SIM Card Purchase for Germany

Need a phone with this SIM?

Detailed Features Info & Rates Chart Activation Recharges Coverage Map Operating Instructions Need a phone? Priced at only $59.00 Includes FREE USPS shipping (Express options also available)

Cellular Abroad SIM Card for Germany
Cellular Abroad's German SIM card by Ortel was designed specifically for US and Canadian travelers visiting Germany who need an economical way to make and receive calls and surf the web. Ortel uses the EPlus network, one of the largest cellular carriers in Germany. International rates back home are a low €.05 per minute (with a €.15 connection fee), calls within Germany are just €0.13 per minute and all incoming calls from anywhere are free. Furthermore, for a one time fee you can opt for a package offering rates to the US or Canada for €4.90 for 500 minutes of talk time to be used within 30 days. That is a just a little more than a penny a minute to call internationally! There is also a package for local calls as per below.

The service is pay as you go so there are no contracts to sign or bills to pay. The initial SIM card has 87 minutes to the US and Canada and additional talk time or mobile broadband sessions can be added to the SIM card buy purchasing it within Germany or through Cellular Abroad's German toll free, 7 days/week, English speaking top up center. The Ortel pay as you go SIM card is the ideal solution for staying in touch while in Germany.

iPhone and iPad users can now request Micro-SIM Card size Ortel Germany SIM cards; add the product to your cart and select the "Micro-SIM Add-on" to have our staff resize your SIM card with a professional Micro-SIM tool. Cutting your SIM card down to fit an iPhone or iPad can be dangerous; you may cut it incorrectly, or cut the gold contacts improperly and invalidate your SIM. Don't trust a Youtube how-to video when Cellular Abroad can guarantee your Micro-SIM will work in your unlocked device, or we will replace it at no extra cost.

Here's a list of only a few of the major cities that our service covers: Berlin, Cologne, Dortmund, Dresden, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Gelsenkirken, Hamburg, Hannover, Leipzig, Munich, Nuremberg, Stuttgart, AND virtually everywhere else!

Data Service - New for 2011!

For a low additional fee, you can chose a data enabled Ortel SIM card and receive unlimited mobile broadband while in Germany. With a data enabled SIM card, you can activate Ortel's Internet Flat offer and receive unlimited data for 30 days. €7.90 (about $10.00) will be deducted from your balance.

The Internet-Flat plan allows unlimited data usage. You can use up to 250MB of 3G speed data per month, after which you will be limited to 2G speed service until the next billing cycle.

To activate data on your prepaid service, you must be a registered Ortel Mobile customer in Germany on the Ortel network. You can not activate data service outside of Germany. Information about activating your service for data is available here.

Information and Talk Rates Chart

Special Ortel "FLAT" options

Pick any one of the following "Flat" plans and pay a fixed one-time price for a special feature plan; these plans are only available to Ortel Mobile customers. To activate your preferred "Flat" plan, please refer to the user guide. You will be sent a printed copy of these instructions with your purchase.

*You can find more detailed information on rates and charges here.

Detailed Features

• German cell phone number w/ free incoming calls from anywhere in the world!
• Domestic outgoing rates of €0.13/minute ($0.17/minute),
• International outgoing rates of €.05/minute ($.07/minute).  Connection fee of €.15/call ($.20)
• Complete with initial airtime worth 10 Euros: 200 min. international (depending on number of calls made), 75 min domestic.
• Add more minutes by purchasing an Ortel recharge card from Cellular Abroad or convenience stores, supermarkets and magazine stands in Germany.  Available in €15 and €30 denominations.
• Voicemail (calls are €.29/minute)
• SMS/Text messages (free incoming and only €.09/message domestic and international).
• From a landline, (NOT from payphones, mobile phones, and majority of hotels) Cellular Abroad can be reached 8am to 8pm EST, 7 days a week with English customer support and recharge services by dialing this number: 00-800-3623-3333. From a cell: (310)862-7100 or email us at support@cellularabroad.com

Dialing Information
Your phone needs to be an unlocked dual-band, tri-band or quad-band GSM phone capable of functioning in the 900/1800 MHz GSM band.

Important US toll free numbers are not accessible from overseas. Be sure to get valid international numbers prior to your departure. 

Please Note: There is no support for service when roaming outside of Germany.

Activation

Before you go!

• DO NOT insert the SIM card until you arrive in Germany. If it picks up a network in the US it will ruin the SIM card.
• Activate the service online before you depart for Germany.
• Visit the Ortel website: http://www.ortelmobile.de/en-GB/sim-activation/
• A hotel address is ok – Do not include the name of the hotel.
• You must enter the Zip Code first, the city will populate in the field below. Click on the city and the street options will populate below.
• Click on the "Activate" button, and the confirmation will be displayed at the top of the page - Your SIM will be activated shortly.

• From North America (landline/ US cell) – Call 011 49 1805010446 8AM to 6PM M-F.
• From a German landline – Call 0800 000 6836

Once you arrive!

