BerlinCheap.com

Recommended Bank for Expats

Georg Jähnig — Sun, 25 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Overview

Revolut comes with a free plan, including:

A free Visa debit card (you only pay €6 one-time for delivery)
Free ATM withdrawals up to €200 or 5 withdrawals per month (no fees from Revolut)
Free and unlimited SEPA transfers^[1], also available as instant transfers^[2]
Compare Revolut’s other plans

All the plans:

Work with Google Pay^[3] and Apple Pay^[4]
Hold and send money in 29 currencies
Rated 4.1 on Trustpilot^[5]
Sign up and verify your account via video call

I have used Revolut myself since 2018 as a spending account and have never had any problems. Their support can be contacted by chat and typically replies within a few hours.

Virtual Cards

What I really like is the option to create virtual cards^[6]:

These are Visa debit cards with a credit card number, expiration date, and CVC code, but no physical card; they exist only in the app
I use them for online payments where I don’t fully trust the merchant
After making a payment, I can freeze these cards to ensure no unwanted transactions occur

Disadvantages

You get a Lithuanian IBAN instead of a German one. However, this has become less of an issue, as even the German tax office (Finanzamt) can work with it.
You get no girocard, which is another payment system in Germany besides Visa/Mastercard. A few merchants only accept girocard.

Go to Revolut^[7]

Revolut: Bank transfers ↩︎
Revolut: What is SEPA instant ↩︎
Revolut: Setting up Google Pay ↩︎
Revolut: Setting up Apple Pay ↩︎
Trustpilot: Revolut ↩︎
Revolut: What is a virtual card ↩︎
This is an affiliate link. If you click on it and then buy something or sign up for a service, I may earn some money. This does not change the price for you. ↩︎

80 Museums Are Free Once A Month

Georg Jähnig — Sun, 06 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Museums Free Once a Month

On Museumssonntag (Museum Sunday), 80 Berlin museums are free to enter, including some of the city's most popular attractions:

Humboldt Forum
Natural History Museum
Futurium
Jewish Museum Berlin
Pergamon Museum
Neues Museum
Neue Nationalgalerie

For most museums, you can simply show up and enter for free. However, some require you to obtain a free online ticket in advance. Check the full list to see the specific requirements for each museum.

Museumssonntag takes place on the first Sunday of every month. You can find the upcoming dates on the official website.

Museum Sunday official website

Always Free Museums

Urban Nation

One of the youngest museums in Berlin (barely one year old), the Urban Nation is a museum for street and modern art. You can see work by well-known artists like Banksy, Shepard Fairey, and Invader: thought-provoking paintings, graffiti, and even a garden with sculptures – all for free! And definitely check out the bathroom. 😉

Located near Nollendorfplatz and Winterfeldplatz (in the western center of the city), you can combine your visit with a stroll or dinner afterward in the area full of nice restaurants.

Tripadvisor profile

3 Free Museums about the Cold War

Interested in the history of Berlin during the Cold War, when it was divided by the Berlin Wall? Here are three museums you can visit – all for free.

The Allied Museum

The Allied Museum, located on the site of the former US administration of West Berlin, consists of two buildings: one for permanent exhibitions and one for temporary exhibitions.

You can also see an airplane from the famous Berlin Air Bridge, a wagon from the former Duty Train (a shuttle between West Berlin and West Germany), and a part of the Berlin Wall, including a watchtower.

Tripadvisor profile

German-Russian Museum

The “other side” of the history can be explored at the German-Russian Museum in Berlin-Karlshorst. It’s in the original buildings where the unconditional surrender was signed on May 8, 1945.

You’ll see information about the history of World War II, everyday items from that time, and photos, maps, and Soviet uniforms. Outside, there is a collection of a Russian tank, artillery, and other military vehicles.

Tripadvisor profile

Berlin Wall Memorial

Finally, the Berlin Wall Memorial offers a vivid understanding of how the Berlin Wall looked. You can see a 1-to-1 model of the Berlin inner city border fortification:

The first smaller concrete wall, facing East Berlin
The “death strip” (Todesstreifen) in between
A watchtower
The outer concrete wall, facing West Berlin – the one often painted with graffiti that you usually see in photographs

Across the street, there is also a building providing information to read and watch in films – all free to visit.

Tripadvisor profile

Bonus: East Side Gallery

Not actually a museum but still a very famous place among tourists: The East Side Gallery is an original part of the Berlin Wall that was painted only after 1990 – because it faced East Berlin, and the East German authorities did not allow it to be painted.

In 1990, famous artists painted well-known pictures on these blank walls, and around 20 years later, some of them returned to renew them.

Tripadvisor profile

An East German Flat

Travel back to the 1980s and see an originally furnished and equipped apartment of East Berlin. Located in the East Berlin district of Hellersdorf, you enter a typical Plattenbau apartment from those times, including furniture, kitchen utensils, a TV set, etc.

The visit is usually guided, so you can ask all your questions about the items you see.

Opening times are quite limited: Only Sundays between 2 and 4 pm.

Tripadvisor profile

Museum in der Kulturbrauerei: How East Germans Lived

The Museum in der Kulturbrauerei in Prenzlauer Berg shows the daily life of East Germans with many original items like clothing, cars, camping gear, prints, and flags. It also covers a long time span, from the 1950s to the 1980s.

Tripadvisor profile

Historic Gas Lamps

Not actually a museum in the conventional sense: Positioned right at the S-Bahn station Tiergarten, the Gaslaternen Freilichtmuseum displays a collection of old gas lamps – not only from Berlin but from all across Europe. They are even illuminated every day at dusk.

Tripadvisor profile

Local Museums: The History of Your District

Berlin, as it exists today, only came into being in 1920. Before that, many of the current districts were independent cities with their own histories. If you’re curious about the area you're living in, definitely check out your district’s museums. You can see old photographs and maps, and many original items, like a historic classroom at Mitte Museum.

Map

Open a map of free museums

Even More

The city of Berlin lists all of their free museums on their website. So just follow that link if you need more inspiration. And besides these listed, you get free entry to all Berlin museums run by the city if you’re receiving social welfare like ALG II, Sozialhilfe, Grundsicherung.

