Finding a phone deal in Denmark as an exchange student

As an exchange student, you have two options when looking for a phone deal in Denmark: You can go for the subscriptions or the prepaid deals.

The subscriptions are the cheapest, but you will need a Danish identification number, a CPR number.

Learn how to get a CPR number

You’ll also need a Danish address. Also, be aware that some of the providers contracts you to the deal for six months, but most don’t do that – however, you will normally have to contact the provider 30 days before you want the subscription to end.

There are no requirements for the prepaid deals, and you can buy them in many supermarkets too.

Danes would order the subscriptions online, but since the sites of the providers are only in Danish, you’ll most often be more comfortable ordering it through the shops. However, only the biggest providers have shops that sells subscriptions.

How does a typical Danish subscription work?

When you have a Danish subscription, you’ll usually pay a monthly fee which covers SMS, MMS and some hours of talk. Most people don’t need much more than what’s included in a typical subscription.

You’ll often have unlimited SMS and MMS included. You’ll also have some hours of talk or even unlimited talk. If you talk for more than the included amount of hours, you’ll pay for the usage.

Typically, you’ll have data included in a Danish subscription, even if your phone can’t use data. Normally, you’ll have between 1 and 10 GB data. There is no real unlimited GB deals on the market, but some providers offer up to 100 GB data included in a subscription. If you use all your data, you’ll usually get a slower connection without paying more – not even for using the data connection. In some cases though, your connection speed will continue, and you’ll pay for the extra usage, and in other cases your data access is blocked until you actively choose to pay extra, or the new month starts.

Subscriptions – prices

We have listed Danish subscriptions including a few pay per use deals – those deals are NOT prepaid deals though, and will still require a CPR number.

How does a typical Danish prepaid deal work?

The prepaid deals are generally pay per use. You’ll be charged for the minutes you talk on the phone – typically, for each minute and every time you try to call another phone (even if it’s not picked up). You’ll also be charged for each SMS. The prices are usually between 0,50 and 3,00 Danish kroner for each minute talked and about 0,20-1 kroner for each SMS. The prices are normally in the higher end of the scale when buying the prepaid deals at the shops.

The way data usage works is very different from one provider to another. Some providers only allow you to use 2G, meaning you’ll get a very slow connection. Often, you’ll pay quite a lot for each MB, and in some cases it would be cheaper to use a subscription from your home country. You’ll usually pay between 1 and 10 Danish kroner for each MB you use.

Quite often, you’ll find that there is a spending limit in kroner for data use, meaning you’ll only be charged 10-30 kroner each day. But the limit is not always there, so be sure to check the terms and conditions of your prepaid deal. If there’s a limit in kroner, you’ll usually be able to use the connection after you’ve reached your limit. You’ll most likely also have a daily spending limit of MB, and when you reach this limit, you won’t be able to use the data connection for the rest of the day. Typically, the spending limit is about 30 MB or so which is quite low if you want to see a Youtube video or other data heavy stuff, but it is enough to be somewhat satisfying for a typical daily use. However, if you plan to use data connection every day for a longer period, these deals will become quite expensive.

Lebara – prepaid deals with foreign calls included

Many exchhange students chooses Lebara. They offer prepaid packages with data and hours included. The hours for talkning can be used to call 42 different countries for Denmark, and this makes it a good option, if you want to use your mobile phone to call your home country, and it is included in the deal.

The packages has 10-14 hours included, and 2-4 GB. The hours and data included only works from Denmark – you can’t use the deal in other countries without a Danish CPR-number, and it will cost extra to use it in another country.

Lebara also has the advantage of having an english home page. See the English page with their prepaid deals (if the language is Danish you can change it in the upper left corner).

It’s possible to buy Lebaras prepaid deals at many shops and supermarkets in Denmark.

What size of SIM card will I get?

The Danish deals are typically sold with a combined mini and micro SIM card. The mini SIM card is also known as the standard SIM card because it was used before some of the cell phone companies chose to switch to smaller SIM cards. This kind of SIM card is often called “kombi” which is short for “combination” in Danish. With a kombi SIM card, the micro SIM card will be inside the standard size, and you can easily press the micro SIM out if it’s the one you need.

If you need a nano SIM card, you’ll need to specify that when you get the deal. You might find it hard to find a prepaid deal with a nano SIM card since they aren’t used for many types of phones.

If nothing else is specified, you could end up getting a standard/mini SIM card – so if you need a micro SIM card, you should always make sure that’s what you’re getting.

Will my phone work in Denmark?

Normally, yes. If you come from a European country, your phone will usually work. Most phones sold in the world will work in Denmark.

In Denmark we use these frequencies for mobile signals

• GSM/GPRS/EDGE (2G)
• UMTS and HDSPA (3G and Turbo 3G)
• LTE (4G)

The frequencies are the same as the standard in the rest of Europe:

GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 900/1800 MHz
UMTS/HSPA+: 900/2100 MHz
LTE: 800/1800/2600 MHz

Even if your home country uses different frequencies, your phone will usually still work in Denmark. However, you might want to check which frequencies your phone works with on the different technologies since the phone won’t work in rare cases. If your phone only supports some of the frequencies, you should be able to use your phone in Denmark, but you might experience having trouble getting signal. In general, the highest frequencies are most normal in the cities, while the lower frequencies are most common in the countryside.

If you got a CDMA phone, you won’t be able to use it in Denmark since GSM is the standard cell phone service technology here (and in most of the world). We do have a CDMA network, but it is only used for mobile broadband.

Generally speaking, the Danish networks have very solid coverage compared to the rest of the world. If you are staying in the cities, you’ll most likely not experience trouble calling or texting friends unless you are staying at a concert or other places with a lot of people where capacity of the network will be an issue. The data connection can be slow even in the cities though.

Find the nearest mobile service provider shop:

TDC

Telenor (the light blue icons are Telenor’s own shops, grey icons are Føtex and dark blue is Bilka – Føtex and Bilka are Danish supermarket chains with an electronic department)

Telia (lilac icons are Telia’s own shops, while the blue icons are other shops selling Telia subscriptions)

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Lebara – scroll a bit down to see the shops that sell Lebara – you can also order it online but you will need a Danish address. If you need help with finding the right Sim-card size, choosing the right product or anything else, you can go to one of the big supermarkets with electronic departments. All Bilka stores have a big electronic department with specialized employees, and many Føtex and Kvickly shops also have electronic departments with good service, but you may come across smaller ones that does not sell electronics. Another option is Computer City, Elgiganten and Experten, which only sell electronic equipment, and will be able to help you. Blue city and Fotokæden are also electronic shops, but Blue city focus on films and Fotokæden on photography, so their staff isn’t as knowledgeable out phones.

Further information

We also recommend Studyindenmark for general information about being exchange student in Denmark.
We have also written a guide for broadband in Denmark as an exchange student on Bredbaandsmatch.dk