occasionally.
Five different brands sell 25 GB at €8.99/4w. Pick by network.
| Plan | Data | Price | Network | 5G | Sold at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIDL Connect S 5G | 25 GB | €8.99/4w | Vodafone | Yes | LIDL |
| NORMA connect S 5G | 25 GB | €8.99/4w | Telekom | Yes | NORMA |
| KAUFLAND Smart S 5G | 25 GB | €8.99/4w | Telekom | Yes | Kaufland |
| ja! mobil Smart | 25 GB | €8.99/4w | Telekom | Yes | REWE |
| ALDI TALK Kombi S | 25 GB | €8.99/4w | O2 | Yes | ALDI |
| Penny Mobil Smart | 25 GB | €8.99/4w | Telekom | Yes | PENNY |
We score every German prepaid plan on five dimensions: price per gigabyte, annualised cost (4-week tariffs renew 13 times/year), 5G availability, host network, and EU fair-use cap. Prices verified May 13, 2026. Network scores from connect Netztest 2025, Opensignal Germany Q1 2026, and the Bundesnetzagentur coverage register.
Coincidence isn't the reason — it's the market clearing price for 25 GB on a 4-week cycle. The supermarket chains all source from the same three networks (Telekom, Vodafone, O2) and Drillisch acts as the white-label MVNO behind several. Once one brand priced 25 GB at €8.99/4w, the others followed.
Headline price yes, true annual cost no. A €8.99 4-week tariff renews 13 times per year — that's €116.87/year. A €9.99 monthly tariff is €119.88/year. So 4-week tariffs at €8.99 actually save you €3/year vs. monthly at €9.99 — small but real.
Pick one with same-day activation: Vodafone CallYa eSIM (VideoIdent, ~20 minutes), O2 Prepaid eSIM, or any supermarket SIM with the SIM card itself bought at the store. ID verification (passport scan or VideoIdent) is required by German law before activation.
Some do. Vodafone CallYa, O2, LIDL Connect, ja! mobil, Penny Mobil, and Lebara all advertise prepaid eSIM. Telekom prepaid eSIM is partly available but not on every tariff. Supermarket brand eSIM swaps usually require a one-time SMS code from an already active SIM, which is a friction point for new customers.