# Best SIM Card by Use Case in Austria (2026) > Austrian SIM cards ranked per situation: student, business, tourist, newcomer, rural, heavy data, and calls outside the EU, each with a named tariff and price. Updated: · By Jules de Bruin · Drei (3) · Drei network · URL: https://www.how-to-austria.com/communication/sim-cards-by-use-case ## Which SIM card is best for your situation? Use case[Student](#use-case-student)[Business](#use-case-business)[Tourist](#use-case-tourist)[Newcomer](#use-case-newcomer)[Rural](#use-case-rural)[Heavy data](#use-case-heavy-data)[Calls abroad](#use-case-calls-abroad)You study here and pay for your own phone ### What is the best SIM card for students in Austria? - Best pickDrei up Under27 unlimitedDrei (3) · Drei network€14.90 / monthly contractUnlimited data · €0.07 per GB · Unlimited data, under-27s only Unlimited data at €14.90 undercuts every capped 100 GB pack, as long as you are under 27 and can sign a 12-month contract. - Runner-upLIDL Connect Tarif LLIDL Connect · Drei network€9.50 / 30 days100 GB · €0.10 per GB · Cheapest 100 GB pack in Austria The no-contract fallback: 100 GB for €9.50 per 30 days, bought at any Lidl, with no age limit and no credit check. - Third choicespusu 50000spusu · Drei network€9.90 / monthly50 GB · €0.20 per GB · Unused data rolls over to next month 50 GB for €9.90 with unused data rolling over, which suits a semester where usage swings between exam weeks and holidays. Students get the one genuinely age-gated deal in Austria: **Drei up Under27 unlimited at €14.90** is **unlimited data** for less than most 100 GB packs, but it needs a **12-month contract** and an **Austrian address**. If you cannot sign a contract, or you are over 27, **LIDL Connect Tarif L gives 100 GB for €9.50** with no commitment at all. Ranked by: unlimited or 100 GB data · no credit check where possible · price under €15. [Full provider details](/communication/sim-cards#provider-drei). You need a reliable line and a proper invoice ### What is the best SIM card for business use in Austria? - Best pickA1 Basis TarifA1 · A1 network€9.90 / monthly contract5 GB · €1.98 per GB · English support, 12-month commitment The only pick here that combines A1's coverage, English-language business support, and a proper monthly invoice for your Werbungskosten. - Runner-upMagenta unlimited SIM-onlyMagenta · Magenta network€29.90 / monthly contractUnlimited data · €0.15 per GB · Unlimited data, bundles with fibre and TV Unlimited data with no throttling threshold to plan around, plus bundle pricing if your office internet is already Magenta. - Third choicebob Flex unlimitedbob · A1 network€18.90 / monthlyUnlimited data · €0.09 per GB · Unlimited data with no contract Unlimited data for €18.90 with no contract, for freelancers who want the allowance without the 12-month commitment. Business use is the one case where a **contract beats prepaid**: you need a **monthly invoice** with VAT for your accounting, and prepaid top-ups do not produce one. **A1 Basis at €9.90** pairs the **widest coverage** with **English-language support**. Take **Magenta unlimited at €29.90** if you tether a laptop daily. Ranked by: invoice with VAT · coverage and reliability · English support. [Full provider details](/communication/sim-cards#provider-a1). You are here for days or a couple of weeks ### What is the best SIM card for tourists visiting Austria? - Best pickHoT 10 GBHoT (Hofer Telekom) · Magenta network€5.90 / 30 days10 GB · €0.59 per GB · Unlimited calls and SMS in Austria Cheapest local SIM with a usable allowance, and Hofer stores are everywhere, so you can buy it the day you land. - Runner-upA1 Free Tarif SA1 · A1 network€9.90 / 4 weeks5 GB · €1.98 per GB · Prepaid entry tariff on the A1 network Worth the extra euros only if you leave the cities, since A1 is the network that still works in Alpine valleys. - Third choicespusu 2000spusu · Drei network€4.90 / monthly2 GB · €2.45 per GB · Cheapest monthly tariff in Austria The bare-minimum option at €4.90 if you only need maps and messaging, not streaming. For a visit under about a month, an **Austrian SIM is usually the wrong buy**: it needs **passport registration** in a shop and gives you a number you will drop. A **travel eSIM activates in minutes** from your phone. If you do want a local number, **HoT 10 GB at €5.90** is the cheapest useful option and is sold at every **Hofer supermarket**. Ranked by: no paperwork · instant activation · lowest total cost for 1-4 weeks. [Full provider details](/communication/sim-cards#provider-hot). You just arrived and have no Meldezettel yet ### What is the best SIM card when you have just moved to Austria? - Best pickHoT fixHoT (Hofer Telekom) · Magenta network€9.90 / 30 days60 GB · €0.17 per GB · 15 GB of the allowance usable in the EU 60 GB for €9.90 covers hotspotting a laptop through the weeks before your home internet is installed, with no address required. - Runner-upspusu 50000spusu · Drei network€9.90 / monthly50 GB · €0.20 per GB · Unused data rolls over to next month The better pick if you are careful with money: 50 GB for €9.90, and unused data carries into the following month. - Third choiceDrei Talk BasicDrei (3) · Drei network€7.00 / 30 days15 GB · €0.47 per GB · Most data per euro at entry level Cheapest way onto an own-network operator at €7.00, with 15 GB and English-language support if you get stuck. Before your **Meldezettel** exists you cannot sign a contract, which rules out every tariff with a **12-month commitment** and a credit check. Prepaid needs **only your passport**. **HoT fix at €9.90** gives **60 GB**, enough to run your phone as a hotspot while you wait for home internet, and you can switch later while **keeping your number**. Ranked by: no Austrian address needed · large allowance for hotspot use · no lock-in. [Full provider details](/communication/sim-cards#provider-hot). You live outside a city or hike often ### What is the best SIM card for rural and Alpine Austria? - Best pickA1 B.free 50A1 · A1 network€9.90 / 4 weeks30 GB · €0.33 per GB · 2,000 minutes included A1 direct, 30 GB plus 2,000 minutes for €9.90, with the operator's own support if coverage at your address is marginal. - Runner-upyesss! 100 GByesss! · A1 network€9.99 / monthly100 GB · €0.10 per GB · 100 GB on A1 coverage under €10 The same A1 coverage for the same money but with 100 GB instead of 30, at the cost of German-only support. - Third choicebob bobinatorbob · A1 network€6.90 / monthly7 GB · €0.99 per GB · A1's own budget brand A1 coverage from €6.90 for light users who mostly need a working signal rather than a large allowance. Outside the cities, **coverage beats price**, and coverage means the **physical network**, not the brand. **A1 has the widest reach** in rural and Alpine areas, and you can buy that reach cheaply through its resellers: **yesss! and bob both ride the full A1 network**. Drei is the network to avoid here, whatever the tariff price says. Ranked by: A1 network coverage · reliability over price · works in Alpine valleys. [Full provider details](/communication/sim-cards#provider-a1). You stream, tether, and pass 50 GB a month ### What is the best SIM card for heavy data users in Austria? - Best pickLIDL Connect Tarif LLIDL Connect · Drei network€9.50 / 30 days100 GB · €0.10 per GB · Cheapest 100 GB pack in Austria Best value per gigabyte of any Austrian tariff at €0.10 per GB, and no contract, so you can leave the month you stop needing it. - Runner-upyesss! 200 GByesss! · A1 network€19.99 / monthly200 GB · €0.10 per GB · Largest capped allowance on A1 Double the allowance on A1 coverage instead of Drei, which is the pick if you tether outside the cities. - Third choiceHoT 150 GBHoT (Hofer Telekom) · Magenta network€17.90 / 30 days150 GB · €0.12 per GB · Largest HoT allowance, still prepaid 150 GB from a supermarket brand with unlimited calls, useful if you already buy HoT and want to stay with one provider. Above roughly **50 GB a month** the cheap tariffs stop being cheap and **EUR per GB** becomes the number that matters. **LIDL Connect Tarif L is 100 GB for €9.50**, which works out at **€0.10 per GB**. Go uncapped only if you genuinely pass 200 GB: unlimited starts at **€14.90** for under-27s and **€18.90** otherwise. Ranked by: lowest EUR per GB · 100 GB or more · no throttling surprises. [Full provider details](/communication/sim-cards#provider-lidl-connect). Your family is outside the EU ### What is the best SIM card for calling outside the EU from Austria? - Best pickLycamobile InternationalLycamobile · Magenta network€9.90 / monthly5 GB · €1.98 per GB · Calls outside the EU included The only Austrian tariff on this page that bundles calls outside the EU rather than charging them per minute, with English support. - Runner-upHoT fixHoT (Hofer Telekom) · Magenta network€9.90 / 30 days60 GB · €0.17 per GB · 15 GB of the allowance usable in the EU The alternative approach: 60 GB for €9.90 is plenty for app-based video calls, which cost nothing per minute. - Third choiceMagenta Mobil SMagenta · Magenta network€9.90 / 30 days10 GB · €0.99 per GB · Prepaid entry tariff, no commitment Magenta's own network with 10 GB for €9.90, worth it if call quality over mobile data matters more than the allowance. EU roaming is included on every Austrian tariff, but **calls to non-EU numbers are not**, and per-minute rates add up fast. **Lycamobile International at €9.90** is the only tariff here