Skip to main contentSkip to navigation

VinkVink vs Nationale-Nederlanden 2026: the two cheapest Dutch insurers

Five cents apart on the basic package, and much further apart on everything else

Last updated: August 13, 2026Verified August 2026

The short answer

These are the two cheapest basic policies in the Netherlands for 2026, and the gap between them is five cents a month. VinkVink is €142,40, Nationale-Nederlanden is €142,45. Nobody should choose on that.

Choose on the add-ons, because that is where they genuinely diverge. NN sells dental for €10,70 with 80 percent reimbursement and €20.000 accident cover. VinkVink charges €14,45 for 75 percent and €10.000. NN bundles four physiotherapy sessions for €5. VinkVink does not sell physiotherapy at all.

Bottom line: if you want the basic package and nothing else, take either, though NN also gives you a phone line for the five cents. If you want dental or physiotherapy, NN wins on price and on cover, and the headline "cheapest in the Netherlands" label on VinkVink stops being true.

Table of contents

Premiums at every excess level

Every Dutch resident carries a compulsory €385 eigen risico in 2026. You can raise it voluntarily in €100 steps up to €885 and receive a lower monthly premium in return. VinkVink offers all five steps. NN offers only three, skipping €485 and €685 entirely.

Eigen risicoVinkVinkNationale-NederlandenDifference
€385 (mandatory)€142,40€142,455 cents
€485€141,40Not offeredVinkVink only
€585€140,40€140,455 cents
€685€139,40Not offeredVinkVink only
€885 (maximum)€137,40€137,455 cents

Neither is a good way to profit from a high excess

VinkVink cuts €1 a month per €100, so going from €385 to €885 saves €60 a year while exposing you to €500 more risk. That is one of the weakest trades in the Dutch market. If a high excess is your strategy, Univé and UnitedConsumers drop to about €125,40 at €885, roughly €12 a month below these two. Our full insurer comparison has the whole ladder.

Where the real difference sits

Adult dental care and most physiotherapy are excluded from the basic package by law, at every Dutch insurer without exception. If you want either you buy an aanvullend module. Because the basic package cannot legally differ, the add-ons are the only place these two actually compete, and the result is not close.

Add-onVinkVinkNationale-NederlandenBetter
Dental€14,45 for 75% to €250/yr, €10.000 accident€10,70 for 80% to €250/yr, €20.000 accidentNN, on both price and cover
PhysiotherapyNot sold standalone€5,00 Zorg Zeker bundle, 4 sessionsNN, by default
Cover abroad€1,94€2,00 Zorg Basis, 100% emergencyLevel, six cents apart

The “cheapest in the Netherlands” label only holds for the bare policy

VinkVink genuinely has the lowest basic premium in the country. But add dental and the total flips: VinkVink reaches €156,85 a month against NN at €153,15. You pay €3,70 more for weaker cover. Anyone who assumes the cheapest headline premium means the cheapest outcome is going to get this wrong, and dental is the single most commonly added module in the Netherlands.

Nationale-Nederlanden

NN Group · Zorg Voordelig naturapolis

Better add-ons

€142,45/mo

Second-cheapest naturapolis in the Netherlands. Phone support, SkinVision and Vraag de dokter included. Zorg Vrij combinatiepolis available at €160,95.

  • Cheaper and better dental at €10,70 for 80% reimbursement
  • Zorg Zeker bundle at €5 includes four physiotherapy sessions
  • Phone support, unlike the chat-only competition
  • Only three excess tiers, and Dutch-only service
View Nationale-Nederlanden

Affiliate link. No extra cost to you, keeps our expat guides free.

Network and out-of-network cover

Both sell a naturapolis. The insurer contracts a list of hospitals, clinics and therapists, and treatment inside that list is covered in full once your excess is used up. Go outside it and you are reimbursed only partly, with the rest coming out of your own pocket.

VinkVink reimburses roughly 75 percent at a non-contracted provider. NN reimburses roughly 70 percent. On a €2.000 procedure that five-point gap is €100 out of your pocket, which dwarfs the five-cent premium difference by a factor of two thousand.

VinkVink runs on the Menzis network

VinkVink is a wholly owned digital subsidiary of Menzis, so you get an established cooperative network behind a low-cost brand. See our Menzis vs VinkVink comparison for what that ownership actually means.

NN Zorg runs on CZ-group infrastructure

NN is a major Dutch financial brand, but its Zorg division operates on the CZ group back-end. The brand you buy from and the network you use are not the same organisation.

Chat only against a phone line

VinkVink has no phone number. Support is chat-based, and that is the entire reason it can undercut its own parent company. NN has phone support. For five cents a month, that is a lot of difference.

In practice this only matters when something goes wrong: a rejected claim, a hospital invoice you do not recognise, a treatment that needs prior approval. Routine admin works fine over chat. Disputes do not.

