Are you planning your trip to Germany, flying to Frankfurt and wondering if you can buy a prepaid sim card for tourists at Frankfurt Airport?
Don't get fooled by slow overseas data roaming plans or let high roaming charges ruin your trip. This is a complete guide with everything you need to know about buying a sim card at Frankfurt Airport.
Find out where to buy a prepaid sim card, up to date prices as per January 2025, shop opening times, a vlog about my arrival at Frankfurt Airport and more about the best eSIMs for Germany.
Table of Contents
- My recommendation
- Why buying a sim card for visiting Frankfurt
- Germany prepaid sim cards and EU data roaming
- Where to buy a German sim card at Frankfurt Airport?
- Prices prepaid sim cards at Frankfurt Airport
- Best sim card at Frankfurt Airport in 2025
- Best eSIMs for Germany
If you are all about eSIMs then Traveltomtom has the ultimate guide guide for you with a comparison of the best eSIMs for traveling to Germany in 2025.
RELATED: Ultimate Frankfurt Travel Guide for 2025 with 16 cool things to do, hotel recommendations, rooftop bars, restaurants and day trips.
Some links in this article about buying a sim card at Frankfurt Airport are affiliate links. If you buy any of the products after using an affiliate link I earn a small commission. This is at absolutely no extra cost to you of course!
My recommendation
Traveltomtom does NOT recommend buying a sim card at Frankfurt Airport!
Why not? Tourist sim cards are sold for tourists prices and there is very limited choice. Prepaid sim cards at Frankfurt Airport are simply too expensive!
The best prepaid sim card deal at Frankfurt Airport is a Lycamobile sim card with 15 GB data for €40 EUR ($41 USD).
A Jetpac eSIM for Germany with 20 GB data is only $18 USD, so you understand why Traveltomtom recommends eSIMs over buying an overprices sim card at Frankfurt Airport.
Check out my complete Germany eSIM guide with the best eSIMs for Germany in 2025.
If you want to buy a prepaid sim card in Germany then buy one in a phone store in the city center of Frankfurt and see my guide for the best prepaid sim card for tourists in Germany in 2025.
Another great alternative is for staying connected when traveling to Germany is buying an international sim card for traveling abroad. These sim cards are valid in multiple countries around the world.
Why buying a sim card for visiting Frankfurt
There are so many reasons why I recommend buying a sim card for traveling in Germany. But first and foremost we want to avoid high roaming charges. The easiest way is to get an eSIM or simply buy a prepaid sim card for tourists at Frankfurt Airport.
It will save you a lot of money and you don't need to deal with slow overseas data roaming plans that limit your data speed.
Having data on your phone make life so much easier and visiting Frankfurt so much more fun. Think about accessing your bank apps, or find your friends when getting lost, simply stay in touch with friends and family or find nearby places to eat on Google Maps.
Traveltomtom is aiming to visit every country in the world and everywhere I go I write sim card guides to help fellow world travelers save money on high roaming charges and find the best ways to stay connected.
There is a whole long list of sim card guide on Traveltomtom from all over the world: Venice, Budapest, Geneva, Zurich, Madrid, Milan, Nairobi, Douala, Dubai, Riyadh, Amman, Istanbul, Cape Town, Miami, New York, Buenos Aires, Sydney, Singapore, Bali, Bangkok, Mexico, Brazil, Philippines, Malaysia and many more places around the world.
Traveltomtom also wrote arrival guides for Berlin Brandenburg Airport as well as a complete guide on how to buy a prepaid sim card in Germany in 2025.
Germany prepaid sim cards and EU data roaming
Always double check if your Germany prepaid sim card includes free EU data roaming. That means you can use the sim card you buy in Frankfurt in for example Amsterdam, Rome or Helsinki at no extra costs.
Be aware that there are much better sim cards for traveling in Europe then the prepaid sim cards for Germany that you can buy at Frankfurt Airport. If you are visiting multiple in Europe then check out my guide with all my tips for buying a local prepaid sim card on arrival in Europe with much more details about EU data roaming.
