Phone and eSIM: connected on arrival
A US number and enough data are the first two things you need in LA. Here's how to set it up smartly, for a week or for years.
Holiday: eSIM before you leave
Check your phone supports eSIM (iPhone XS and newer, most recent Androids). Buy a US plan from Airalo, Holafly or Saily (10–20 GB for two weeks is plenty), install it at home and switch it on when you land. Roaming with KPN/Odido/Vodafone often costs $5–10 a day: only useful for a short trip.
Keep your Dutch number for bank SMS codes, but turn off data roaming for that SIM.
Living: prepaid first, postpaid later
Without an SSN and credit history a postpaid plan is hard (or needs a deposit). Start prepaid: Mint Mobile (T-Mobile network) or Visible (Verizon) cost $15–30 a month with unlimited calls and texts. After 6–12 months switch to postpaid if you like, e.g. for free Europe roaming with T-Mobile.
Coverage in LA
In the city everything works. In the canyons (Topanga, Malibu Canyon), Angeles National Forest and Joshua Tree, signal drops. Download offline maps in Google Maps before a hike or road trip.
Useful apps
Waze (traffic), Transit or Google Maps (Metro), ParkMobile (parking), Venmo (money to friends), Yelp (restaurants), Citizen or Watch Duty (wildfire alerts) and MyShake (earthquake early warning, official from California).