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German banking TANS
Thread poster: Rebecca Holmes
Thomas T. Frost
Thomas T. Frost  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 15:52
Danish to English
+ ...
PayPal is a rip-off Mar 15, 2019

Ali Göznek wrote:

You can try PayPal or Payoneer and eliminate the need to have a bank account in Germany.
As PayPal is the most common money transfer tool I recommend that.


PayPal is also extremely expensive, which is why it makes sense to have a local bank account. If you transfer for example $5,000 a year, it sets you back around $400. They're a bunch of highway robbers.


Julio Madrid
Nathalie Bullen
 
Matthias Brombach
Matthias Brombach  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 16:52
Member (2007)
Dutch to German
+ ...
It probably won´t work ... Mar 16, 2019

Thomas T. Frost wrote:

You could try to get a SIM card from for example a German Lidl store. You buy the card in the shop and activate it online. I could post it to you if you pay the fees. You need a credit card for automatic topping up. I cannot guarantee that it will work and that you can register it with a foreign address and credit card, but it may be worth a try.


... because of the SIM registration process which Thomas already has mentioned: All SIM cards in Germany have to be validated (i.e. by online video) with a German ID card for activation. But perhaps you have a friend in Germany, who could buy a prepaid SIM on your behalf, register it online with his/her name and ID, put some prepaid credit on it and send it to you. You should be able to run the SIM in the USA too (roaming). But I cannot guarantee whether all the other processes would work too. If so, then you should also be able to run your banking processes via WiFi, but still with the German SIM activated on your device (tablet or smart phone). You should avoid to phone / go online with the German SIM / mobile provider too much because of the extraordinary extra costs for roaming outside EU. But your friend would be able to inform you about all the details.


 
Thomas T. Frost
Thomas T. Frost  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 15:52
Danish to English
+ ...
SIM registration Mar 16, 2019

Matthias Brombach wrote:

... because of the SIM registration process which Thomas already has mentioned: All SIM cards in Germany have to be validated (i.e. by online video) with a German ID card for activation.


Fortunately they allow foreign passports too so not just Germans can have a mobile phone, but also foreigners in Germany, as foreigners can't get German ID cards.

But I don't recall doing any such validation with the Lidl card, which is prepaid and quite simple to register online.

The best solution is still for the bank to fix the app availability.


 
Matthias Brombach
Matthias Brombach  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 16:52
Member (2007)
Dutch to German
+ ...
They do Mar 16, 2019

Thomas T. Frost wrote:

Fortunately they allow foreign passports too so not just Germans can have a mobile phone, but also foreigners in Germany, as foreigners can't get German ID cards.


You are right:

https://kundenkonto.lidl-connect.de/faq.html#faq16-1

Topic: Welche Ausweisdokumente sind erlaubt?

[Bearbeitet am 2019-03-16 12:48 GMT]


 
Julio Madrid
Julio Madrid  Identity Verified
Mexico
Local time: 08:52
Member (2018)
English to Spanish
+ ...
TransferWise Mar 16, 2019

Hi Rebecca,

I had the same exact issue. It may sound like an advertisement, but TransferWise solved it. Just open and verify a TransferWise account and you get a normal working bank account in Germany, for Euros only. You can also get a pounds account in England in the same TransferWise account and it works flawlessly. The best part is that their conversion rate and fees are the lowest you will find. I use TransferWise for all my European clients and I have never had a problem. I've
... See more
Hi Rebecca,

I had the same exact issue. It may sound like an advertisement, but TransferWise solved it. Just open and verify a TransferWise account and you get a normal working bank account in Germany, for Euros only. You can also get a pounds account in England in the same TransferWise account and it works flawlessly. The best part is that their conversion rate and fees are the lowest you will find. I use TransferWise for all my European clients and I have never had a problem. I've had it for over a year now. Here's a link for an invitation, it's like the Uber ride invitation, you get a totally free transfer and I do too if you use this link. https://transferwise.com/a/juliom198
Whether you use my link or not, you should give it a try, I guarantee you it will be cheaper than your current account and, of course, a lot more cheaper than PayPal and their ripoff fees.

Re: opening a new Google account with German info, it won't work, unless you do it with a VPN in a new device or one without your information in it. (Incognito mode in Chrome doesn't work) Google records your devices information and usual IP address. You can do it in a PC or laptop with the VPN activated for Germany and create a Google account using Firefox or Opera or any other browser except Chrome, and then, once created and verified, you can open it in your smartphone and you'll have the option to access the German Play Store. But, still, the German bank's app has a code that looks for a SIM card from or with a German number, so even if you get to access the German Play Store, once you install the bank's app, it will look for the registered German number you have in your bank account, so I don't think this will work. They have really tight security measures.

