Comments on: Buying a SIM Card or eSIM for Travel in the Netherlands

By: Iggy

Iggy

I am posting this in 2021, I am frequent traveler and often come to the Netherlands . In terms of comparison between Lyca and Lebara as I own both I would say for amount of data and price Lyca is the way to go . It took me nearly an hour to get it connected though . It is step by step process on their website everything is straightforward . Lyca site does accept foreign adresses and debit cards unlike Lebara you have only option to pay via Ideal or Revolut if you go for sim only which is twice cheaper than prepaid. The Speeds of Lebara’s KPN network on 2x speed sim only option is very impressive . Lyca is however slower but really it is not so much noticable as it is on LTE . I would rate Lyca speed 6,5 out of 10 and Lebara 10 out of 10 with 2x sim only option . Both actualy give you enough speed for your needs . As it is 2021 and I use iphone 12 pro , fat photos , cloud , fat videos , a lot of streaming . Lebaras maximum bundle of 10 GB a month simply is not enough . So Lyca is the way to go for me with a bundle for a new customers for only 30 EUR you get 35 Gb a month .

By: Dave Dean

Dave Dean

In reply to Bill. I'm not a huge fan of buying SIMs on eBay, just because you don't really have much recourse if things don't work as expected, but if you want to get set up in advance and don't want to buy something like the Orange SIM mentioned in the article, the eBay option at least looks good in terms of price.

By: Bill

Bill

I will be in Amsterdam for a couple of days in June, followed by a 2 week cruise to Norway. I live in the US and ideally I’d like to get something set up while I’m still home so I can just swap SIM cards on the flight over and have it working as soon as I arrive. I see that you recommend Lycamobile and found that I can get a SIM for a penny on Amazon, but that’s for their US service that I read does not work in Europe. I found that I can buy a Vodafone NL SIM on Ebay for around $8 shipping and then sign up for service and it would appear that for 10 euros I’ll have at least 1gb and maybe 2gb with the signup bonus, and that will work in Norway. I can probably find a Lycamobile Europe SIM on Ebay if I look harder but I don’t know if it will be as good a deal.

I have a Samsung S7 Edge on Verizon. I could just pay them the $10 a day for Travelpass access for the 2 days pre-cruise in Amsterdam and then just look for Wifi while we’re in Norway, although if I can do something relatively simple like getting the Vodafone SIM set up in advance and it will work reliably, it’s probably a better choice for roughly the same price.

Suggestions? Buying a SIM when I get to Schipol is an option, but we will be arriving at 6am and I’m not sure that the mobile store there will be open.

By: Dave Dean

Dave Dean

In reply to Manuel Rubio. You can't buy a SIM card that's only 2G anymore, but all of the service providers still operate a 2G network, so any SIM card will fall back to the 2G network if that's all that's available (or presumably, if that's all your phone/device can support). That said, you may want to confirm your requirements beforehand with whichever provider you choose, just in case.

By: Manuel Rubio

Manuel Rubio

Do you know if it’s possible to acquire 2G SIM cards in the Netherlands?

By: Dave Dean

Dave Dean

In reply to Yan. As per an earlier comment, unlimited (but very slow) data is available with KPN. As far as I know, no other provider offers it.

By: Yan

Yan

Hi hi, lovely post.
I’ll be going to Amsterdam for 2 weeks.
I need a SIM card for unlimited data for Emails, Google Maps and Instagram. I do not see myself making any calls.
Which mobile company would you recommend?
thanks so much for your help.

By: Dave Dean

Dave Dean

In reply to john Campion.

If your phones aren’t locked to AT&T, you’ll be able to use them outside the US. Check out this article for more on finding out if your phones are ready for overseas travel, and what to do about it if they aren’t.

Buying in the Netherlands will be cheaper, buying before you leave will be easier — it’s your choice.

If you only want to make calls and sent texts, you can probably just add some credit and use it up as you go. If you want to use data as well, you’re better off buying a set amount up front — it’s much cheaper. You won’t be charged for incoming calls if you’re using a local SIM — the caller bears the costs.

If all you want to do is make phone calls, and you don’t need to do so while outside your apartment, there’s no need for a SIM card at all. Just use Skype. You’re better off doing so at your apartment rather than in cafes, since it’s more secure, and the connection should be better as well (fewer people using it).

If you want to make/receive calls and texts outside the apartment, and/or have data while out and about, you’ll want a local SIM as above.

By: john Campion

john Campion

Our family of three is going to Netherlands (Utrecht) for 5 months beginning Aug. 1, 2017. I’m a total neophyte. WE have iphones with AT and T. Can we use these? How? If you buy a card (SIM or what kind?) is it better to buy it in Utrecht or in the US online (40.00). After you have a Sim card what is the best way to get use of the phone. Dumb questions no doubt. Is it better to buy a plan or can you just buy time. In Argentina you could just buy time.

How can you avoid being charged for receiving calls?

Is it better to use wifi at your apt.? or in cafes? to make calls? If so, why not just use Skype?

By: Dave Dean

Dave Dean

In reply to Tal. This page has instructions on how to activate the Saver plan. Once you've done that, I believe you top up online with 15 euros and activate the plan, as per this page. That said, you're always better off to ask the person you're buying it from for the specific information, and/or get them to do it for you.