that **includes calls outside the EU**. Otherwise, pair a cheap data tariff with WhatsApp or Signal calls, which is what most residents actually do. Ranked by: non-EU calls included · English support · data for app-based calls. [Full provider details](/communication/sim-cards#provider-lycamobile). Summary - **Student:** Drei up Under27 unlimited, **€14.90** for unlimited data, under-27s only. - **Business:** A1 Basis, **€9.90**, the invoice plus English support. - **Tourist:** a **travel eSIM**, or HoT 10 GB at **€5.90** for a local number. - **Rural:** anything on **A1**, starting with B.free 50 at **€9.90**. - **Heavy data:** LIDL Connect Tarif L, **100 GB** for **€9.50**, or **€0.10 per GB**. - Every tariff in one sortable table: [SIM card overview](/communication/sim-cards#all-packages). ## Why does the best SIM card differ by use case? Because four constraints move independently, and each one can override price. The first is **paperwork**: every Austrian SIM needs **passport registration**, and contract tariffs additionally need an **Austrian address** plus a **KSV1870 credit check**. A newcomer without a **Meldezettel** simply cannot buy the tariff that would otherwise suit them, which is why the newcomer ranking contains no contracts at all. The second is **the physical network**. Austria has three: **A1**, **Magenta**, and **Drei**, and every other brand resells one of them. **A1 reaches furthest** into rural and Alpine areas, so a rural reader should pay for A1 coverage even when a Drei-based tariff is cheaper. In Vienna the difference nearly disappears, which is exactly why the city rankings look nothing like the rural one. The third is **how the cost is documented**. Prepaid top-ups produce no **invoice with VAT**, so business readers need a contract tariff to claim the cost as a **Betriebsausgabe**. The fourth is **where your usage sits**: below roughly **5 GB** the cheapest tariff wins outright, above **50 GB** the winner is whichever tariff has the lowest **EUR per GB**, and **unlimited only pays off past about 200 GB**. Those two thresholds move the answer more than any brand preference. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Which Austrian SIM card is best for students? Drei up Under27 unlimited at €14.90 a month is the best student tariff in Austria because it gives unlimited data for less than most 100 GB packs, but it is restricted to under-27s and requires a 12-month contract plus an Austrian address. Students who cannot sign a contract, including those in their first weeks before registering a Meldezettel, should take LIDL Connect Tarif L at €9.50 for 100 GB per 30 days, which needs no credit check. ### Do you need a contract SIM for business use in Austria? Usually yes, for one accounting reason: prepaid top-ups do not produce a monthly invoice with VAT, and you need that document to claim the cost as a Betriebsausgabe or Werbungskosten. A1 Basis at €9.90 a month is the standard business pick because it adds English-language support and A1's coverage. If you only need the invoice and not the coverage, bob Flex unlimited at €18.90 gives unlimited data without a 12-month commitment. ### Should tourists buy an Austrian SIM card or a travel eSIM? For a visit under about one month, a travel eSIM is easier: it activates from your phone in minutes with no passport registration and no shop visit. Every Austrian SIM, prepaid included, must be registered to a named person with a passport before it carries traffic. If you do want a local +43 number, HoT 10 GB at €5.90 is the cheapest useful tariff and is sold at every Hofer supermarket. ### Which network should you choose if you live in rural Austria? A1, and you can buy A1 coverage cheaply through its resellers. Coverage follows the physical network, not the brand, so yesss! and bob give you the same signal as A1 itself at lower prices, with German-only support as the trade-off. Drei has the weakest rural and Alpine reach of the three Austrian networks, which matters more than any tariff price if your address is outside a city. ### How many GB do you actually need per month in Austria? Messaging, maps, and email run comfortably on 2 to 5 GB a month, which is why spusu 2000 at €4.90 exists. Daily music and social video sit around 10 to 30 GB. Streaming video on mobile or tethering a laptop pushes past 50 GB, and that is the point where EUR per GB matters more than the headline price: LIDL Connect Tarif L costs €0.10 per GB against €2.45 per GB for the cheapest tariff. Unlimited only pays off above roughly 200 GB. --- Source: https://www.how-to-austria.com/communication/sim-cards-by-use-case Last updated: Updated: Format: LLM-readable Markdown twin (.md) of the canonical HTML page.