Prepaid options – Dutch Phone Number

Requesting a Dutch prepaid card right after arrival is the perfect quick fix for all new “Dutchies” and provides you with a Dutch phone number within a few minutes. Most prepaid providers give away prepaid cards for free. All you have to do is order a prepaid card online, put it on your current phone, top it up, and you’ll be able to call immediately with your brand-new Dutch phone number.

Check websites like refurbished.nl or leapp to score a refurbished second-hand mobile phone if you don’t have one available.

Sim only options – Dutch Phone Number

Regarding costs, you are usually better off with a sim-only deal than prepaid. Sim-only deals offer unlimited bundles, so you don’t have to pay for every MB, text or minute you use. The disadvantage is that (usually) you’ll have to commit to either 12 or 24 months in advance to get a Dutch phone number. The longer your contract length, the cheaper it gets: With a two-year contract compared to a one-year contract, you’ll save approximately €1 a month.

If you need a new device but don’t want to sign up for a monthly recurring subscription, check websites like refurbished.nl or leapp. They sell refurbished second-hand mobile devices that will do just fine as long as you’re not a tech nerd always wanting the newest phone.

• BEN

✓ Use internet bundle for NL and EU
✓ Unlimited calling/texting for €5
✓ No registration costs

The cheapest sim-only deal at BEN includes 1000 MB, 200 minutes or text messages, and a 4G Network is €7,00 a month. The most expensive deal comes in at €16 with unlimited calling and texting, 7500 MB and an extra fast 4G Network. Furthermore, for €1 extra, you can choose the option of cancelling your subscription monthly. With the first invoice, you’ll be paying €20 for the registration.

Best pick: Contract duration: 24 months, 3GB and 100 minutes for calling or SMS for €8,50 a month.

BEN receives 4,3 stars on Trustpilot.

• Simyo

✓ Very cheap sim-only deals
✓ No registration costs
✓ Double bundles for KPN Internet or Telfort clients

The cheapest plan at simyo starts at €6 a month, including 200 minutes of calling or texting but no internet. A bundle with 1 GB and 200 minutes of calling or texting costs you €9 monthly. For 10GB and 200 minutes of calling or texting, you pay a monthly fee of €16. For €2 extra, you can cancel your subscription every month, and you’ll always pay €14,99 upfront for the registration. Simyo doesn’t offer a contract period of 24 months.

Best pick: Contract duration: 12 months, 1GB and 200 minutes for calling or texts for €9 a month.

Tipp: If you have KPN Internet or Telfort at home, Simyo doubles your bundles for free.

Simyo rates with 4 stars on Trustpilot.

• Lyca Mobile

✓ English website
✓ Special Offer Page
✓ 20% discount on year plans

Lyca Mobile offers so-called ‘Prepaid Sim Only’ plans. Meaning that you preload your plan with data, call minutes & SMS. You can choose duration periods of 3 months, 6 months or 12 months which you pay upfront.

Lyca Mobile received 3,9 stars on Trustpilot.

• Lebara

✓ Attractive pricing if you call Lebara users
✓ Unlimited calling/texting for €1 per month
✓ English website

Lebara is a common provider for internationals and an attractive option if you frequently call other Lebara users abroad. The cheapest bundle costs €7,50 at Lebara, including 2GB, 150 minutes and 150 texts. The most expensive bundle includes 10GB, unlimited calls and texts and charges €22 monthly. Furthermore, Lebara offers a flexible option for €2 a month, where you can cancel your subscription monthly. You’ll pay €15 cost upfront for the registration.

Best pick: Contract duration 24 months, 10 GB and 150 minutes and texts for € 9 a month.

Lebara receives 4,5 stars on Trustpilot.

• Youfone

✓ Data packet from €6 a month
✓ Possibility to cancel monthly
✓ Data ceiling option

Best Pick: Contract duration: 24 months, 12GB and 200 min/sms for €12 a month.

Youfone is a Dutch phone provider that offers Sim Only Deals and internet, TV and landline services. The cheapest sim-only option includes 1,5 GB and 200 minutes of calling or SMS and costs €6 a month. 20GB and the same amount of calling or SMS costs €15 a month with a 24 months contract duration. If you want to limit your data usage, youfone allows setting a data ceiling. There is also the option to cancel monthly if you stay in the Netherlands for a shorter period.

Lebara receives 4,1 stars on Trustpilot.

• hollandsnieuwe

✓ Attractive Deals for Ziggo clients
✓ Good network signal
✓ Control over expenses with pre-paid bundles

The cheapest plan at hollandsnieuwe starts at €7,50 a month, including 1000 MB, minutes or text messages. For €2 extra, you can cancel your subscription every month, and you’ll always pay €20 upfront for the registration. hollandsnieuwe is part of the Vodafone/Ziggo Network. If your internet contract is with Ziggo, you’ll get an additional 1000 MB, minutes or text messages on your sim only abonnement with hollandsnieuwe. The registration costs at hollandsnieuwe are 20 Euro upfront.

Best pick: Contract duration: 2 years, 5000 MB, minutes for calling or texts for €10 a month.

