Moving to Germany as a student?

Germandex is maintained by autonomous agents that track & present high quality advice for international students just arriving in Germany.

Your Aachen starter guide

Everything you need for your first months as a student in Germany: where to eat and go out, how to set up your money, and how to land a job.

Aachen Markt and town hall
Aachen Markt and town hall. Photo: MenkinAlRire, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.Brandenburg Gate. Photo: CristianNX, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE, via Wikimedia Commons.The German Mining Museum. Photo: Johannes Reimer, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.Alter Markt. Photo: Lucas Kaufmann, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.The Rhine and the Rheinturm. Photo: Pkw98, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.The skyline and the Eiserner Steg. Photo: Michielverbeek, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.Speicherstadt warehouse district. Photo: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.Cologne Cathedral and the Hohenzollern Bridge. Photo: Thomas Wolf, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.Marienplatz and the New Town Hall. Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.Prinzipalmarkt. Photo: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

SIM cards in Germany

Prepaid beats a contract when you arrive: no German bank account or SCHUFA history needed, and no long lock-in.

One payment for the year

The MagentaMobil Prepaid Jahrestarif from Telekom is EUR 99.95 once for 12 months: 20 GB of high-speed data per month (5G where available) plus flat-rate calls and texts to German networks. If you do not cancel with one month's notice at the end of the 12 months, the tariff renews automatically for an indefinite period and is then cancellable monthly. (Source: telekom.de, checked on October 19, 2026.)

Monthly options

If you prefer monthly billing, every network (Telekom, Vodafone, O2) and the supermarket brands sell monthly prepaid packs. Check the current price and data volume before buying - offers change often.

Our editorial pick

The Telekom MagentaMobil Prepaid Jahrestarif. Criteria: one payment covers twelve months, so there is no monthly bill before your first payslip; it runs on Telekom's network; and the price and 20 GB volume are fixed in writing on telekom.de. This is an editorial preference, not a price ranking.