Or make it yourself easy and arrive prepared in Europe with a sim card from Traveltomtom's list of the best sim cards for traveling in Europe in 2025 that you can order directly on the internet.
Where to buy a German sim card at Frankfurt Airport?
When arriving at Frankfurt Airport there are three arrival halls A, B and C. I checked all of them and there are only two places to buy a German prepaid sim card at Frankfurt Airport and both of the shops are in Arrival Hall B. When you arrive in arrival Hall B, you can not miss the Vodafone, T-Mobile and O2 signs, they are right in front of the door that you come out.
There are two different shops next to each other: Currency Exchange and the Ortel store.
The Currency Exchange is open from 06.00 am to 9.30 pm and the Ortel Store only from 09.00 am to 07.00 pm on week days and 10.00 am to 05.00 pm in weekends.
Don't get fooled by all the signs saying buy your German sim cards here and Vodafone or Ortel Mobile. There are only two mobile operators available: Lebara and Lycamobile.
Prices prepaid sim cards at Frankfurt Airport
There is very limited choice at Frankfurt International Airport: two shops, two sim card deals, that is it!
All info an prices are updated as per January 2025 and prices are in Euros: $1 USD = €0.98 EUR and €1 EUR = $1.02 USD.
The phone stores at Frankfurt Airport only offer physical prepaid sim cards, there are no eSIMs for tourists available. If you want an eSIM for traveling to Germany then check out my comparison of the best eSIMs for Germany in 2025.
Ortel - Lycamobile
- 15 GB data + unlimited calls for 28 days in all of Europe = €40 EUR - $41 USD
Lycamobile operates on the network of Vodafone Germany.
Currency Exchange - Lebara
At the Currency Exchange shop they only sell a Lebara prepaid sim card. For €39 EUR ($40 USD) you get 10 GB data + unlimited calls in Germany and 250 international minutes, valid for 28 days.
Lebara operates on the network of O2 Germany.
Best sim card at Frankfurt Airport in 2025
If you are looking for the best prepaid sim card for Germany then Frankfurt Airport is not the best place to be! There is not much choice and the tourist sim packages are expensive.
The best sim card deal at Frankfurt Airport is the one from Lycamobile. For €40 EUR ($40 USD) you get 15 GB data.
The overall conclusion is simple: Traveltomtom does not recommend buying a sim card at Frankfurt Airport.
Buying a sim card for Germany on the internet is much cheaper. You can already get a Jetpac eSIM for Germany with 15 GB data for $15 USD. Find more detailed info in my guide for finding the best eSIM for Germany in 2025.
If your phone is not eSIM compatible then what? Wait till you get to Frankfurt city center and go to a phone store to buy a prepaid sim card for Germany. Which one? Click here to read my complete guide for buying a tourist sim card in Germany in 2025.
Best eSIMs for Germany
The easiest way to get a data connection on your phone when traveling to Germany in 2025 is an eSIM. You arrange everything directly online. No more swapping physical sim cards and visiting a phone store.
You order an eSIM for Germany on the internet, you receive a QR code, scan it, follow the simple steps and within less than 2 minutes you have a Germany eSIM installed on your phone.
Upon arrival in Germany it automatically connects you to an available network and you enjoy data on your phone pretty much when the plane lands.
Traveltomtom wrote a complete guide for using eSIMs when traveling to Germany, including a comparison of the best eSIMs, all FAQ's answered and everything else you need to know about eSIMs.
There are a couple trusted eSIM providers, here are some recommendations.
SimOptions
SimOptions is a reliable eSIM provider and Traveltomtom has used SimOptions in more than 50 countries around the world and never faced an issue. Read more about it on our complete SimOptions review.
The Bouygues Telecom an Orange eSIMs for Europe are the most complete and recommended eSIMs for Germany.
