Netherlands / Money rules

Netherlands money rules

Eight things worth remembering while you are there, each linking to the fuller explanation.

Open it, then press and hold to keep it in your photos. Works with no signal.

1. 1Carry a debit card, not only a credit cardAlmost nowhere in Europe leans harder on cards, which is what makes the exception sting. Tills here are built around debit, so an American credit card is sometimes refused at a supermarket or a discount chain. When one gets declined, the phone wallet usually goes through anyway.Which card to bring
2. 2Say euros when the screen offers you dollarsCard readers and cash machines both float the home-currency option, and taking it hands 3 to 8 percent to whoever owns the machine. Pick euros and the conversion goes back to your own bank.Why euros, not dollars
3. 3Some places have stopped taking cash at allThe usual warning runs backwards here. A growing number of cafes, shops and museums are card-only, so the card is the essential thing and the notes are the spare. One small note in your pocket covers the rare stall that wants coins.How little cash you need
4. 4Your room costs more than the rate you bookedAmsterdam takes a slice of the room every night with no ceiling on it, and national VAT on hotel rooms climbed steeply in January. In the capital the two together run to about a third above the advertised price, and they land when you check out.What a Dutch hotel adds
5. 5From Schiphol, the train beats the taxi rankIt leaves from under the terminal and reaches central Amsterdam in about twenty minutes for a few euros, against many times that in a cab. Your contactless card opens the gate, so there is no transit pass to buy first.Getting in from Schiphol
6. 6Book a cab in an app rather than flagging one downAmsterdam street taxis have a long reputation for the scenic route and for turning down anything short. Uber, Bolt and FreeNow all settle the price before you get in, and a marked cab at an official rank runs a regulated meter.Taxis, apps and street cabs
7. 7Round up, do not work out a percentageStaff here draw a proper wage, so a fooi is a courtesy and the American arithmetic does not apply. Rounding up the bill is generous, 5 to 10 percent marks something memorable, and at a bar the change on the counter is plenty.What a fooi is worth
8. 8The card machine may ask you for a tipUnusual for Europe, and easy to accept by reflex. Nothing has been added to a Dutch bill and nothing is expected, so treat the prompt as an invitation rather than a correction.Tipping on the card machine

These are the rules that do not really change, which is why they are worth carrying. Exact fees, rates and prices do move, so check the Netherlands guide for anything current before you rely on a number.

truetripcosts.com/netherlands/rules