• Insert your SIM card: Gently snap out the SIM Chip from the SIM Card casing, then insert the chip into your GSM Phone. The gold plate on your SIM Chip should face the gold contact prongs inside your phone. Switch your phone on.
• If prompted enter your PIN #, located on the Ortel Mobile letter attached to you user guide.
• The initial credit has been preloaded.
• You may now make and receive calls.

PIN and PUK codes

The PIN and PUK information can be found on the welcome letter from Ortel Mobile where the SIM card is attached. Consult your phone's manual to deactivate the PIN code. This can be done in the menu setting under security. If the PIN code is entered incorrectly 3 times the PUK must be used to enter the phone.

Voice Mail - By default your voicemail is set to on
To check your voicemail,

• Dial 99* or 9911. You can follow the prompts to record a personal greeting. 

You can also check your voicemail from another phone, in the US or in Germany:

• In Germany, dial 0177 99 plus the last 7-digits of your number or
• From the states 011 49 177 99 and the last 7-digits of your number.

Checking Your Credit

• Call 1155 and follow the menu prompts.
• Call *100# and your credit will then appear on the screen.  This can be done outside of Germany as long as your phone is picking up a network.

When you receive a message stating “You are not qualified to make this call”, you have no call credit.

Purchasing More Talk Time
The most convenient way to buy credit is direct from Cellular Abroad. To use the same credit card you used to order from Cellular Abroad, you can send a text message to our Recharge Hotline and Cellular Abroad will send you a recharge code instantly, straight to your phone via SMS text message. A recharge code costs $22 and is worth approximately 111 minutes of calls to the US or Canada, or up to 52 minutes within Germany.

• You must have sufficient credit for at least 1 outgoing international SMS text message (USD $0.20)
• Text the number "1" to phone number +447872281074
• If successful, you will be sent a confirmation text message with your code. Use the instructions below to redeem your code for talk time.
• If not successful, or you don't receive a code, call Cellular Abroad at 001 310-862-7100 (M-F, 8am-4pm PST)

If you wish to purchase credit locally within Germany, you can find recharge vouchers (called E-Plus) at any of the 20,000 convenience and cell phone stores that sell E-Plus recharge vouchers.

Germany Ortel €10 Prepaid Recharge Card only $24.00 for €10 of talk time credit Save time by starting your stay in the Germany with an additional €10 of talk time. Each of these recharges gives about 200 minutes of calls to the US or Canada or about 75 minutes in Germany. Incoming calls are free while in Germany.

Adding More Talk Time

• Top-Up via Keypad:  Enter *104*(16-digit code)# and hit ‘SEND.’  After a few seconds, the new balance will appear on the screen

• Top-Up via Service number: Dial 1155.  Select option 4.  When prompted, enter the 16-digit recharge code followed by ‘#’ to confirm.  The code will be repeated, and press 1 if correct.

Troubleshooting
If you are unable to make or receive calls switch networks on your phone.  Consult your phone’s manual.  The steps will be like these:

• Menu > Settings/Setup > Network > Available Network/Change Network > Search
• Select a different network carrier than the one currently shown.

If you are receiving no reception bars, emergency calls only, SOS, or no service
check your phones band setting:  Consult your phone’s manual. The steps will be like these:

• Menu > Settings/Setup > Network > Network Setup >Band
• Make sure you select 900/1800

Customer Service
For Network or Service issues:

• Dial 0180 501 0446 (the call will cost €0.49/minute from your cell phone), Ortel Mobile Customer Service is open M-F 8AM to 6PM.

To reach Cellular Abroad for recharges, billing or hardware support:

• From a landline, (NOT from payphones, mobile phones, and majority of hotels) Cellular Abroad can be reached 8am to 4pm PST, Monday - Friday with English customer support and recharge services by dialing this number: 00-800-3623-3333. Please note that some hotels may charge for toll free calls. You may reach us from your cell phone at +1-310-862-7100 (not a toll free call) or via email at support@cellularabroad.com.

Calling Rates
These rates are based on per-minute charges.  Remember, all incoming calls are free regardless of origin.

• Domestic outgoing rates of €0.13/minute ($.17/minute).
• International outgoing rates of €0.05/minute ($.07/minute).  Connection fee of €0.15/call ($.20).
• Voicemail: calls are €0.29/minute ($.39/minute).

Text Message Rates           
Incoming – Free  Outgoing – €0.013 to German #'s / €0.015 to US/Canada/message

Service Life
Your German SIM card is good for 7 months.  Each recharge extends the life of your SIM card for 7 months from the date of the recharge.  After 6 months, all credit will expire.  You have 30 more days to recharge your SIM card before the SIM and your phone number expire.

To inquire about the possibility of extending your SIM card’s service life while outside the SIM card’s country of origin, contact the telecom provider's customer service, Cellular Abroad does not provide support for this feature.

Multi-Country Travel
You can also purchase other SIM cards as well for other countries to where you may be traveling. (This option is good for those planning on doing a lot of local calling.) We also offer an international roaming Talk Abroad™ SIM Card that is convenient for travel to multiple countries. (This option is useful for those wanting a single number for use in multiple countries and who will be making more calls back home than locally.)