Recommended Electricity Provider

Georg Jähnig — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Overview

There are many good electricity providers, and if your German is good enough, I recommend using a comparison service like Check24^[1] to find the best one.

However, if you need a quick and reliable provider that also offers English support, I recommend Octopus Energy:

British company founded in 2015, read more on Wikipedia.
They have an English website and customer service (only the registration itself is in German).
They offer a price guarantee for the entire term you sign up for.
You can also sign up with no minimum term (although it's a bit more expensive).
Rated 4.8 on Trustpilot^[2] (August 2024).

I've been using them as my supplier since 2023, and they’ve done a great job so far. No bad surprises, and the customer service is friendly and responsive.

Octopus' plans as of August 2024, for 1000 kWh consumption

Sign up using this link^[1:1].
Fill out the form. Here are some tips:
- Postleitzahl: Postal code, use Google Maps if you don’t know yours.
- Select Strom (electricity).
- Provide your estimated consumption. See Expatwiki for guidance on how to calculate this.
- Pick your plan. I recommend a 12-month term as it's the best trade-off between price and flexibility.
- Enter your name and address.
- Choose SEPA-Lastschrift for direct debit payments. This is the easiest form of payment, very popular in Germany, and safe. If you don’t have a EUR bank account yet, see my recommendation.
- Add your meter number. See Expatwiki for help on where to find it.
- Submit the form.
You will receive a confirmation email from Octopus with the details you’ve provided.
Once your service starts, the monthly rate will be deducted from your account.
After one year of service, you will receive a bill with your actual consumption. Depending on your usage, you will either receive a refund or need to pay an additional amount.

Get €100 with My Referral

Sign up with the link below.
After 6 months of delivery, you will get a deduction of €100 on your next bill.

Go to Octopus Energy^[1:2]

Alternatives

Find more options and explanations on how electricity billing works on Expatwiki.
Use Check24 comparison service^[1:3] (German).

This is an affiliate link. If you click on it and then buy something or sign up for a service, I may earn some money. This does not change the price for you. ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Trustpilot: Octopus Energy Germany ↩︎

Deutschland Ticket with Credit Card & Instant Validity

Georg Jähnig — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Deutschland Ticket

After the success of the 9-Euro-Ticket in 2022, the German government has introduced a permanent low-fare monthly pass called the Deutschland Ticket (Germany Pass).

Validity

The Deutschland Ticket is valid for the following means of transport at all times across all of Germany (including Berlin):

Local buses, local night buses
Trams (Straßenbahn, Stadtbahn)
U-Bahn
S-Bahn
Regionalbahn (RB)
Regional-Express (RE)

It is not valid for long-distance transport, including:

InterCity (IC)
EuroCity (EC)
InterCityExpress (ICE)
Flixtrain, Flixbus, or other long-distance buses

The ticket is valid for exactly 1 calendar month, e.g., from 1 May to 31 May. (So you cannot buy it for a period from 15 May to 14 June.)

Where to Buy

You can purchase the ticket at any local public transport company in Germany where the ticket is valid. For expats and tourists, I recommend the Mo.Pla app; see details below.

Is It Worth It for Tourists?

If you’re staying in Berlin or Germany for at least a week, the ticket may already pay off. A 7-day ticket for Berlin ABC (covering Berlin, its suburbs, and Potsdam) already costs the same: €49^[1].

But the Deutschland Ticket allows you to use all local public transport without worrying about going too far out of the city. You can even take day trips to Dresden or Leipzig using regional trains (which takes about 3 hours one way, with 1 change).

Additionally, in the Mo.Pla app, you can use a non-German phone number and pay by debit or credit card, so no EUR bank account is needed.

Be sure however to cancel your ticket early enough, as it is a subscription and will renew itself.

Buy the Ticket at Mo.Pla

The Deutschland Ticket from Mo.Pla:

Has an English interface (+ 6 more languages)
Allows you to subscribe with no deadline (so even on 31 May, it would still be valid for May)
Allows you to subscribe and then pause your subscription, so you can essentially buy it only for one month
Allows you to pay by debit or credit card (so no EUR bank account is required)

Mo.pla comes with Android or Apple app. They might be not accessible from your country, but then you can simply use their website / web app.

To buy the ticket, you first need to create a profile with your email, password, name, address, and phone number.

Then start the booking. You can buy the ticket starting from today – but it will only be valid to the end of the current month.

Having bought the ticket, you will receive a digital ticket as a QR (AZTEC) code inside the app, so be sure to carry your charged smartphone while traveling, along with your ID or passport.

Additionally, you will receive an email with the ticket's QR code. I always print it out and carry it with me as a backup in case I lose my phone. Technically, a ticket on paper is not valid since 2024, but I think having it on paper is still better than nothing.

If you lose your phone, you can still access the ticket on another device by logging in with your email address and password.

Go to Deutschland Ticket at Mo.Pla

7-Tage-Karte VBB-Umweltkarte ↩︎

Free Courses for Tech Jobs in Berlin

Georg Jähnig — Thu, 25 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000

"For an IT guy, LinkedIn is like a reverse dating site. Girls write to you, and you ignore them." – a tweet that made the rounds in December. And of course, this is true for women in IT as well.

Yet, if you have never worked in tech, it may seem either very difficult or very boring – or even both.

But is it true? You don’t need to guess. Just take a free (orientation) course. It will show you the different fields in IT (it’s not only about programming!), and you’ll even meet people working in the industry.

Here, two programs are described in detail, and at the bottom, you can find a list of even more courses.

Techlabs: 4 Months Part-Time

Techlabs is a non-profit organization founded in 2017, now offering courses in 8 countries and 8 cities in Germany. Each city team has a somewhat different offer, so this overview will focus on Berlin. (Read here about other locations.)

What all courses have in common: They are completely free; you don’t even need a voucher. You only need to apply, show your motivation and background, and get approved by Techlabs.

And: You can do them while still working or doing something else. You need only 10 hours per week for the next 4 months.

What Will I Learn?

Techlabs’ Berlin course offers four tracks:

You apply for one of these tracks and will focus on it for the entire semester. If you are interested in another field, you can apply next semester. (Successfully completing one semester greatly increases your chances of being approved for another.)