Here are the SimOptions international eSIM plans for Germany for 2025:
Bouygues Telecom
- 15 GB data-only for 15 days = $15.90 USD
- 20 GB data + unlimited calls for 15 days = $21.90 USD
- 30 GB data + unlimited calls for 30 days = $32.90 USD
- 60 GB data + unlimited calls for 30 days = $39.90 USD
Orange Holiday Europe
- 12 GB data + unlimited calls/text + 30 minutes international for 14 days = $28.90 USD
- 30 GB data + unlimited calls/text + 120 minutes international for 14 days = $49.90 USD
- 70 GB data + unlimited calls/text + 120 minutes international for 28 days = $55.90 USD
Click here for more info or to order an eSIM for Germany via SimOptions.
The Bouygues Telecom and Orange eSIMs for Europe come with free EU data roaming and are valid in all of Europe. Unlimited calling/texting is included and these eSIMs come with a phone number.
Airalo
Airalo is another reliable eSIM provider that sells eSIMs from pretty much every country in the world.
Airalo offers the following eSIM deals for Germany in 2025:
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $5 USD
- 2 GB data for 15 days = $6.5 USD
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $10 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $15 USD
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $22.50 USD
- 20 GB data for 30 days = $26 USD
Click here to order a Germany eSIM from Airalo.
The Hallo! Mobil eSIMs for Germany are data-only and only valid in Germany. They operate on the 4G/LTE network of Vodafone Germany. 5G is not supported.
Before you order an eSIM for Germany make sure your phone is eSIM compatible.
For much more detailed information about using eSIMs for traveling to Germany, FAQ about eSIMs, more eSIM offers from Roamless, Sim Local, Jetpac, eSIMple and more can be found in my detailed guide about the best eSIMs for traveling to Germany in 2025.
Buy a prepaid sim card for Germany online
If your phone is not eSIM compatible but you would like to order a sim card for traveling to Germany online before your trip then check out the following.
Arrive prepared in Germany with an international prepaid sim card. You order them online and a physical prepaid sim card will be delivered to your home address. You put this sim card in your phone and it automatically connects to an available network upon arrival in Germany, basically when the plane lands you are instantly online.
SimOptions is the only sim card provider that sells physical prepaid sim cards for Germany:
- 15 GB data-only for 15 days = $15.90 USD
- 20 GB data + unlimited calls for 15 days = $21.90 USD
- 10 GB data + $2 calling credit for 30 days = $24.90 USD
- 10 GB data + unlimited calls/sms for 30 days = $24.90 USD
- 12 GB data + 30 minutes international + unlimited calls/text for 14 days = $29.90 USD
- 30 GB data + unlimited calls for 30 days = $44.90 USD
- 30 GB data + 120 minutes international + unlimited calls/text for 14 days = $49.90 USD
- 60 GB data + unlimited calls for 30 days = $51.90 USD
Click here for more info or to order an international prepaid sim card for Germany via SimOptions.
Personally Traveltomtom recommends the Bouygues Telecom or the Orange sim cards. I have used these sim cards a lot in the past and never had an issue.
But nowadays when traveling to Europe or Germany I always use an eSIM. It is just so easy and done fast and as soon as the plane lands you are online. Find the best one for your trip in my Germany eSIM comparison.
Vlog about buying a sim card at Frankfurt Airport
Here is my YouTube video about my arrival at Frankfurt Airport and my experiences buying a prepaid sim card to stay connected on my trip to Germany.
I am sure at least some of the above all the above tips for buying a sim card at Frankfurt Airport were helpful. If you have any questions please leave me a comment below and I am more than happy to help you out.
Traveltomtom flies a lot from Frankfurt Airport with Qatar Airways. Check out my vlog about the amazing Q-Suite from Qatar Airways.
If you are interested what it looks like traveling to every country in the world then check out my Instagram profile @traveltomtom for some serious wanderlust. As of January 2025 I have visited more than 155 countries around the world.
Enjoy your trip to Frankfurt!