weegraeme

Thanks. With the help of Google Translate, I think that sounds good. Even 3G coverage is fine. I'll find a Vodafone store when I arrive.

Do I need ID to buy a SIM card in Netherlands? We do, here in Australia. But I was surprised when I went to UK that they do not.

stijnec

I believe not. Sim can also be purchased from Albert Heijn grocery store, which can be found everywhere. Sims are displayed at the cash register

weegraeme

Ok. Thanks very much for your help. It's not as if I could just go into a shop and read their brochures. :-)

Productivity

Looking for some advice, we will shortly be travelling to the Netherlands, followed by France for a few days - we would like to get just one SIM, rather than buying something in NL, then buying another. Is there any provider who is recommended over the others for this?

stijnec

Vodafone offers prepaid data which is valid in the EU
https://www.vodafone.nl/shop/mobiel/...im-you-l.shtml

Recently they also opened 4g to prepaid customers. All together a very cost effective choice

Productivity

Thanks for the recommendation.

FlyingDoctorwu

I have on the Vodafone NL sims which I used on a recent trip to Europe. It worked fine for the first ten days and I even reloaded it once but at some point it just stopped working (when I really needed it the most actually). Facebook and Twitter support were not able to help me.

Fdw

Dylane

I'll be coming to the Netherlands regularly about once every month or so. I don't expect to need much data on each trip since I'll only be there a few days and will mostly be places with wifi, but it would be good to have some mobile data coverage while out and about. Are there any plans that would let me buy a bundle of data that I could top off every few months? Almost everything I've found so far is 30 days or less.

DutchessPDX

I've recommended this to others who fly to Europe and travel within the EU frequently. I purchased a Orange Holiday Sim. It's pretty cheap to pick up on Amazon for ~$40 and includes prime delivery. It's good for two weeks of travel and can be topped up with more data/voice in 20€ increments if you go longer or go over your data limit. I bought one about a year and a half ago and used it in France and Belgium and have subsequently used it in Spain and the UK. To keep it active past the two weeks you need to complete the registration form and mail it when you arrive in Europe. I filled out mine before arriving and once I got the phone number (delivered when you turn on the phone with the sim in it the first time) and mailed the card when I landed. No postage needed if mailed in France. To keep it active you need to do a top up every 6 months.

Data packages are pretty cheap, 20€ gives you 5GB of Data, 500 SMS, and 1 hour of calling worldwide. Data speeds have usually been 4G/LTE for me on an unlocked iPhone 6+. Be sure to make sure your phone is compatible with where you're going and that it's unlocked by the carrier.

slocouple

I have the same SIM, which worked (after much consternation) through a long trip in France and a few days in the UK. HOWEVER, I understand one has to top up at an Orange Store. My next trip is to the Netherlands, not France. Are you able to top yours up online or outside of France? How? Thanks for the help -- we leave in a week or so and I'd love to just top it up and use it in the Netherlands.

DutchessPDX

You do not need to top up at the orange store. You can go to here:

https://topup.orange.com/

And top up your card online. To top up your card at the store you need to go to an Orange store in France. I tried buying a top up in Belgium and was told only French stores can do this or online. I have had no issue topping up online other than my Chase MP Visa doesn't like to let charges from Orange go through. My Charles Schwab Visa has never had a problem.

joshwex90

Am I understanding this correctly?

Lebara offers a prepaid SIM with the physical SIM free and I can top-up 15 euro and get a package that includes 500 minutes (domestic/international) and 2 GB of data?

If so, where in AMS can I pick up a SIM?

Do they have reliable coverage and decent data speeds? Will only be in Amsterdam and region.

ghostrider72

Do you need a Dutch number or any other European phone number equally suits you? In this latter case, I suggest to buy a www.tellinkroaming.com (never expires, has data packages and works worldowide with cheaper tariffs, with a Belgian mobile number).
Avoid at all costs Lebara or Lycamobile, too many problems with them.
As an alternative, upon landing, passport at hand go into one mobile phone shop and get the sim. In this case, I hope there will not be activation fees or other. They can be pushy sometimes, so I prefer the first solution I gave you, considering as a plus that it will never expire.

joshwex90

Bump

BigFlyer

When I was there in July there were a few people at a kiosk (more a free-standing podium than a kiosk) selling Lebara SIMs. It was located between the shops and escalators to the train platforms.