Simyo is rated with 2,3 stars on Trustpilot.

• T-Mobile

✓ Use your (internet) bundle for all EU countries
✓ Attractive deals for T-Mobile internet clients
✘ Higher (registration) fees

T-Mobile is a popular provider in the Netherlands and internationally. You can use your T-Mobile bundle for all EU countries (not for Switzerland!), which can be handy if you call home regularly. Sim-only options at T-Mobile start at €13,50 a month (1GB) and increase to €30 a month (unlimited data). If you choose a contract duration of 24 months, you’ll save around €1 a month compared to a 12 months subscription. Furthermore, you’ll pay €25 upfront for the registration.

Best pick: Contract duration: 24 months, 5GB, 120 minutes calling and unlimited texting for €17,50 a month.

Tip: You’ll get a discount on your sim-only deal if your internet package is from T-Mobile.

T-Mobile rates with 1,6 stars on Trustpilot.

• Tele 2

✓ Use your bundle for calling in the EU
✓ Unlimited deals from €25 per month
✓ T-Mobile Network

Tele2 recently merged with T-Mobile but offers slightly cheaper deals. The cheapest sim-only deals at Tele2 cost €8 a month (1GB, 200 minutes of calling or texting). Whereas for unlimited data, calling and texting, you’ll pay €25 per month. For €2 more, Tele2 offers the possibility to cancel monthly, and you’ll pay €20 upfront for the registration.

Best pick: Contract duration: 24 months, 7GB and 200 minutes of calling or texts for €14 a month.

Tele2 rates with 1,5 stars on Trustpilot.

• KPN

✓ Option for unlimitted data (€35/mth.)
✓ Deals for KPN and Telfort internet clients
✘ Higher registration fee

KPN is a Dutch company and offers good sim-only deals if you are a frequent caller. Sim-only bundles standard include unlimited calling and texting. The cheapest deal is €15 per month (0GB), and the most expensive one is €65 (100GB).

Best pick: Contract duration: 24 months, 5GB and unlimited calling/texting for €20,00 a month.

Tip: You’ll get a discount if your internet package is from KPN or Telfort (part of KPN).

Kpn rates with 1,7 stars on Trustpilot.

• Vodafone

✓ Unlimited option for €35/mth
✓ Attractive deals for Ziggo clients (save up to €5/mth.)
✓ Currently no registration fee

Vodafone is a good option if you use the internet from Ziggo at home as you’ll get a discount (approx €5). At Vodafone, the cheapest bundle (without Ziggo) starts at €11,50 (500MB, 150 minutes for calling and unlimited texting). The most expensive sim-only plan includes 40 GB a month and costs €35 a month. You’ll pay €25 upfront for the registration.

Best pick: Red ESSENTIAL contract duration: 24 months, 5GB and unlimited calling and texting for €27 a month.

Tip: You’ll get a discount if your internet package is from Ziggo.

Vodafone rates with 1,5 stars on Trustpilot.

• Expat Mobile

✓ Specialized in international calling
✓ No Dutch home address and bank account are required
✘ Higher price

Expat Mobile is specialized in international calling and allows you to request a Dutch phone number without a Dutch home address and bank account. However, Expat Mobile is a little pricier than the sim-only operators above. The cheapest bundle starts at €14,95 and includes 200 minutes of calling within the Netherlands and EU countries and 100 minutes of calling to countries outside the EU. This bundle contains 1200 MB. The most expensive bundle comes in at €29,95 per month with unlimited calling within the Netherlands and the EU countries, 750 minutes of calling worldwide, and 10GB of data for the Netherlands and the EU.

Best pick: GoDutch – Medium with unlimited calling in NL and EU, 300 minutes calling in all other countries and 6GB for €24,95 per month.

Expat Mobile is not listed on Trustpilot.

Get a Dutch phone number with a phone contract

Walking out of the store with a two-year phone contract in your pocket is the ultimate commitment to settling in the Netherlands. But with a Dutch phone contract, you feel like a real Dutchie, and it might also provide you with a brand new phone. Most mobile providers in the Netherlands offer the option of subscribing to a phone contract and getting a mobile device. Usually, you’ll pay a monthly fee for the device and your monthly contract fee for the length of your contract duration. This fee is considered a loan.

The following mobile operators offer Dutch phone contracts: KPN, T-Mobile, Tele2, Vodafone, BEN and hollandsnieuwe. Believe it or not, none of them has an English website. As the possibilities are endless and depend very much on your needs, we didn’t prepare a selection for you. Just browse the site of the conventional providers and check their offers.

However, internationals might experience problems with concluding a Dutch phone contract. Mobile operators have had bad experiences with internationals when collecting a phone, moving back to their home country (or somewhere else), and happily continuing using the subscription until the phone provider finds out they are unwilling to pay anymore. For signing up for a phone contract, you mostly need to pass by the physical shop, show your passport, and prove that you have enough money to pay the monthly costs. Consider that you need a Dutch bank account to sign a contract with a Dutch mobile provider.