The Techlabs course is split into two main parts:

During the study phase, you will work through online courses mostly by yourself. But don’t worry; there are weekly Zoom calls with your teachers and other participants, and a Slack channel where you can ask questions and connect with fellow learners.
In the project phase, you will join members from the other 3 tracks to create an actual IT product: an app or website solving a real problem, which your team will present to everyone at the end.

Find more questions answered here.

Who Can Apply?

Everyone. Techlabs will assess your motivation and background and select those who seem engaged and interested enough. If approved, you can take the course for free.

How to Apply?

To start this summer semester’s course, fill out this form by March 7. (The next opportunity will be in September.)

Go to Techlabs

StartSteps: 1-Month Orientation (Full-Time)

Another option is StartSteps, founded in summer 2020. Instead of focusing on a specific tech field, this program provides an overview of tech jobs.

What Will I Learn?

During a 4-week full-time course, you will learn about tech skills such as:

Coding & programming basics
Fundamentals of website/app building
Basic (online) marketing tools & methodologies
Data studies & visualization

And non-tech skills such as:

Communication & leadership skills
Project management basics for digital work
Workflow knowledge in a remote work/tech job setting

Find more details in the course flyer (PDF).

This course will not qualify you for an actual tech job, but it will help you determine if you want to work in tech at all, and if so, in which field. StartSteps will also direct you to more government-funded training providers in Germany.

Who Can Apply/Get the Voucher?

Unlike Techlabs, this course is not free. However, it can be free for you if you receive a voucher from the German Federal Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit / Jobcenter). The German taxpayer will cover the cost of the course for you.

How can you get one? If you qualify for German social welfare (e.g., Arbeitslosengeld), you probably also qualify for this voucher. Your chances are good if:

You have previously worked in Germany and paid taxes, and are now about to lose your job or have already lost it, or
You have refugee status, or
You hold a long-term visa (e.g., as a spouse of someone).

Your chances are not good if:

You are overqualified, e.g., have a degree in computer science, or
You are in Germany only on a work&study visa or doing an Erasmus program, or
You have never paid income tax in Germany (and have no refugee status), or
You are younger than 24 years.

How to Apply?

Fill out the online form on StartSteps. StartSteps will contact you for a phone call to assess your chances of obtaining the voucher. If your chances look good, they will guide you on how to contact the Jobcenter and help you secure the voucher. This process can take from 3 days to 3 weeks, so make sure to apply early. A new course starts every month.

If you are approved but lack a laptop, StartSteps will even lend you one for free.

Go to StartSteps

More Tech Courses

If you want to dive into a tech field right away, here’s a list of additional courses. All use the voucher system similar to StartSteps:

Free Calls to 64 Countries

Georg Jähnig — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Satellite is a new brand of Sipgate & Simquadrat, a German (mobile) phone provider. While Simquadrat gives you an actual SIM card (physical or eSIM), Satellite offers no SIM card, only an app. This app will work as long as you have an Internet connection, whether via WiFi or 4G/5G.

Setup

Downloading the Satellite app is free. It’s available for Android and iOS, and has an English interface.

For registration, you only need to provide your postal address in Germany. It must be an address with your name (and no "c/o Someone Else").

Satellite will then send a letter to this address containing a verification code.

A few days later, after the letter arrives, log in to the app, enter your verification code, and start calling the world.

Where can I call?

Currently, you can call 64 countries, including the entire EU (Germany included) and places far away like Australia, Pakistan, the USA, Vietnam, and Mexico. See the full list here.

Phone number

You get a German mobile phone number for free. People can call you and will only pay the price for a call to Germany, even when you are abroad. Satellite only needs an Internet connection, no matter where you are.

However, since the number is tied to your app, you cannot receive SMS messages. So it won’t work for verification purposes like online banking if they only verify via SMS (and not voice calls).

Mailbox

A free mailbox for missed calls, even with automatic text transcription (in German). You can both listen to what they said or quickly read it.

Where’s the catch?

Honestly, I can’t see any. I have been using Satellite myself for a few months now and have had no problems. Great call quality and quick connections. I guess they make their money with the premium service (unlimited calls for €5/month).

Interested? Then here you go. The website is only in German, but the app also speaks English.

Go to Satellite

Cheap E-books, Audio Books, Streaming

Georg Jähnig — Fri, 20 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Yes, libraries. Those houses with books inside which you can borrow and then need to bring them back in time. Lots of walking and carrying. But nowadays, this is much easier – since also Berlin’s libraries have a big online offer. And they cooperate with other platforms, so your membership is valid in many places.

Online Offer

Screenshots of online libraries

Overdrive: E-books & audio books, fiction + non-fiction, recently published, not only in German but also in English, French, Italian, Russian, Arabic.
Onleihe: E-books, e-papers & magazines
Pressreader: International newspapers & magazines (e.g. Guardian, Washington Post, Forbes, Vogue, Le Figaro, El País, Wyborcza, Izvestia)
Statista: Verifiable and relevant statistics on markets, politics, and social issues from 18,000 sources
LinkedIn Learning: Online courses on IT, business, and creative topics
Lecturio: Online courses on career, finance, lifestyle, medicine, software
LinguaTV: Online language courses in English, French, Italian, Spanish, and German as a foreign language
Duden: Full access. The “German Oxford dictionary” – what Germans check when in doubt about their language
Ava: Artsy films and documentaries, some with English subs
Filmfriend.de: Movies, series, documentaries

And of course, there are still the classic libraries with paper books, not only in German. And not only books, but also DVDs and board games! Take a look into their collection, the whole website is also available in English.

Pricing

The regular fee is €10 for a whole year, students pay €5, and if you are unemployed, it is free.

Become a member

There are around 80 libraries in Berlin, and one pass works for them all.

