Recharging Prepaid Netherlands in Canada
 

Hello all!

Long time reader, first time poster. :-)

I have a few questions regarding a Netherlands prepaid SIMs:

1- Is there one that can be recharged from Canada?
2- Which ones have English customer service?

At least once a year a go to Europe and pass through Amsterdam, staying for different periods of time, which is why I want to have a local number (Rogers, my Canadian provider, has hefty roaming charges).

I've checked the websites of different providers (KPN, Vodafone, T-Mobile, etc.) in NL and some seem to offer roaming to Canada on prepaid (so I can recharge from Canada) and some seem not to offer it (you need to be a postpaid customer).

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks in advance!

O2 UK roams in Canada. If O2 is in the Netherlands it might roam here too.

O2 won't accept Canadian credit cards but you can buy topup cards on eBay or buy a few when you go to the Netherlands and keep them around for when you need to top up.

Isn't O2 in NL now Telfort?

So far with my limited skills in Dutch (and mostly a free online translator :-), I've found KPN to roam in Canada in prepaid, Orange does not seem to roam on prepaid and can't get a clear answer for either Voda NL or T-Mobile NL (even Telfort).

As for English customer service, only Voda NL seems to have it.

Vodafone will roam in Canada, and recharging is probably not a problem. If not, get the topup on eBay.

Officially, perhaps, only Voda supports it, but English so widely spoken in the Netherlands that it might be worth a try.

To PhotoJim:
I actually came across O2 UK (during another search) and saw it roams in Canada even on prepaid. Was thinking of maybe getting it and adding on the European roaming add-on for cheaper calls, but I would like to have free incoming calls (with some outgoing calls mainly to Canada; maybe Croatia, Italy and the UK, but I usually send texts to those destinations). Also I believe that O2 no longer exists in Holland but has become Telfort.

To Motel75:
Good to know Vodafone Netherlands prepaid can roam in Canada, for the sake of recharging my phone (not to actually use it for calls when I'm home :-)).

To Stu:
English should not be an issue in the Netherlands, but always nice to know that there is official customer service in English. Besides, my main reason is to keep my dutch number by recharging from Canada (since I don't always travel at the same times during the year, so always a risk to go over either the 6 to 12 month limits the different providers have).

By the looks of it, Vodafone Netherlands seems to be ahead for a dutch prepaid SIM that I can recharge from Canada (thanks to roaming) with vouchers I'll get in NL, unless there are other suggestions for a prepaid dutch SIM.

I think there should be a shop at Schiphol airport which sells them (can't remember exactly where).

I just came across two other services in the Netherlands, which would also satisfy my dutch mobile needs, besides Vodafone: Ortel (http://www.ortelmobile.nl/) and Lyca Mobile (http://www.lycamobile.nl/).

Anyone has any input/feedback on either Ortel or Lyca?

Ortel seems to have a more informative website (got most of the info I needed). Lyca site is a little more barren.

Also there are a few shops at Schiphol that sell SIM cards and Top-up vouchers, so which one would be recommended (It will be easiest for me to get it at the airport)?

Also is registration mandatory for prepaid SIMs in the Netherlands (like in Italy for example)? I don't mind registering, just want to know in advance.