Unlimited data volume instead of zero rating: tariffs from 30 euros

There have been two so-called zero rating offers in Germany for years: Stream On the telecom and passport from Vodafone. In both options, customers can use certain online services without data being deducted from the monthly inclusive volume. So there is a flat rate for certain services – such as YouTube, Spotify or Netflix.

At first glance, such offers are advantageous for customers; especially if they generally have a low monthly data volume. In reality, however, users pay for it, as colleagues from heise online report. In addition, the European Court of Justice sees zero ratings as incompatible with net neutrality – individual providers are preferred over others.

Accordingly, it is not a real flat rate. There are actually but already for little money elsewhere. For unlimited data volume with a high download rate, you pay from 30 euros, as we show below. Zero-rating tariffs cost the same, but can do less.

How long zero rating will continue is uncertain. The Federal Network Agency regularly checks the offers and, for example, overturned the throttling of the streaming speed in 2017.

Anyone on the move uses apps. These can be services for entertainment with music or video – or simply chat platforms. Their use affects mobile data consumption. There are two providers on the German market who offer additional passes for certain services without using the included data volume; Vodafone and Telkom.

With Stream On, Telekom customers can use the tariffs Magenta mobile Access music, chat and videos from participating partner companies online throughout Europe without charging the included data volume. The stream-on option comes in different flavors:

New since the end of 2021: In the tariffs Magenta Mobile S and M there are only the Stream-On packages Gaming and Music. away Magenta Mobile M stands for the Music & Video package and ab Magenta Mobile L the Social & Chat package is also available as an option that can be booked free of charge. Before the end of 2021, the packages were only available as a free option from Magenta Mobil L upwards.

Also new: All Telekom tariffs can be booked without a term, i.e. can be canceled on a monthly basis. There are therefore no additional costs.

So if you want 5G, a Telekom network and a flat rate for selected games and music, you pay the cheapest Telekom tariff Magenta Mobile S EUR 40 per month for 6 GB (max. 300 MBit/s), telephone and SMS flat rate and Stream On.

The counterpart to Telekom Stream On is called Vodafone passport. Here are the following passes with Europe-wide use to choose from:

There is no pass for gaming like there is with Telekom. In addition, Vodafone customers can only book one pass per tariff free of charge. Additional passes can be booked for 5 euros or 10 euros for video. Alternatively, existing passes can be changed free of charge via the app.

The cheapest Vodafone tariff with a pass is called Red XS. It offers 4 GB (max. 500 MBit/s), 5G as well as telephony and SMS flat rates. It costs 30 euros per month and has a minimum term of 24 months. However, no video pass can be booked here. It’s only available Red S with 10 GB for monthly 40 euros.

Those who cannot find their way through the passport jungle can access tariffs with unlimited data volume. There are no restrictions on individual apps – you can use any service with unlimited data volume on the go.

We have an overview of the cheapest tariffs with unlimited data volume summarized elsewhere. The cheapest tariff in this class is available from O2 with LTE and a maximum of 225 Mbit/s in the download for 40 euros per month. It can be canceled monthly and the connection price is a one-time fee of 40 euros.

If you want it even more flexible, you can use Freenet Funk in the O2 network – here the offer can be canceled daily. With an all-network flat rate and unlimited data volume (max. 225 MBit/s), the tariff costs around 1 euro per day. The connection price is 10 euros. If you want to pause the tariff, you have 30 days a year included free of charge; Telephony and SMS flat rates remain here. If you want to take a break, you pay 30 cents a day. From our point of view, this is currently the most attractive tariff in the O2 network.

The cheapest tariffs in the Vodafone and Telekom networks cost 80 euros and 85 euros per month respectively.

If you already have your Internet connection via cable or DSL from Vodafone, you can book a mobile phone tariff with unlimited data volume for 40 euros. This combination is possible once per connection.

At Telekom, you pay 45 euros a month for unlimited data volume for a comparable combined offer.

Anyone who uses Netflix, Dazn, Disney+ & Co. a lot is better off with unlimited mobile Internet. We have summarized an overview of the current offers from streaming service providers elsewhere.

Nobody can say how long zero-rating tariffs will be allowed in Germany. If you prefer the Telekom or Vodafone network and already have an Internet contract there, you should use the combination offers. If you can get along in the O2 network, you can get unlimited data volume for just 30 euros a month. The zero-rating tariffs from Vodafone and Telekom cost almost as much, but offer significantly less.