Find a library on Google map.
Go in person to one of them (check their opening times, they are also on Google)
Bring your ID or passport, and if it does not contain your address: your Meldebestätigung (=receipt of your Anmeldung)
If you want a discount: proof for being a student or unemployed
Fill out a form on the spot
Pay the yearly fee
Get your new library ID

Go to Berlin's libraries

9 Sources of Free Advice

Georg Jähnig — Mon, 09 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Welcome Center Berlin

The city of Berlin offers a free personal counseling service called Willkommenszentrum for questions like:

What legal requirements do I need to fulfill?
How do I find work or training?
What should I consider when looking for an apartment?
How do I find a school for my child?
How does day-to-day life in Berlin work?

It is located at Potsdamer Straße 65, not far from Potsdamer Platz. You do not need an appointment—just come by during their opening hours.

The advisors speak many languages:

German
English
French
Italian
Croatian
Polish
Russian
Turkish
Vietnamese

For additional languages, interpreters are available:

Arabic
Farsi
Dari
Pashto
Urdu
Punjabi
Hindi
Amharic
Tigrinya
Kurmanji

Read more on their website: Go to Welcome Center Berlin

Healthcare Counseling at Berliner Stadtmission

For those in need without proper health insurance, the Berlin City Mission (Berliner Stadtmission) offers advice, available in many languages:

German
English
Russian
Turkish
Bulgarian
Italian
Romanian
Swedish
French

The service is free. You should make an appointment or visit during their service hours.

Go to Counseling for People Without Health Insurance

If you’re not in immediate trouble but are looking for good expat health insurance, check out Popsure.

Facebook Group Free Advice Berlin

This is the sibling of Free Your Stuff Berlin, dedicated to information and advice. With over 13,000 members, you can quickly get answers to any issue at any time of the day.

Free Advice Berlin

Free Renter’s Counseling

This service has been very helpful in the past. If you have problems with your landlord or are unsure how to handle a rent increase, seek free advice here. Keep in mind that they speak German, so bring a German speaker if necessary.

Counseling at Kiezladen Zusammenhalt: Tuesdays between 18:00 and 19:00. No appointment needed; just come by (early).
Mieterservice at Asum: Make an appointment by phone in advance.

There is also a good paid option provided by Berliner Mietergemeinschaft. It’s a renters' association offering a membership for currently 69 EUR per year, granting access to over 20 advisory offices throughout Berlin, open at various times and days throughout the week. It includes legal cost insurance for renting-related issues, in case you need to take your landlord to court (or vice versa).

Especially if you are an EU citizen, have lived here for some time, and worked in a regular job, you might be eligible for social welfare if you are currently unemployed, such as Arbeitslosengeld 2. You can also get free advice for other legal problems at several locations. Most of this advice will be in German, so bring a German speaker if needed.

Find legal advice at these places:

Bürgeramt Neukölln: General legal advice for family law, labor law, medical law, consumer law, and social law.
Bürgeramt Köpenick: Legal advice, free for people with low income.
For students: Asta TU Berlin: Advice on health insurance, studying with a child, housing benefit (Wohngeld), child support, student loans.

… and more in these overviews:

www.beratungsstellen.berlin

Free City Service Hotline

The city of Berlin operates a phone support hotline where you can ask about all administrative matters. They also speak English.

Repair Cafés

“Toss it? No way!” is the motto of the more than 10 Repair Cafés in Berlin. These are places where you can bring your broken laptop, bike, or even clothes and fix them together with experts. The idea is not just to leave the broken item and have it fixed, but to learn how to fix things yourself.

At the café, along with the volunteer experts, you’ll find tools and materials to assist with any repairs you need. There is only one condition: you must be able to carry the items to the café. So, no fridges or cars.

Apparently, 50 to 80% of the items brought in get repaired, so it’s definitely worth a try. The cafés are also always looking for volunteers, so if you want to expand your social circle with some Germans, this is a good opportunity.

Homepage repaircafe.org
Map of Repair Cafés in Berlin

Forums: Toytown Germany and Reddit

Toytown Germany is an English-speaking portal related to Germany, with subgroups for Berlin. In the forum, you can ask various questions or get advice by searching through old posts.

Similarly, Reddit, the well-known user-driven news portal, has a Berlin “subreddit” where you can share news and ask for advice.

German Language on Stack Exchange

Programmers among you are likely familiar with Stack Overflow, a convenient Q&A (Questions & Answers) system. They have branched out into several other platforms on different topics, including German Language Stack Exchange.

Ask your questions about correct word usage, pronunciation, or curious topics like why German sounds so harsh. Questions and answers can be tagged and upvoted, so you can quickly find what you need.

German Language Stack Exchange

Recommended Car Sharing

Georg Jähnig — Wed, 31 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Overview

Having lived in Berlin nearly all my life, I’ve never owned a car, primarily because Berlin’s public transport system is fairly cheap and functional. Additionally, with the rise of various sharing services for scooters, electric scooters, and now even cars, there’s even less reason to own a personal vehicle.

Most Interesting Offer: Getaround

Getaround allows you to rent cars from private individuals. Instead of offering their own vehicles, they let car owners create a profile for their car and list it on the app.

This is why they typically operate with day rates and often have very affordable prices compared to other services.

Follow the link for a voucher giving you 15€ off your first ride:

Go to Getaround^[1]

This is an affiliate link. If you click on it and then buy something or sign up for a service, I may earn some money. This does not change the price for you. ↩︎

Cheap German Internet & Phone Providers Compared

Georg Jähnig — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000

So, I assume things went well for you: You’ve found a cheap apartment in Berlin’s competitive rental market, and you’ve also secured an electricity provider. Now, you need to tackle the next step on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: Internet!

Luckily, getting internet service is pretty straightforward within the city limits of Berlin (and other major German cities). To find the best deal, I recommend using this comparison tool by Check24^[1], which is regularly updated.

Check24 is one of the biggest German comparison services. They compare not only internet providers but also electricity and gas contracts for your home. They don’t just compare various providers—they often have exclusive deals. This means it can be cheaper to order a contract through Check24 than directly from the provider’s own website.

So, let’s get started with comparing!

Below the table, I’ve also included some general tips and best practices for signing a contract with a German internet provider.

(And if you just want a quick tl;dr: Go with Vodafone. I’ve used them for years; they are reasonably priced, and their customer service has never disappointed me—even calling me back on my mobile number after an issue.)

