Traveling to Europe and flying to Amsterdam? Don't get stuck with high roaming costs or slow overseas data plans. This is your complete guide for getting connected on your trip to the Netherlands. In this guide for buying a sim card at Amsterdam Airport I will show where to buy a sim card, up to date prices as per March 2023, my recommendation, a vlog with my experiences and even info about international and e-sim cards for The Netherlands.
Sim cards for The Netherlands are expensive at Amsterdam Airport, ordering a sim card online is even cheaper.
Buying a local prepaid sim card is the first thing I do when arriving in a new country. Traveltomtom in general encourages travelers to do so too to save money on high roaming charges. However, The Netherlands and especially Amsterdam Airport is an exception and international sim cards or e-sim cards are a better buy than local prepaid sim cards.
Since I am on a journey to visit every country in the world I have been to many airports and countries. Therefore on Traveltomtom you can find almost 200 prepaid sim card guides from all over the world: USA, New York, Thailand, USA, Kigali, Cameroon, Panama, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Canada, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Berlin, Brussels, Paris, Madrid, Lisbon, Barcelona, Dublin, London, Rome, etc.
I am from Holland, but I haven't lived in my own country for more than 10 years, so every time I visit The Netherlands I feel like a tourist and I also need to buy a prepaid sim card to stay connected.
Luckily Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has very fast, reliable and free WiFi for everyone. Well done! That is at least what I call a warm welcome to my country.
My recommendation
Traveltomtom recommends an e-sim card for The Netherlands, easy fast and cheaper than the prepaid sim card deals at Amsterdam Airport.
However, if you insist on buying a sim at Amsterdam Airport than Traveltomtom recommends buying a sim card at L-Mobi at Amsterdam Airport near arrivals 3. Here you can get the best sim card deal for The Netherlands. However, the best deal means €40 for 15 GB data.
Prepaid sim cards for the Netherlands at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol are expensive. You will find cheaper deals buying a sim card in Amsterdam city center at one of the official mobile internet operator stores in The Netherlands like: Vodafone, KPN or T-Mobile.
A great option for travelers is an international sim card. On Traveltomtom you can find an article with a comparison of the best international sim cards with global coverage in 2023. Some of the offers are much better than the local prepaid sim cards for The Netherlands they sell at Amsterdam Airport. Find the one that fits your trip in the link above or even easier an e-sim cards for The Netherlands/Europe.
E-sim cards for The Netherlands
The easiest way to stay connected when traveling in 2023? An e-sim card! Order an e-sim card for Netherlands online, get a QR code in your email, change your settings and the e-sim card is installed on your phone before you realize. Check out the following e-sim card deals for The Netherlands:
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $6 USD
- 2 GB data for 15 days = $10 USD
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $12 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $18 USD
- 10 GB data for 30 days = $27 USD
Click here to order one of these Netherlands e-sim card directly online or find more info.
The above e-sim cards are only valid in The Netherlands and do NOT support phone calls. If you also want to call with your e-sim cards then check out the following international e-sim cards that are valid in more than 70 countries including The Netherlands:
- 10 GB data + $2 calling credit (top-up possible) for 30 days = $24.90 USD
- 8 GB data + unlimited calling/texting for 14 days = $29.90 USD
- 20 GB data + unlimited calling/texting for 14 days = $49.90 USD
Click here to directly order an international e-sim card for The Netherlands.
With an e-sim card you keep your own phone number from home.
Mind you that s-sim cards are data only sim cards, meaning calling and sms is not supported. If you also want to make phone calls in Netherlands and in Europe then Traveltomtom recommends buying a physical sim card for Netherlands online. For $49.90 you get 20 GB data including unlimited texting and calling all over Europe. Click here to order this Netherlands sim card directly online or find more info in the link.
Netherlands sim cards and free EU roaming
Free EU roaming means that you can use your data, voice and text allowance on Netherlands sim cards all over Europe. No borders, no roaming fees! Therefore you can use a France sim card in Holland and a Greece sim card in Denmark without any extra charges. Good thing about Netherlands sim cards are that they mostly include FREE EU roaming.
Curious what is the best sim card for Europe travel in 2023? I compared all the EU sim card deals in my lately updated article. Check out the link.
Or check out all my tips and find more info about EU roaming costs in my guide for buying a prepaid sim card in Europe, including a list of the best prepaid sim card for tourists per EU country.
Looking for an Amsterdam Airport Hotel? I stayed in Van Der Valk A4 Hotel, with a free shuttle from the airport and an amazing breakfast from 5:00 am onwards.
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Traveling to the Netherlands? This is your chance to go off the beaten path! Netherlands is more than Amsterdam! Check out my blog about all the amazing places to visit in Netherlands.
