The Swiss outlets of German budget supermarket chain Lidl have been selling mobile plans since 2019. These plans are powered by the Swiss telecom company Salt, and the contract is between the customer and Salt, rather than with Lidl.
An overview of the new plans
The standard monthly fees for Lidl’s new mobile plans range between 12.90 francs and 34.90 francs. All of the plans include unlimited local phone calls within Switzerland in their flat fees. The main difference between the plans is how much mobile data is included. One of the plans also includes five hours of international phone calls from Switzerland to other countries.
The table below provides an overview of the new plans.
| |
Swiss Abo
8 GB |
Swiss Abo
Unlimited |
Europe Abo
8 GB Flex |
Europe Abo
12 GB Flex |
Europe Abo |
| Basic monthly fee |
CHF 12.90 |
CHF 24.90 |
CHF 28.90 |
CHF 33.90 |
CHF 34.90 |
| Phone calls |
Phone calls within
Switzerland |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Phone calls from
Switzerland to
select EU countries |
None |
None |
None |
None |
5 hours
per month |
| Mobile Internet |
Local mobile data in
Switzerland |
8 GB |
Unlimited |
8 GB of local and
roaming data
combined |
12 GB of local and
roaming data
combined |
Unlimited |
Data roaming in
select EU countries |
None |
1 GB |
5 GB |
Important: Europe plans only include select countries
Lidl Connect has not lowered its roaming prices even though it has some of the highest roaming charges of all Swiss mobile service providers (see the moneyland.ch roaming study). For the profiles used in the moneyland.ch comparison, the cost of roaming with Lidl Connect ranges between 133.90 and 367.90 francs per year. The cost of roaming with the cheapest cellular service providers, on the other hand, is less than 100 francs for the profiles used.
Another issue with Lidl Connect is that its Europe region is not clearly defined. Six EU countries – namely Bulgaria, Estonia, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Slovenia – are not included in Lidl Connect’s Europe region. That can result in unpleasant surprises for customers who assume that all EU countries are covered by the roaming allowances. Salt and Post Mobile also use these roaming regions. Other service providers like Swisscom and Sunrise, along with their subsidiaries Wingo, M-Budget, Coop Mobile, Yallo, Swype, and Lebara, are more customer-friendly in that they include all EU countries in their Europe roaming zones.
The market first is old hat
With both of the “Flex” mobile plans, the included data allowances (8 or 12 gigabytes) can be used to get online both in Switzerland and in select European countries. Lidl describes this as a market first.
But that arrangement is not new to the Swiss market. Mobile plans from Talk Talk have included data allowances that can be used in both Switzerland and foreign countries for many years now. M-Budget Mobile and Coop Mobile both let customers use their Swiss data allowances for roaming in EU countries as well. With both providers, this is possible with an additional option. These cellular service providers also have more customer-friendly arrangements: Talk Talk offers its customers cheap supplementary bundles that are valid in both Switzerland and in other European countries. M-Budget Mobile and Coop Mobile also include phone calls, and the allowances apply to all EU countries.
How the new Lidl Connect plans compare with competing offers
The fees charged for the new mobile plans from Lidl are not very convincing, as these examples show:
- Swiss Abo 5 GB: Gomo costs just 5 centimes more per month, but it includes unlimited data instead of just 8 gigabytes.
- Swiss Abo Unlimited: A comparable mobile plan from Galaxus Mobile includes unlimited local calls and data in Switzerland, plus one gigabyte of roaming data for all EU countries. It costs 19 francs per month. The Lidl Connect plan costs 31 percent more and its roaming allowances are only valid for 21 of the 27 countries in the EU.
- Europe Abo 8 GB Flex: This is an expensive mobile plan for your typical Swiss holidaymaker*. Lidl’s plan costs 346.80 francs per year and does not include allowances for making phone calls while roaming in other countries. Getting a mobile plan and an additional roaming bundle from Galaxus Mobile costs 287.40 francs per year. So Lidl Connect costs 21 percent more.
* The moneyland.ch calculations are based on a user who travels to EU countries four times per year and uses six gigabytes of roaming data between those four trips. The travel used for the calculation consists of a two-week summer holiday, a one-week autumn holiday, and two four-day trips.
Ralf Beyeler’s verdict
When it comes to groceries and various non-food items, Lidl is often cheaper than its competition. Its market positioning is built around low prices. But the mobile plans from Lidl are anything but cheap. Mobile plans that cost less and give you more than what you get from Lidl are generally available.
Lidl’s marketing of the combined data allowances that can be used in Switzerland and in select EU countries as a market first is surprising and somewhat questionable. Similar allowances have been offered by some of Lidl’s competitors for many years now.
The Lidl Connect website uses an EU flag to mark the roaming allowances for the 21 countries included (out of the 27 EU countries). When I see an EU flag, I assume that all EU countries are covered. I find the use of the EU flag confusing.
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