Open the Check24 Internet comparison^[1:1]

How to Use the Check24 Comparison and Order Form

You can adjust the parameters in the form above and let the results recalculate.

To understand everything better, I’ve also made a video for the whole article. You can either read about each step, from finding the best plan to ordering it, or just watch how it works.

What is My Area Code?

The table will ask for your (phone) area code. This is the code that all landline numbers start with in your city. If you don’t know the code, simply check this website by entering your city name or zip code. For Berlin, it is 030, which is the default.

What Internet Connection Types Are There?

The table lists contracts for three connection types:

DSL (phone line)
Cable (TV line)
LTE (mobile)

The connection types are not always clearly visible in the table.

DSL is the most common type: It uses your phone line. If the contract name in the table does not include cable or mobile, it’s a DSL connection.

Cable comes through your TV cable line. These offers will include the word “cable.” (And don’t be confused: Even if the offer includes TV service, it can come via DSL. 😉)

LTE/mobile plans contain “mobile” and are relatively new to the market. They can be quite useful if you move frequently, but you need to ensure you have good mobile reception at your place.

Which Bandwidth Should I Select?

16 MBit/s might seem low, but it’s usually adequate for surfing the web and watching YouTube clips. I used it for two years without complaints, though I found uploading my YouTube videos too slow. So, I switched to 50 MBit/s with 10 MBit/s upload, which is now sufficient.

Note also that DSL is often limited: In many areas, speeds above 50 MBit are not possible.

What’s the Ideal Contract Term? Really 24 Months? What if I Move Out Before?

A common concern is: “How long should I commit to a provider? Really for 2 years? What if I move out before?” Some people prefer a short-term contract, even if it means paying more.

If you have doubts about signing a 2-year contract, here’s what you should know:

If you move during the contract period, you are legally allowed to transfer your contract to your new place. If the provider cannot offer their service at your new location (or can only offer a slower connection), you have the right to cancel the contract early (German: Sonderkündigungsrecht).

That’s why I’m comfortable with my 2-year term.

In fact, most cheap offers are only available with a long-term contract.

Beware: (Wi-Fi) Router Often Costs Extra

If the offer doesn’t specify something like Router inclusive, you will need to:

Rent a router from your provider (typically around 2 EUR/month extra)
Bring your own (compatible) router

What is a Cashback?

Many of the cheap offers come with a Cashback: This means Check24 will pay you back some money after you’ve successfully ordered the contract. To receive this, you need to send your first monthly bill from your internet provider to dsl-bonus@check24.de. After verifying the bill, they will transfer the Cashback amount to your bank account.

After Clicking Continue

When you find your preferred offer and want to order it, click continue. You will then be redirected to the actual Check24 website.

Summarized Contract Details

On the first page, you will see a summary of the contract details: A table will list all the costs, separated by einmalig (one-time) and monatlich (monthly).

You might notice that the monthly costs are often higher than what you initially saw in the table. This is because Check24 factors in all the bonuses you receive:

Check24 lists all costs that will accumulate over the contract term (e.g., 24 months),
then subtracts all bonuses and cashbacks,
and divides that sum by 24 months. This will be your effective monthly rate (Effektivpreis).

Optionen (Router, Extras)

In the next step, you can add options. As mentioned, a router is often not included in the package. If you don’t have your own, you need to rent one from your provider for a monthly fee. Look for a WLAN (= Wi-Fi) router.

Ihr Anschluss / Wünsche (Connection / Extra Wishes)

Here, they first want to know:

Art des Gebäudes: What type of building you are living in:
- Einfamilienhaus: Single-family house
- Mehrfamilienhaus: Apartment building (in Berlin: probably your building)
  - Vorderhaus/Hinterhaus: Front / rear building
  - Etage: Level
    - Erdgeschoss: Ground level
    - 1. Etage: 1st level
    - … (Note that in Germany, the ground level is the 0th level, and counting starts only with the first level above the ground)
  - Wohnung (links, mitte, rechts): Apartment position (left, middle, right)
Besteht ein laufender Vertrag?: Is there an existing (internet) contract (in your name)? If you’ve just moved in, select Nein/No. If you select Ja/Yes, choose the name of your current provider.
Anschlusstermin: Contract start date
- schnellstmöglich: As soon as possible
- Wunschtermin: Custom date

Here’s some bad news: Starting a DSL contract can take up to 3 weeks because your provider often needs to get approval from the company that owns the phone lines in your building.

Einzelverbindungsnachweis: Itemized bill. This is mostly a privacy issue: Here you select whether all the numbers of the phone calls you make via your new contract should be listed on your invoices fully, partially, or not at all.
- kein: None
- verkürzt: Shortened
- vollständig: Full

If you choose full or shortened, you need to acknowledge this by clicking the checkbox that all your flatmates will be informed.

Kundendaten (Address, Payment Details)

This section starts with Anschlussadresse, the address of your home where the internet connection will be installed:

E-Mail-Adresse: Email address
Anrede: Salutation
Geburtsdatum: Birthdate (in day-month-year format)
Handynummer für Rückfragen: Mobile phone number for questions. Note that this must not start with +49! So a number like +49152123… should be entered as 0152123..
PLZ / Ort: Postal code, city
Straße / Hausnr.: Street and house number. Note that the street field is actually an autocomplete box: You start typing, and available streets will appear below. You need to pick one of those.
Diese Adresse auch als Lieferanschrift (für Hardware/Zubehör) nutzen: Asks whether this address is also for sending the hardware. Leave it checked.

Next is Zahlungsdaten (payment details):

Bankdaten (Kontonummer/BLZ, IBAN): Simply enter your IBAN.

Abweichender Kontoinhaber?: If the bank account belongs to someone else. Probably No.

IBAN: Enter your IBAN account number. (It can be any European account in EUR. If you don’t have a German bank account yet, find a free one here.)

Your monthly payments will be automatically withdrawn from that bank account via direct debit (Lastschrift). If that sounds concerning, don’t worry: It’s very common in Germany, and you usually have the right to reverse such withdrawals. Read more on Wikipedia about Lastschrift.

