Thank you so much for reporting back :D

Yup, that’s it.

It’s the good old network effect. Telekom appears to be kind of expensive but getting an eSIM in general appears to be a valid (and likely cheaper) option.

That’s very helpful, thanks!

Hm, was expecting there to be some kind of artificial hurdle preventing me from getting a foreign SIM. But looks like I can just choose any SIM I like (read: minimal top up fees) from a country without annoying KYC regulations. The shipping fees to Germany for the shop linked above are reasonable.

Will report back if I find a cheaper deal in case someone else is interested. Thanks!

Live in Germany but perhaps this will help others :)

Thanks for this, looks like a great resource.

Germany

/e/OS is a good option to regain privacy from Google, but arguably does some things worse in terms of security than stock.

You can find a good comparison here.

For the Fairphone 5, I’d recommend CalyxOS as soon as they’re back from their hiatus. In the meantime, might as well stick with stock.

Unfortunately the reviews on Trustpilot and posts on Reddit make it painfully obvious that their customer service is basically nonexistent. Combined with the typical random account-closing most fintechs are known for, this is not a reliable option.

Looking at this comparison, iCard might be an option if you desperately need a way to use NFC payments on your phone. Reviews are good, but it appears to be a prepaid system. Lots of fees to get lost in, too.

But old school might be just fine, too. I just realized my card does fit into my phone case!

Love that you have to specify it’s a joke because someone here would legitimately try to help otherwise