Buy a prepaid SIM card in Belgium at an operator shop, a supermarket, a newsagent or online, activate it with your eID or passport, and top up credit whenever you need calls, texts or data. You pay in advance, so there is no contract and no monthly bill. Belgian law links every prepaid card to an identified person, so a card without identification is not activated. A prepaid SIM card suits light users, children, a second gsm and short stays. If you use more than a few GB a month, a plan without a contract often costs less over a full year. Below you find how a prepaid card works, where to buy one, which network it uses and how to find the cheapest option for the way you actually use your phone.
What is a prepaid SIM card?
A prepaid SIM card is a SIM card that you load with credit before you use it. Every call, text and MB is deducted from that credit or from a bundle you buy with it, and when the credit runs out, you top up again. Nothing is charged afterwards, which is why prepaid is popular with people who want full control over their costs.
Prepaid SIM card | Subscription | |
|---|---|---|
How you pay | Credit in advance, top up when needed | A fixed amount every month |
Contract | None | Usually indefinite, sometimes with a fixed term |
Monthly bill | None | Yes |
Identification | Required by law | Required by law |
Best for | Light or occasional use, children, a second number | Daily use with a predictable amount of data |
Where to buy a prepaid SIM card in Belgium
You can buy a prepaid SIM card in many places, but you always need to identify yourself before the card works.
Where | How identification works |
|---|---|
Operator shop | Show your eID, an EU identity card or a passport, and staff activate the card |
Supermarket, newsagent or night shop | Identify at the till, or online afterwards before activation |
Operator website | Identify online with your eID and PIN, an approved identification service or an online payment |
Many operators send the SIM card itself for free, and you only pay for the credit you load on it. If you identify through an online payment with your bankkaart or kredietkaart, the operator must ask you to identify again within 18 months.
What the law says about identification
The Royal Decree of 27 November 2016 obliges operators to identify every prepaid user. You may buy an activated card for your partner, your children or someone under your guardianship, but you may not resell or give away an activated card to anyone else. If someone else uses a card registered in your name, you are presumed to be the user, so the police contact you first.
Which network does your prepaid SIM card use?
Every prepaid card in Belgium runs on one of the national mobile networks. Coverage depends on that network, not on the brand on the card.
Prepaid brand | Network |
|---|---|
Proximus, Mobile Vikings, JIM Mobile | Proximus |
Orange | Orange Belgium |
BASE, Lycamobile | BASE (Telenet group) |
If reception at home or at work is weak with one brand, a card on another network can make more difference than a cheaper bundle.
The cheapest prepaid SIM card in Belgium
The cheapest prepaid SIM card in Belgium is the one that matches your monthly use, not the one with the lowest top up. Multiply the price of the bundle you would buy by twelve, and check three things: how long your credit stays valid, what a call or MB costs outside your bundle, and whether data stops or slows down when your bundle runs out.
Most people underestimate how much data they use. These are typical figures per hour of use:
Activity | Data per hour (estimate) |
|---|---|
WhatsApp messages | 1 MB |
Google Maps navigation | 5 to 10 MB |
WhatsApp voice call | 40 MB |
Music streaming, normal quality | 40 to 70 MB |
Social media scrolling | 100 to 200 MB |
Video streaming in standard quality | 700 MB |
With an hour of social media and an hour of music every day, you already use about 5 GB a month. At that level, a prepaid bundle that you top up every month often costs more per year than a plan without a contract. The table below compares Firsty's mobile plans made for people in Belgium with similar subscriptions from Proximus, Orange, BASE and Mobile Vikings, per year.
See how Firsty compares.
Choose your Firsty plan. Compare prices, data and extras with other providers.