My Tips

Having lived in Berlin for most of my life, here are some tips I follow:

Many internet connections are not fully utilized, so before committing to your own contract and paying maybe 20 EUR per month, consider finding a friendly neighbor who might be willing to share their connection for around 10 EUR.

Yes, the downside is that if the connection is down and they are on vacation, you might be offline for a while—but you’ll also get to know your neighbors.

Long-Term: Cancel Right After Signing

A common “trap” is signing a 2-year contract, then forgetting about it, leading to automatic extensions year after year (sometimes with increasing rates!). Often, cancellation periods are easy to miss, as some providers require you to cancel even 3 months before the contract ends—if you miss this, you’re locked in for another year.

To avoid this, and especially if you’re forgetful, cancel your long-term contract in advance, maybe even immediately after signing.

Don’t worry—the provider will then think of you when the contract is about to end and will likely offer you good deals to keep you as their customer.

This deserves its own article, but for now: Do not engage in (torrent) file sharing! (At least not without a VPN connection.)

If you share copyrighted material using your IP address on a file-sharing network, content owners (or their lawyers) can record your IP, approach your Internet provider, obtain your address, and send you a pesky Abmahnung, demanding hundreds of Euros from you.

So, make sure your torrent clients are off and inform your visiting friends about this before sharing your Wi-Fi details with them.

This is an affiliate link. If you click on it and then buy something or sign up for a service, I may earn some money. This does not change the price for you. ↩︎ ↩︎

Cheap & Fair Laptop Insurance

Georg Jähnig — Wed, 22 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Background Story

At the beginning of this year, my keyboard broke. The "E" key on my keyboard was broken—well, not always, but I had to hit it really hard and for a long time. It wasn't very convenient, especially if you wanted to write “cheap” but ended up with “chap.”

While using an external keyboard, I explored repair options. After some detours at regular Mac shops (“Oh, sorry, we can’t help you; the machine is too old”), I found the team at Notebook-Lounge.

They not only helped with my 2011 MacBook Pro by replacing its keyboard with a new one (for 200 EUR), but they also informed me about an insurance option called Wertgarantie that would have covered this damage.

At first, I didn’t want to hear more about it because such insurance is usually overpriced and either covers only rare cases or requires a high deductible.

Wertgarantie Offer

So let’s start with the price: 8 EUR per month, no deductible.

For this rate, they promise to cover:

Water/moisture damage
Fall/crash damages
Display/panel/glass breakage
Battery defects
Overvoltage
Improper handling
Material defects

In case of total loss, they even promise to pay a compensation of around 150 EUR for my 2011 MacBook Pro.

Additionally, this insurance—called Geräte-Komplettschutz—offers to include an Anschlussgerät, meaning any device connected to the main device. For my laptop, this includes my printer. The printer is now also insured within the 8 EUR per month for the laptop.

Pretty good offer, isn’t it?

More Options

So I subscribed and decided to share it with you. And it’s not only for laptops: You can also insure other electronics, such as:

TV
Camera
Smartphone/Tablet
Washing machine
Fridge
Etc.

(However, I’m not sure if the values of these devices and the rates are worth it—just check it with their calculator.)

Get It In Person

You can get the insurance via the Wertgarantie website, but I recommend going in person to one of their partner shops (like Notebook-Lounge in Prenzlauer Berg). These partner shops seem to know all the little advantages and options and will advise you on getting the best options possible. Then, in case of damage, you can also bring your laptop directly to the shop for repair without filling out any paperwork.

Go to Wertgarantie

Rent a Cargo Bike for Free

Georg Jähnig — Fri, 20 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Overview

As the weather warms up in the city, you have an alternative to your usual method of transporting medium-sized items. Instead of renting a car to move things from A to B, you can now use the free service provided by fLotte Berlin.

They offer the rental of freight, box, and cargo bikes – without any fee. No strings attached. All you need to do is:

Register on their website
Check the calendar to see when a bike is available
Book it for free

Currently, they have 9 bikes, located at 7 different locations around the city (health food stores, cafés, bike repair shops).

How to Rent

First, register a free account on their site.
Then check the calendar to see when the next bike is available.
To select a bike, click on its name in the left column. Click on the day you want to rent it (available days are highlighted in green).
Click on Jetzt buchen (book now) at the bottom.

The first time you book, go to the location and pick up the bike. Remember to check the opening hours of the place, as you can only pick up and return the bike during these times. You also need to bring your ID card or passport and something that verifies your address, such as your Meldebescheinigung (which is required for their insurance and will be copied).

Why Is It Free?

The entire project is supported by the ADFC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad-Club – German Cyclist’s Association). Their goal is to promote bicycle riding and contribute to a greener city with cleaner air and fewer cars. Sounds reasonable. 👍

Go to fLotte Berlin

Mach mit! fLotte Berlin – freie Lastenräder in der Hauptstadt

How to Heat Correctly and Stop Mould

Georg Jähnig — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Know Your System

First, figure out what kind of heating system is in your apartment. There are two common types: central heating and gas heating.

System 1: Central Heating

If you have central heating, it’s easy to manage. Central heating warms water in one central place, often in the basement, and then sends the hot water through pipes to your apartment. The warmth in your rooms depends on how you set the thermostat on your radiator.

How a Thermostat Works

Most likely, your radiator has a thermostat. It’s important to know how it works to heat your apartment properly.

A thermostat

The numbers from 0 to 5 on the thermostat don’t show the heating power directly. Instead, they represent the desired temperature. Set it to your preferred level (1 to 5) and wait until the room reaches that temperature. The thermostat has a thermometer that stops heating when the room is warm enough and starts again if the temperature drops.

How to Use a Thermostat

Unlike air conditioning, you can’t set the exact temperature; you choose a level from 0 to 5. You might need to adjust it by trial and error.

Heating Up

Setting the thermostat to a higher level doesn’t make the room heat up faster. For example, if you return home to a cold room, setting the thermostat to 5 won’t warm it up quickly. Set it to your preferred level (e.g., level 3) and let it work.

When Leaving

When you’re away for a few hours or a day, don’t turn the thermostat off completely. Set it to level 1 or 2 instead. Keep the room temperature above 17 degrees to avoid cooling down surfaces, which makes it more expensive and time-consuming to heat up again. Cooler air can also cause mould.