Neither is a good fit if you need English

VinkVink handles English only partially over chat, which at least lets you compose a message carefully. NN Zorg is Dutch-only across its site and phone line. If English service is your priority, FBTO at €148,75 and ASR at €149,80 both do it considerably better, and the €6 premium buys you a support experience you can actually use.

VinkVink

Menzis subsidiary · digital-first

Cheapest

€142,40/mo

The cheapest basic premium in the Netherlands for 2026, on the Menzis network. Chat-only support, five eigen risico tiers, easy online signup.

  • Lowest basic premium in the country
  • All five excess tiers, unlike NN's three
  • 75% out-of-network against NN's 70%
  • No phone support, no standalone physiotherapy, dear dental
View VinkVink

Affiliate link. No extra cost to you, keeps our expat guides free.

Which one should you take

Take Nationale-Nederlanden if

  • You want dental cover. It is €3,75 a month cheaper and reimburses 80 percent rather than 75, with double the accident cover.
  • You might need physiotherapy. VinkVink simply does not sell it standalone.
  • You want to be able to phone someone when a claim goes wrong.
  • You are happy with the standard €385 excess, since NN's missing tiers then cost you nothing.

Take VinkVink if

  • You want the bare basic package and no add-ons at all, where it is genuinely the cheapest in the country.
  • You want a €485 or €685 excess specifically, which NN does not offer.
  • You expect to use non-contracted providers, where 75 percent beats 70.
  • You are comfortable handling everything by chat and never need a phone call.

Consider neither if: you need English-language service, or you want the deepest discount for a high excess. For English, look at FBTO or ASR. For a €885 excess, Univé and UnitedConsumers reach about €125,40, roughly €12 a month below both of these. Check the health insurance calculator for your net cost after zorgtoeslag.

Want to see the whole market?

These two sit at the bottom of the price table, but cheapest is not the same as best value once add-ons and excess discounts are counted. Zorgkiezer compares every Dutch insurer in one place, including those we do not cover individually.

Compare all Dutch insurers

Affiliate link. No extra cost to you, keeps our expat guides free.

Frequently asked questions

Which is actually cheaper, VinkVink or Nationale-Nederlanden?

On the basic package they are five cents apart: VinkVink €142,40 against NN €142,45 per month, the two cheapest naturapolissen in the Netherlands for 2026. That difference is meaningless. The moment you add anything, the ranking changes. NN dental costs €10,70 against VinkVink at €14,45, so if you want dental cover NN is €3,70 a month cheaper overall, and it reimburses more.

Does VinkVink or NN have better dental cover?

Nationale-Nederlanden, clearly and on both counts. NN Zorg Tand costs €10,70 a month and reimburses 80 percent up to €250 a year with €20.000 of dental accident cover. VinkVink charges €14,45 for 75 percent up to €250 a year with €10.000 accident cover. You pay €3,75 more each month at VinkVink for less reimbursement and half the accident protection.

Can I get physiotherapy cover with either?

Only with NN. Its Zorg Zeker bundle at €5 a month includes four physiotherapy sessions along with emergency cover abroad and €20.000 mondongevallen. VinkVink does not sell physiotherapy as a standalone add-on at all. If you expect to need physio, VinkVink cannot serve you and the price comparison ends there.

How many eigen risico tiers does each offer?

VinkVink offers all five: €385, €485, €585, €685 and €885, dropping €1 per month for each extra €100. NN offers only three, at €385, €585 and €885, with no option at €485 or €685. If you want to fine-tune your excess, VinkVink gives you more control, though the discounts are small at both.

What is the out-of-network difference between them?

Both sell a naturapolis, where the insurer contracts providers and reimburses less if you go elsewhere. VinkVink pays around 75 percent at a non-contracted provider, NN around 70 percent. On a €2.000 treatment that is a €100 difference. VinkVink also runs on the Menzis network, since it is a Menzis subsidiary, while NN Zorg uses CZ-group infrastructure.

Which one supports English speakers better?

Neither is good, but VinkVink is marginally less bad. VinkVink is chat-based only with partial English handling, which at least gives you time to compose a message and use a translator. NN Zorg operates a Dutch-only website and Dutch phone support. If English service is a priority, FBTO and ASR handle it noticeably better and are worth the higher premium.

Is a phone line worth five cents a month?

That is the real question here, and for many people the answer is yes. NN has phone support, VinkVink has none at all. When a claim is disputed or a hospital bill arrives that you do not understand, chat-only support becomes genuinely frustrating. If you have ever needed to argue with an insurer, pay the five cents.

Official sources

Premiums are 2026 figures taken from each insurer and change every November for the year ahead. Verify before you commit.

  • Government.nl: the Dutch health insurance obligation explained in English
  • Rijksoverheid: statutory basic package and the €385 eigen risico
  • Toeslagen: zorgtoeslag eligibility and current amounts