Where to buy a sim card at Amsterdam Airport
We always think we have everything so damn well organized here in our small country. But where are the mobile operator stores at Schiphol? Where is Vodafone, KPN or T-Mobile? Why is there no official phone store at Amsterdam Airport?
L.Mobi Kiosk main hall Amsterdam Airport
When you walk from Arrivals 3 straight into the main hall of Schiphol Airport there is something like a trolley or tiny little kiosk of L.Mobi Mobile. Here you can buy your prepaid sim card for the Netherlands. See the prices below.
For €40 you get 15 GB data and unlimited calls in The Netherlands.
For example an Ireland prepaid sim card gives you 20 GB data for €20, sim cards at Amsterdam Airport are expensive compared to other European countries.
Service Point Store
Between Arrivals 3 and 4 there is another place to buy a prepaid sim card at Amsterdam Airport and it is called Service Point. There is a price sheet available when you walk in. It is a pretty busy store, not just for sim cards, so expect a little less service here.
However, it is a very easy conclusion that the sim cards here are more expensive as you only get 10 GB data for €40.
Airport Telecom
Now there is finally a proper place to buy a sim card at Amsterdam Airport, but the offers aren't that great.The Airport Telecom store is located between Arrivals 1 and 2. They sell sim cards from multiple operators like Vodafone and Lycamobile.
These are the up to date prices for an Amsterdam airport sim cards as per March 2023. For €40 you get 12 GB data. A simple comparison tells us that this is also less value for money than other offers we have seen.
Unfortunately buying a sim card at Amsterdam Airport is not great for if you are traveling onwards in Europe. Traveltomtom does not recommend buying a sim card for your trip to Europe at Amsterdam Airport. Online you can find way better Europe sim card deals with for example 20 GB data for $49.90 USD. Click here to see my list of the best European sim cards in 2023.
Best Amsterdam Airport sim card in 2023
Although rather expensive the best sim card at Amsterdam Airport can be bought from the L.Mobi Mobile shop nearby Arrivals 3. You pay €40 and get 15 GB data.
As said before buying a sim card at Amsterdam Airport is expensive and not directly recommended.
A better option is to wait until you get to Amsterdam city center and buy a sim card for The Netherlands there. Read my article about the best sim card in Netherlands in 2023 for all available Dutch sim cards in stores across Netherlands!
Too much hassle? Order a Europe sim card online! See below...
Buy a sim card for in Netherlands online (much cheaper)
Looking for better deals with more data for less money? Get yourself an international sim card for The Netherlands. These sim cards will be shipped to your home address before your trip and are automatically activated on its first use. The following Europe sim cards are valid in over 30 countries in Europe:
1. Orange Holiday ZEN - $29.90
- 8 GB data in all of Europe
- Unlimited calls/sms in Europe
- 30 minutes worldwide
- 200 sms worldwide
- Valid 14 days
2. O2 Go Card - $24.90
- 10 GB data in all of Europe
- $2 calling credit in Europe
- Valid for 30 days
3. Three Data Pack 12 GB - $29.90
- 12 GB data in all of Eurooe
- Unlimited calls/sms within Europe
- Valid 30 days
4. Orange Holiday Europe - $49.90
- 20 GB data
- Unlimited calls in Europe
- 120 minutes worldwide
- Unlimited sms in Europe
- 1,000 sms worldwide
- Valid 14 days
Click here to directly order one of the above prepaid sim cards for traveling in the Netherlands or find more info.
Personally Traveltomtom recommends Orange Holiday Europe sim card with 20 GB data in all of Europe.
Also another last reminder that you can also order an e-sim card for The Netherlands through either Airalo or Simoptions and arrange everything directly online within just a couple minutes.
Want to see all the options then check out my lately updated article about the best prepaid sim card for traveling in Europe in 2023.
If you really want to buy a sim card in the Netherlands then wait till you get to Amsterdam city center and search for either a KPN, Vodafone or T-Mobile shop nearby. In this link you can read all about the best prepaid Netherlands sim card.
My to go to hotel at Schiphol Airport is the Van Der Valk A4 Hotel. It provides a free shuttle from the Amsterdam Airport.
If you are interested what it looks like traveling to every country in the world then check out my Instagram profile @traveltomtom for some serious wanderlust. As of March 2023 I have visited more than 150 countries around the world.
For any specific questions please leave me a message below. I am happy to help you out with your travel questions about traveling in the Netherlands or buying a sim card for your trip to Europe.
Enjoy your trip to my beloved country!
Some links in this article about the best Amsterdam sim card are affiliate links. If you buy any of the products after using the outgoing links I’ll earn a small commission. Don’t worry this is at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your understanding!