Antifreeze Setting

Some thermostats have a star (*) setting called Frostschutz (frost protection). This keeps the radiator off unless the temperature is so low that the water in the pipes could freeze. Avoid opening windows wide for hours on cold days, as the radiator will start heating again after a while.

System 2: Gas Heating

If your apartment uses gas heating, it’s a bit more complex. With gas heating, a gas heater in your apartment warms the water for your radiators and heats your hot water for showering.

Central controller of a gas heating system

Central controller for gas heating, modern version

Gas heating systems have a central controller, usually in one room of the apartment. You can set temperatures for day and night. The central controller turns on the gas heater if the room temperature is lower than your desired temperature.

Because of this, the thermostat in the room with the central controller should usually be set to maximum. If it’s set to 0 or a low number, the gas heater will keep running without warming up the radiator.

Problem in Shared Apartments

In shared apartments, conflicts can occur. If your flatmate with the central controller prefers 19°C, but you need 22°C, their setting will make the gas heater stop at 19°C. One solution is for your flatmate to set a slightly higher temperature on the central controller and their thermostat to a lower level (like 4 or 3) so your room can heat up more.

Ventilation

Proper ventilation is important for effective heating. Incorrect ventilation can undo all your heating efforts.

Correct: Several quick, intense ventilations with a fully opened window.
Wrong: Constant ventilation with a tilted window.

Correct (left) and wrong ventilation

For intense ventilation, open the window fully for a short time, depending on the outside temperature:

0 degrees and lower: 2-3 minutes
5 degrees: 5 minutes
10 degrees and higher: 8 minutes

Ventilate at least twice a day, ideally in the morning and evening. Set the thermostat to minimum while ventilating to avoid losing heat.

Mould / Mold

Proper heating and ventilation help prevent mould. If mould has already appeared, keep reading.

How Mould is Created

Mould grows from spores in the air landing on moist surfaces like wallpapers. To prevent mould, keep walls and wallpapers dry.

Moisture can come from:

Outside: Broken pipes or holes in the wall.
Inside: Excessive humidity in the room.

If you have a mouldy wall, especially an exterior wall, it’s likely due to humidity from inside.

Prevent Mould

Humidity inside is often caused by people, by breathing and sweating. So if nobody is in the room, for instance because you are on holiday for a longer time, you should not need to worry about moisture from inside.

While staying in your room, prevent humidity from reaching your walls:

Heat to keep a higher temperature, as warm air holds more water.
Ventilate to remove humid air from the room.

This is especially important if your house is not well-insulated. Mould usually appears on exterior walls and corners, so:

Avoid placing large furniture against exterior walls.
Keep furniture at least 10 cm away from walls.

Remove Mould

If mould appears, clean it with a cleaner containing chlorine:

A special mould cleaner, like the one from Mellerud^[1], available at hardware stores (Baumarkt). This is the most convenient, as it comes in a spray bottle.
Or use a cleaner like Danklorix^[1:1], available at drugstores (dm, Rossmann) and larger supermarkets. It has no sprayer, so you need to carefully put it on a sponge and then apply it on the wall. Wearing rubber gloves is recommended.

If this did not help and mould came back, you can try the next level and repaint the area with wall paint mixed with fungicide^[1:2] (Fungizid).

Legal Issues

If mould is an issue with your landlord, the general legal situation is:

The landlord must provide an apartment without defects that could easily cause mould.
As a tenant, you must ventilate properly.
The landlord must prove that the apartment has no defects and that you did not ventilate correctly before charging you for any damage.

Consider seeking advice from a free renter’s counseling service.

General Tips

Keep the area in front of the radiator clear.
Let the sun heat your room by opening curtains during the day.
Close curtains at night for insulation.
Be cautious with electric radiators^[1:3]; they use more energy than the usual built-in water radiators.
Close doors between rooms to reduce energy use.
Insulate windows and doors with sealing strips.

This is an affiliate link. If you click on it and then buy something or sign up for a service, I may earn some money. This does not change the price for you. ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

How I Got Two More Hours of Daylight for Free

Georg Jähnig — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000

The Setup

I’ve set all my clocks to Moscow time. Moscow’s time zone is UTC+3, which is two hours ahead of Berlin’s time zone (in winter): UTC+1. So when it’s 8 a.m. in Berlin, it is 10 a.m. in Moscow; when it’s midnight in Berlin, it is 2 a.m. in Moscow.

Let the sun longer shine with Moscow time

Advantages

By using Moscow time in Berlin, life becomes much more convenient:

My local supermarket is now open until midnight; another, farther one is even open until 2 a.m.
The S-Bahn operates (on weekdays) until 3 a.m..
Doctor and dentist appointments can be made until 8 or even 9 p.m.
Many phone support hotlines are available until late as well.
Bürgeramt appointments are available until 8 p.m.
At lunchtime, my favorite restaurant still offers the full lunch menu when I arrive.
If I had a regular 9-to-5 job, I’d probably be amazed that it only starts at 11 a.m. and that I am getting so much more sleep. Thanks, boss!
And of course: The sun sets no earlier than 6 p.m. It feels like spring already!

Perhaps switching to Moscow time would be extraordinarily easy if you are actually from Moscow: No mix-ups in Skype call dates, as all your friends and family are still in the same time zone—you just get to brag about how much more daylight there is in Berlin!

The only negative aspect is that at parties on the weekend, people often wonder why I’m already leaving so early. (“But it’s only 2 a.m.!”)

But what’s also nice is that your computer easily adapts: If you set Moscow as its time zone, Facebook will display events with the time zone added (e.g., 7 p.m. UTC+1), which is a helpful reminder that the world around you still runs on a different clock. The same goes for Google Calendar. But even if you forget about it, at worst, you’ll be early for appointments, not late.

Seriously

“Now, seriously, is this a joke?” you might ask. And I answer: kind of, kind of not.

Here’s the thing: if you’re actually missing daylight in winter but often sleep in the morning when it’s already light, then you’re apparently acting ineffectively.

You could try changing your habits by “getting up earlier,” “eating earlier,” and “not staying up so late at night.” However, this requires constant reminders and a lot of willpower.

