When I first moved to Amsterdam, I already had an iPhone and didn’t want to sign up for an expensive plan, which would require me to get a new phone.
So I shopped around online looking at the mobile network operators in the Netherlands to figure out which one had the best network and prices for a good mobile phone plan in Amsterdam.
After looking at the top network providers here, I settled on a T-mobile sim card because I had used T-mobile in the US and was happy with their service before.
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What You Need to Get a Mobile Phone Plan in Amsterdam
TL:DR You will need a resident ID (or at least the temporary stamp in your passport) and a Dutch bank account to get a mobile phone plan in Amsterdam for your existing phone.
If you’re wondering where to buy this sim card in Amsterdam, I went to the T-Mobile shop by Dam Square after I picked out the plan I wanted online.
I actually had to go back twice because getting a permanent Amsterdam phone number, not just from a prepaid sim card, required having my bank account and resident ID on me.
I had a temporary resident stamp inside my US passport, which was ok, but I didn’t have my bank account finalized yet so came back when I was ready.
Which Sim Only Plan by T-Mobile to Choose
T-Mobile NL has the GO or BASIS Sim Only plans to choose from. Since the BASIS plan only gives you data up to 2GB a month, I opted for the GO plan to get 3GB, which can be used all throughout Europe. This has made it very handy to travel around Europe since I don’t have to worry about data usage.
It also includes 120 minutes I can use for all around the EU, which is handy when I’m making restaurant reservations or calling hotels in the country I’m traveling to in Europe. 120 minutes might not sound like a lot, but I actually don’t use the minutes that much since I use Facetime and Whatsapp to make calls with data. At the most, I might use 10 minutes a month so 120 is plenty!
My Experience with T-Mobile’s Sim Only Plan
I’ve been using T-Mobile’s Sim Only plan for almost three years now and have had absolutely no complaints. They have sometimes even offered unlimited internet usage like on my birthday and when my home internet was down— was that a coincidence or did they know?
It’s also worked flawlessly traveling in Spain, Italy, Greece, France, and other countries I frequent regularly. It pretty much switches over to the local country’s network within minutes of walking off the plane!
Hope this helps you deciding which mobile phone plan to get in Amsterdam. Also, welcome to Amsterdam! You can find more tips about living in Amsterdam here.
Thanks for stopping by! xo.