[Edited at 2019-03-16 12:57 GMT]
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Thomas T. Frost
Thomas T. Frost  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 15:52
Danish to English
+ ...
Passport is fine Mar 16, 2019

Matthias Brombach wrote:

Bitte halten Sie für die Registrierung die folgenden Daten bereit:
Gültiger deutscher Personalausweis (auch vorläufiger), gültiger Reisepass (auch vorläufiger) oder Elektronischer Aufenthaltstitel (deutsch) mit Personalausweis oder Reisepass



I didn't do that video stuff when getting a Lidl card for my daughter. It must have been added since, probably as prevention and tracking related to crime and terrorism. Under 'warum muss ich mich identifizieren?', it says it was introduced in July 2017 by a new law.

It doesn't say they only accept German ID cards ('welche Ausweisdokumente sind erlaubt?'). Such a requirement would have excluded any foreigner resident in Germany and would also be illegal under EU law as discrimination based on nationality. So they accept passports. Note that it doesn't say 'German passport'.

What it doesn't say is if they only allow a German address when registering.


 
Matthias Brombach
Matthias Brombach  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 16:52
Member (2007)
Dutch to German
+ ...
See my corrected post above Mar 16, 2019

Thomas T. Frost wrote:

What it doesn't say is if they only allow a German address when registering.


Once again: You are right. Nevertheless I doubt whether they would accept a video registration process, when you are in the US or in any other country outside Germany (by IP tracking). Therefore, borrowing a valid SIM by a German friend could help Rebecca to speed up the process (she has a deadline, hasn´t she?), provided that she is lucky with the next step she was asking help for here first.


 
Rebecca Holmes
Rebecca Holmes
United States
Local time: 11:52
German to English
TOPIC STARTER
Current Status Mar 19, 2019

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to update you on where this situation currently stands.
I spoke to my German bank again yesterday. They said they will still offer telephone banking for international transfers for an additional €1.50 per transfer. I can live with that.
They also said the technical solution is to get a German pre-paid SIM card, put it in my phone and use that to access the German Google Play and get their apps. I still need to check with my provider, TMobile, t
... See more
Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to update you on where this situation currently stands.
I spoke to my German bank again yesterday. They said they will still offer telephone banking for international transfers for an additional €1.50 per transfer. I can live with that.
They also said the technical solution is to get a German pre-paid SIM card, put it in my phone and use that to access the German Google Play and get their apps. I still need to check with my provider, TMobile, to see if my device is or can be "unlocked" for other SIM cards and then try to get one. That, of course, could be a whole new kettle of fish with the required registration of the SIM card, but it is apparently "the" technical solution to this.
I will update this post when and if I am able to get the apps through a pre-paid German SIM card, but I wanted to to thank everyone for their help now and post this "solution" for others who may find themselves in the same bind.

TransferWise also sounds very, very interesting. Now that I do not have the impending pressure of being cut off from making transfers, I will look into it in the next little bit without an immediate sense of panic.

Thanks!
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Rebecca Holmes
Rebecca Holmes
United States
Local time: 11:52
German to English
TOPIC STARTER
Easiest Fix Ever! Apr 1, 2019

I got my banking app problem fixed on Friday at T-Mobile and it was so easy!
The guys working there told me there are other app marketplaces out there other than just Google Play or the Apple version of it.
They just googled the name of the app (“qrtan+”) plus the name of an alternative app marketplace (“apk”), and up popped a page with a button to download the app.
I clicked on the button and the app downloaded to my phone.
The whole procedure took about 2 minu
... See more
I got my banking app problem fixed on Friday at T-Mobile and it was so easy!
The guys working there told me there are other app marketplaces out there other than just Google Play or the Apple version of it.
They just googled the name of the app (“qrtan+”) plus the name of an alternative app marketplace (“apk”), and up popped a page with a button to download the app.
I clicked on the button and the app downloaded to my phone.
The whole procedure took about 2 minutes, tops.
I am thrilled to pieces!
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Thomas T. Frost
Thomas T. Frost  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 15:52
Danish to English
+ ...
Other app shops Apr 1, 2019

It's good to know we can bank on other app shops. I didn't know. Thanks for telling us about your solution.

 
Rebecca Holmes
Rebecca Holmes
United States
Local time: 11:52
German to English
TOPIC STARTER
Hopefully helpful for someone else Apr 1, 2019

I hope it will help somebody else down the road!


Thomas T. Frost wrote:

It's good to know we can bank on other app shops. I didn't know. Thanks for telling us about your solution.


 
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