But I’m lazy: I don’t want to adjust all my habits and triggers just because the season changes.

This is where the Moscow time approach comes in: I simply keep doing what I do and leave all my triggers and habits in place.

Looking at my clock at 10 a.m. tells me: Oh, that’s late, I should get up.
Seeing “2 p.m.” makes me think of lunch.
“7 p.m.”: I should go home and have dinner.
“Midnight / 1 a.m.”: Really late already, should go to bed.

So all my current triggers keep working as they did; no adjustment, no willpower needed. And I get two hours more of sun for free. Easy, isn’t it?

So when the semi-annual switch to and from Daylight Saving Time occurs, I will go the other way around: In March, when DST begins, I will switch back from Moscow time to actual Berlin (DST) time (as there is plenty of daylight in summer). But in October, when DST ends, I will set my clock forward to DST on steroids, aka Moscow time. Because seriously: Who needs a time zone with a sunset at 4 p.m.?

Save 50% on Cigarettes in Poland

Georg Jähnig — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Ticket

We will travel by train to Frankfurt/Oder and then by bus to Słubice, Poland. This trip is free if you already have the Deutschland Ticket, which I strongly recommend getting.

Trip

The following connection runs every hour – even on weekends! (Times may vary slightly, so it's a good idea to check the online timetable before your trip.)

Getting There


RE 1 to Frankfurt/Oder, get on at any stop
Berlin Zoologischer Garten	18:15
Berlin Hauptbahnhof	18:21
Berlin Friedrichstraße	18:25
Berlin Alexanderplatz	18:28
Berlin Ostbahnhof	18:33
Frankfurt/Oder	19:26
Bus 983 to Słubice, Poland
Frankfurt/Oder Bahnhof	19:40
Słubice, Collegium Polonicum (first stop after the bridge)	19:48

Bus 983 to Słubice, Poland

Returning to Berlin


Bus 983 to Frankfurt/Oder Bahnhof (station)
Słubice, Plac Frankfurcki (different stop from the arrival)	20:09
Frankfurt/Oder Bahnhof	20:18
RE 1 to Brandenburg
Frankfurt/Oder	20:33
Berlin Ostbahnhof	20:26
Berlin Alexanderplatz	21:32
Berlin Friedrichstraße	21:35
Berlin Hauptbahnhof	21:39
Berlin Zoologischer Garten	21:45

Cigarette Stores

Right after the border, you will find numerous shops selling cigarettes. Choose any you like; the shops differ more by variety than by price.

Map of Słubice

The bus stop where you arrive
Some larger cigarette stores (open 24 hours)
The bus stop where you depart

At the shops, you can also pay in euros (the Polish currency is still złoty). The shops adjust their prices daily based on the exchange rate and display them on LED panels outside, similar to how gas stations display fuel prices.

Cigarette shop

How Much Can I Bring?

By law, one person is allowed to carry 800 cigarettes when crossing an internal EU border. This is equivalent to 4 cartons of cigarettes (each carton containing 10 packs).

Carry Your ID / Passport

Although Poland is part of the Schengen Area, where regular border checks are not conducted, occasional checks may still occur. It is advisable to carry your ID card or passport to avoid any inconvenience.

Order on Ebay – or Visit Dong Xuan Market

Georg Jähnig — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Intro

We all know how eBay and Amazon have revolutionized the global market, especially for technology and gadgets. What used to be delivered in several steps from Asia to Europe via various salespeople, each adding their margin, can now be ordered directly from Asia via these well-known websites.

Electronic Gadgets

The remaining hurdles are usually long delivery times, not being able to see the product in person before purchase, and the hassle of returns.

At Berlin’s Dong Xuan Center, you’ll find a vast array of products that you might typically only see online on eBay, but here you can experience them in person. It may not be everything, but it’s certainly close.

Hall number 8, 200 meters long

Shop Types

Dong Xuan Center consists of 8 large halls, each almost 200 meters long, with hallways stretching from one end to the other and various shops lined up on both sides. These shops offer:

Electronics
Clothes
Cosmetics
Nail Studios
Hair Stylists
Household/Kitchen Items
Bicycle Accessories (locks, lights)
Groceries, especially Asian

Nail Studio in Dong Xuan

For example, on my last visit, I bought a wallet, bicycle lights, and a selfie stick/tripod set—all for the same price as one would pay at a Hong Kong-based eBay reseller.

Household items / bicycle accessories / gift shop

Opening Hours & Directions

Dong Xuan Center is open daily from 10:00 to 20:00 but closed on Tuesdays.

It is located in Lichtenberg, right in front of the tram stop Herzbergstr./Industriegebiet, served by:

Line M8, connecting with Alexanderplatz and the Ringbahn at Landsberger Allee
Line 21, connecting with Friedrichshain / Frankfurter Tor

BerlinCheap.com

Recommended Bank for Expats

Overview

Virtual Cards

Disadvantages

80 Museums Are Free Once A Month

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Urban Nation

3 Free Museums about the Cold War

The Allied Museum

German-Russian Museum

Berlin Wall Memorial

Bonus: East Side Gallery

An East German Flat

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Get €100 with My Referral

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Deutschland Ticket with Credit Card & Instant Validity

Deutschland Ticket

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Where to Buy

Is It Worth It for Tourists?

Buy the Ticket at Mo.Pla

Free Courses for Tech Jobs in Berlin

Techlabs: 4 Months Part-Time

What Will I Learn?

Who Can Apply?

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Cheap German Internet & Phone Providers Compared

How to Use the Check24 Comparison and Order Form

What is My Area Code?

What Internet Connection Types Are There?

Which Bandwidth Should I Select?

What’s the Ideal Contract Term? Really 24 Months? What if I Move Out Before?

Beware: (Wi-Fi) Router Often Costs Extra

What is a Cashback?

After Clicking Continue

Summarized Contract Details

Optionen (Router, Extras)

Ihr Anschluss / Wünsche (Connection / Extra Wishes)

Kundendaten (Address, Payment Details)

My Tips

Before You Order: Can You Share?

Long-Term: Cancel Right After Signing