Get a Dutch number in your first week, because a foreign one will slow you down.
Health insurers, GP practices, banks, delivery apps and government portals send verification codes by text, and some will not accept a foreign number at all.
Prepaid gets you a number the same day with no contract.
A monthly plan usually asks for ID, an address and a Dutch bank account, so most newcomers start prepaid and switch later.
Which Plan Type Suits Which Situation?
- Just arrived, no BSN or Dutch bank account yet: prepaid. No contract and no credit check, and you can move to a monthly plan later and keep the number.
- Staying a few weeks or months: prepaid, or a SIM-only plan you can cancel monthly. The monthly-cancellable version usually costs a little more per month.
- Keeping the phone you already own: SIM-only, on a one-month, 12-month or 24-month term.
- Need a new handset: a phone contract, but compare the total against buying the phone outright and taking SIM-only.
- Need an eSIM: check that your phone supports it, then choose a provider that offers eSIM on the plan type you want. Several do, on prepaid as well as monthly plans.
These are decision criteria, not a ranking of brands.
Prices and allowances in this guide were checked on the providers’ own websites on 28 September 2026 and change often; many headline prices are introductory discounts that apply for a limited period.
The Four Plan Types
Prepaid
Buy a SIM at a supermarket, a phone shop or online, top it up, and you have a Dutch number the same day.
There is no credit check and no contract, which makes it the right choice for your first weeks.
SIM-Only
You keep your phone and pay monthly for calls, texts and data, on terms from month-to-month up to 24 months.
Month-to-month costs a little more: at Simyo, for example, a 12-month term adds €1 a month and a monthly-cancellable plan €2 a month on top of the 24-month bundle price.
It is worth it if you do not yet know how long you are staying.
Phone Contract
A handset bundled with a plan, typically over 24 months.
Compare the total you will pay over the contract with the cash price of the phone plus a SIM-only plan before signing.
eSIM
Providers including Simyo and Youfone offer eSIM, a digital SIM that is activated without a physical card.
If your phone supports it, this is the fastest route to a working Dutch number.
What You Will Pay
Examples from 28 September 2026: Youfone listed SIM-only plans with unlimited calling from €9 a month for 10 GB, €11.50 for 30 GB and €13 for 40 GB, on a two-year contract with a discount for the first nine months.
Simyo advertised unlimited calling from €7 a month, with data priced on top.
Treat those as a snapshot, not a price list, and check the provider’s page on the day you sign.
Most providers let you move up or down a data tier during the contract; Simyo lets you change your bundle every month, including downwards.
Start low rather than buying headroom you may not use.
Pair whatever you choose with home internet rather than tethering, which is the expensive way to do it.
Networks And Providers
The Three Actual Networks
Everything in the Netherlands runs on one of three networks: KPN, Odido (formed from T-Mobile and Tele2) and Vodafone.
The budget brands rent space on one of these, so the network behind a brand matters more than the brand name.
The Budget Brands
Lebara runs on KPN’s network, has an English-language website and builds much of its offer around prepaid and calling abroad.
Simyo and Youfone also run on KPN’s network and offer eSIM.
Budget Mobiel now trades as mobile from Budget Thuis, also on KPN, with a discount if you take its other services too.
Hollandsnieuwe is part of Vodafone, runs on its network and offers a combination discount with Ziggo at home.
Choosing By Address, Not By Brand
Check the coverage map for your actual postcode before signing, because the differences are local rather than national.
If you commute by train or take day trips out of the city, coverage along the route matters more than peak speed in the centre.
Calling Abroad
When you travel within the EU, EU roaming rules let you use your Dutch bundle at no extra roaming charge, subject to your provider’s fair-use terms.
Calling a foreign number from the Netherlands is a different matter: calls to the United States, the UK and other countries are charged separately, and this is where bills go wrong.
Some providers, Lebara among them, sell bundles aimed at calling abroad.
Check the specific destination rate rather than the “international” headline, because rates vary by country.
For calls home, an internet call over your data bundle costs nothing beyond the data.
Buy international minutes only if you need to reach landlines or numbers that are not on an app.
Signing Up
Prepaid can be bought over the counter, so you can do it on arrival.
A monthly contract normally needs ID, a BSN and a Dutch IBAN for the direct debit; check the provider’s sign-up page for its exact requirements.
Start prepaid while your residence permit and registration are in progress, then port the number to a monthly plan once the paperwork lands.
Porting keeps the number you have already given to your bank and your GP, which is the point of doing it in that order.
Related reading
- Amsterdam Divorce Guide For Expats: What To Know First
- Amsterdam Dutch Lessons Guide For Expats
- Amsterdam Healthcare Guide For Expats: What To Do First
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