- Should I get a prepaid card or a tariff?
Buying a prepaid card is usually a good short-term option. If you’re not sure whether you’ll stay in the CR for longer than a couple of months, we’d recommend starting with a prepaid (‘pay as you go’) card.
If your stay stretches, paying a monthly tariff will probably end up being cheaper. The standard length of a contract is 2 years. If you terminate earlier, you pay considerable fees (but not ridiculous enough to be marked unfair towards the customer).
Our recommendation is to start with a prepaid card during your probation period, and then switch your number to a tariff once your stay has been confirmed. It’s an easy transition under the same provider. It’s also possible to change providers and keep the same number without any hassle – it just takes longer for the change to register. Any provider you choose should walk you through the process.
Another option for your first months in the country is to pay for a tariff but without a contract – in that case, you don’t have any of the obligations from a contract; but you pay a higher amount every month (something around 15-30 per cent more)
- Which provider should I choose?
Depends on what your priorities and habits are.
Most customers in the CR have been more or less equally divided between three main providers for several decades. (Yes, there have been talks of anti-competitive agreements). As a result, their offers and coverage are pretty much the same, and the prices are on the higher scale when compared to some other European countries.
The main providers are Vodafone, T-Mobile and O2. All three are pretty safe options. You can check their offers and price lists for your specific needs and pick accordingly. All of them have English customer care.
There are other options that do not belong to the power trio (such as a Tesco mobile card, etc). They haven’t been as well tested as the other three but their coverage is assured, too.
Feel free to do your research. A good tool for comparing tariffs across several providers is dTest – independent testing (use your browser’s translator, the webpage is only in Czech)
- How to get a phone card?
You can walk into a store in the centre and get it all settled in a matter of minutes. Every provider has several shops throughout the city. Check their offers online first and pick a provider that suits you the best.
Prepaid cards can be bought at a newspaper’s agent or supermarket, as well.
Take your passport and another form of personal identification with you (your driving license or your identity card). Have your residence permit (if you’re not an EU citizen) ready, too. Your lease agreement might be required with some providers, as well.
They usually have at least one assistant that speaks some English at every shop. Don’t be afraid to walk in on your own.
- What to be aware of when signing a contract?
Check the duration of the contract (usually, it says 24 months), and the fine you’d have to pay if you were to terminate it early. In the contract, the fee is usually described by a complicated math formula and no specific numbers. Ask for a specific example, like what happens when I want to terminate the contract after only half a year.
Some contracts will include ‘preferential conditions’ which are available to you for free only if you reach a ‘minimum monthly spending limit’. Make sure it is indeed your plan to be spending this amount every month to enjoy the free services.
- How much do I pay when calling abroad?
If you’re calling another Czech number that is currently outside of the CR, you pay the same as if they were home. If you are calling an international number (a number with a different code other than 00 420), you’ll pay more, sometimes significantly so.
If you know you’ll be calling internationally often, pick a tariff that makes it cheaper – providers offer all sorts of discounts for calling one or two specific countries, or the whole of Europe, etc.
- Should I get a prepaid card or a tariff?
Buying a prepaid card is usually a good short-term option. If you’re not sure whether you’ll stay in the CR for longer than a couple of months, we’d recommend starting with a prepaid (‘pay as you go’) card.
If your stay stretches, paying a monthly tariff will probably end up being cheaper. The standard length of a contract is 2 years. If you terminate earlier, you pay considerable fees (but not ridiculous enough to be marked unfair towards the customer).
Our recommendation is to start with a prepaid card during your probation period, and then switch your number to a tariff once your stay has been confirmed. It’s an easy transition under the same provider. It’s also possible to change providers and keep the same number without any hassle – it just takes longer for the change to register. Any provider you choose should walk you through the process.
Another option for your first months in the country is to pay for a tariff but without a contract – in that case, you don’t have any of the obligations from a contract; but you pay a higher amount every month (something around 15-30 per cent more)
- Which provider should I choose?
Depends on what your priorities and habits are.
Most customers in the CR have been more or less equally divided between three main providers for several decades. (Yes, there have been talks of anti-competitive agreements). As a result, their offers and coverage are pretty much the same, and the prices are on the higher scale when compared to some other European countries.
The main providers are Vodafone, T-Mobile and O2. All three are pretty safe options. You can check their offers and price lists for your specific needs and pick accordingly. All of them have English customer care.
There are other options that do not belong to the power trio (such as a Tesco mobile card, etc). They haven’t been as well tested as the other three but their coverage is assured, too.
Feel free to do your research. A good tool for comparing tariffs across several providers is dTest – independent testing (use your browser’s translator, the webpage is only in Czech)
- How to get a phone card?
You can walk into a store in the centre and get it all settled in a matter of minutes. Every provider has several shops throughout the city. Check their offers online first and pick a provider that suits you the best.
Prepaid cards can be bought at a newspaper’s agent or supermarket, as well.
Take your passport and another form of personal identification with you (your driving license or your identity card). Have your residence permit (if you’re not an EU citizen) ready, too. Your lease agreement might be required with some providers, as well.
They usually have at least one assistant that speaks some English at every shop. Don’t be afraid to walk in on your own.
- What to be aware of when signing a contract?
Check the duration of the contract (usually, it says 24 months), and the fine you’d have to pay if you were to terminate it early. In the contract, the fee is usually described by a complicated math formula and no specific numbers. Ask for a specific example, like what happens when I want to terminate the contract after only half a year.
Some contracts will include ‘preferential conditions’ which are available to you for free only if you reach a ‘minimum monthly spending limit’. Make sure it is indeed your plan to be spending this amount every month to enjoy the free services.
- How much do I pay when calling abroad?
If you’re calling another Czech number that is currently outside of the CR, you pay the same as if they were home. If you are calling an international number (a number with a different code other than 00 420), you’ll pay more, sometimes significantly so.
If you know you’ll be calling internationally often, pick a tariff that makes it cheaper – providers offer all sorts of discounts for calling one or two specific countries, or the whole of Europe, etc.
General info
Mobile providers boast that they have 99 per cent of the Czech Republic covered (both calling and mobile data). You will find that to be generally true – only the most remote of places (e.g. the mountains) are excluded. The strength of the signal varies, though.
In either way, as long as you don’t go hiking deep into the wild, you should be covered (pun intended).