Comparing Firsty 15 GB with Proximus, Orange, BASE and Mobile Vikings
| What you get | 15 GB | ProximusMobile Easy | OrangeOrange Mobile Medium | BASEBASE 15 | Mobile Vikings€15 · 40 GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 GB in Belgium & the EU. Full speed in Belgium and the EU, no roaming add-on needed. Other providers often give you less data in the EU than at home.Mobile data | 15 | Included: 1515 GB | Included: 7575 GB | Included: 1515 GB | Included: 4040 GB |
| 1 GB in 176 countries. For travel beyond Belgium and the EU, already in your plan.Countries included | 176 | Not included: EURoaming costs extra | Not included: EURoaming costs extra | Not included: EU+Roaming costs extra | Not included: EURoaming costs extra |
| 50 EU minutes. Unlimited calls and SMS within Belgium, plus 50 minutes to call EU numbers from Belgium.EU calling | 50 min | Not included: Costs extra | Not included: Costs extra | Not included: Costs extra | Limited or needs confirmation: Not stated |
| About €0.02 per minute to international numbers. Call international numbers from Belgium at about €0.02 a minute, on every plan. Average price per minute; the exact rate depends on the destination.International calling | ~€0.02 | Included: ~€0.50~€0.50 | Included: ~€1.50~€1.50 | Not included: No rate stated | Not included: No rate stated |
| Always connected. When your high-speed data runs out, you stay online at 512 kbps for the rest of the month. Fast enough for maps, messaging and calls.When data runs out | 512 kbps | Not included: Blocked or paid | Limited or needs confirmation: Not stated | Not included: Blocked or paid | Not included: Blocked or paid |
| Save up to €198 a year. Compared to similar plans from Proximus, Orange, BASE and Mobile Vikings.Yearly price | €78 | €239.88 | €276 | €126 | €180 |
| Choose 15 GB | |||||
The Firsty 15 GB plan for Belgium costs €78 a year, which is €6.50 a month billed yearly or €7 a month with no term. When your data runs out, your connection slows to 512 kbps instead of stopping, so messages and maps keep working until your next month starts.
Prepaid SIM card or eSIM?
A classic prepaid SIM card is a physical card that you insert in your gsm. An eSIM is a digital SIM card that you install with a QR code or in an app, so you never wait for a card in the post or swap cards when you travel. Most recent smartphones support eSIM. Some Belgian operators offer prepaid on eSIM too, but most prepaid cards sold in shops are still physical.
Prepaid freedom without topping up
Prepaid is popular because it gives you control: no contract, no surprise bill and the freedom to stop whenever you want. Firsty keeps that control and removes the top ups. No contract, no credit to reload, no roaming setting to remember and no surprise bill. Firsty's mobile plans are made for people who live in Belgium: every plan runs on an eSIM, includes data in 176 countries and slows down instead of cutting you off when your data runs out. Need more than 15 GB? The Firsty 100 GB plan for Belgium costs €15 a month billed yearly, and Firsty World, the Belgian plan with unlimited data, costs €25 a month billed yearly. Every connection Firsty sells also connects someone in Belgium who needs it, not as charity, but as how the business works. Compare Firsty's Belgian plans and choose yours at Firsty.app.
FAQ
Do I need an ID to buy a prepaid SIM card in Belgium?
Yes. Belgian law requires every prepaid SIM card to be linked to an identified person, with an eID, an EU identity card, a passport or an approved online method. A card without identification is not activated.
Where can I buy a prepaid SIM card in Belgium?
You can buy a prepaid SIM card in operator shops, supermarkets, newsagents, night shops and on operator websites. You identify yourself at the till or online before the card works.
What is the cheapest SIM card in Belgium?
The cheapest SIM card is the one whose yearly cost matches your use. For light use, a small prepaid bundle can be enough; from a few GB a month, a plan without a contract, such as the Firsty 15 GB plan for Belgium at €78 a year, often costs less over twelve months.
Can tourists buy a prepaid SIM card in Belgium?
Yes. Visitors can identify with a passport or an EU identity card in an operator shop. Visitors from the EU can also keep using their own SIM card at home prices under the EU roaming rules.
Is a SIM card free in Belgium?
Often, yes. Many operators give the prepaid SIM card itself for free or for a small amount, and you pay for the credit or bundle you load on it.
