We went for an RV trip across Europe and our Polish sim cards had only 3.17GB of data roaming per month, so we bought the Lidl Connect SIM card in Germany to be sure we will be connected. The card is working fine, but the registration process for foreigners was a little troublesome. So I’m documenting it here for future generations. (If you do not want to deal with this procedure, here is an eSIM I recommend).
- Lidl Connect is a virtual operator of Vodafone Germany.
- You get to use the Vodafone network and cross-European roaming without limits (within the EU).
- You can buy the Sim Card in any Lidl – the starter packs are near the counters.
- I recommend the DATA XL prepaid plan, which works for 4 weeks and offers 10 Gigabytes for 14.99 EUR. Much more than in Poland, but apparently in Germany it is reasonable.
You can buy this card in any Lidl, but they will not want to register it at the store. Instead you have to register your sim from lidl on a website, entirely in German.
Registering Lidl Connect SIM Card from Germany
European Union requires all SIM cards to be tied to a valid ID, so the vendor must check your passport / ID card, etc. Since I was purchasing the starter package at the Lidl store, I counted on them checking my credentials there. Unfortunately, that process was outsourced to the mighty online system™️.
I got a link to http://www.lidl-connect.de and a phone number where they only speak German. I don’t speak enough to convey the problem I was seeing.
There were a few hiccups you have to watch out for:
- The proper website to register your sim card is https://registrierung.lidl-connect.de . On the receipt tell you to visit lidl-connect.de and search for a button, but it’s not there. Just go to https://registrierung.lidl-connect.de
- In the address field, put only a German address. I tried my Polish one, because the system didn’t specify it had to be a german one and got a cryptic error.
- The ID verification is outsourced to German Post and worked perfectly. They tell you to:
- Install an app on your phone
- Take photos of your ID
- And initiate video call with a representative. You can choose English if you don’t speak German.
- The account login ( https://kundenkonto.lidl-connect.de ) did not work for a few hours after the registration
- The login is the phone number, including the country routing number for Germany (49), without the leading 0 of your phone number. So if your number starts 0172…, your login will start 49172…
- If you want to top up your starter (I chose the 14.99 EUR having only 10 EUR starter), you may have to use Paypal. The online credit card form didn’t update for cross-origin iframes updates in modern browsers and will not load the online payment confirmation process (3DSecure). If you have an American card, it won’t be a problem, but most European cards won’t work.
After registering, you get a ton of emails when stuff gets activated, and you also get a link to the video identification process if you didn’t start it during registration. Your card should work soon.
If that guide does not help you, I also tested Airalo eSIMs, and they work great:
Staying connected on the road
We spent quite a bit of time traveling and working while taking care of a toddler. You can read our adventures here:
Were you residents of Germany? If not, what address did you use?
TIA
I used the address where I was staying – in that instance it was a campground since I was RV-ing
OK, thanks for the info
Omg thank you so much. You saved my life after 5 days with no LTE connection on my phone I’ve managed to do it following your instructions!
Does it still works normally ir you then go to another European country?
Yes, I used it in Italy and Austria
Thanks so much. this article has really helped me
Thank you for this guide! Very helpful for navigating the registration process.
I could not complete my video verification because they did not have India on their country list. They told to get in touch with Vodafone directly who also did not help because it was not their direct network. And now I am stuck because I can only speak english and the customer care is only german speaking.