I will be visiting Amsterdam in a few weeks time. I would like to get a sim card to put in my unlocked UK phone when I am there to avoid the outrageous charges they put on using a pay as you go mobile internationally. Is it a straightforward process in the Netherlands? If you buy a top up credit do you have to be able to speak Dutch to activate it?

Cheers

Geoff

The vast majority of Dutch people speak excellent English, so it shouldn't be a problem.

I bought one from Dutch newsagent that woked strait away with no activation or having to speak to anyone, Just put it in my phone and started phoning people at home

Hi there

There is an Orange store at the airport if you are coming in by air. I have used it a few times. The same guy each time over 2 years and he speaks excellent english and is very helpful as long as your mobile is unlocked it should work.

There are Orange stores in the city for top up, all staff speak english and help you to reload the phone. There is one just off Dam sq if my memory serves me.

I AM NOT AN OFFICAIL ORANGE AGENT....just in case anyone was thinking.


Colin

Muttongeoff,

I have a pre-pay sim for the 'Hi' network. I just pop it in the my phone and it works. The only thing I changed was to set voicemail prompts to English, which is easy enough so long as you can recognise some basic Dutch words, like the words for numbers. No doubt you could find someone to assist you to do this though if you need help.

The top-up prompts are still in Dutch. However, it is easy enough. For my Hi-prepay I just follow the instructions printed on the top-up voucher ...

Bel gratis nummer 1244
Toets 9
Toets de 15 cijferige code
Sluit af met #

Which means ...

Call free number 1244
Press 9
Enter the 15 digit code
Finish with #

I believe that Hi is part of KPN as mine works with credit vouchers for the Hi network and the KPN-mobile network.

Incidentally, I have been told that Vodafone pre-pay now allow you to use top-up vouchers from various countries. I haven't investigated this yet, but if it's true I will consider getting a Dutch Vodafone pre-pay sim, then it will be possible to top it up in the UK (with UK vouchers), which I sometimes need to do.

Also you have to watch out for networks that put a time-limit on using your pre-pay credit. The Hi network used to have this, but not any more, though there is a time limit on the vouchers, which have to be credited to your sim within 12 months.

Cheers,
Schlep.

I had a t-mobile prepay about a year and a half ago. It, and t-mobile, are awful. There was one point where I desperately needed to make a call, ran out of minutes, and the t-mobile recharge system was down for at least a day I recall. I had no phone, and I had no way to unlock the phone to get it to work. I ended up throwing cash at a stranger for a call on theirs. Never again on that awful network from that awful company.

When I bought the phone, I had to ask the store sales guy to set the phone to english. After that it was really easy.

Excellent. Should make my life much easier this visit, having a phone I can actually afford to use.

Geoff

Geoff, some additonal thoughts on purchasing top-up vouchers ...

The arrangements are very similar to the UK. In that, aside from all the dedicated phone shops that seem to be everywhere, lots of newsagents and all the big supermarket chains sell top-up vouchers.

I don't know how others feel about this, but I often feel embarrassed when I go into a shop and effectively force people into speaking English because my grasp of Dutch is so transparently *very* bad and not up to handling the purchase of a top-up voucher. (Yes, I know most Dutch people speak excellent English and often enjoy doing so, but it doesn't alter the way I feel!)

I've found that the system in supermarkets is particularly easy and convenient. For example, if you go into an Albert Heijn supermarket you will find that by each checkout there is a rack holding little tickets (about 2x3 inches in size) that are preprinted with a network name and a top-up value. You just pick up a ticket for your network and the amount of credit you want to add to your phone, hand it to the checkout operator, (along with your favourite Dutch Koffie/Kaas/Stroopwafels/Speculaas of course,) the checkout operator scans the ticket along with your other purchases, you hand over your payment, and in return you will be given two printed receipts from the checkout printer, one is the normal supermarket receipt, the other is your phone top-up voucher.

If you're outside the city centre, you may find that a big supermarket is your best option if you need to buy a top-up voucher in the evening.

I have a Telfort prepaid and all the set ups and top off instructions are in english,the only instruction Dutch is the online top off