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Credit Cards in Netherlands
The use of credit cards in Netherlands is not as common as elsewhere with most payments being made by debit cards ("pin pass") or via internet banking. The thrifty Dutch have much less of a consumer debt culture than say US / UK / Australia and a few shops still do not accept credit card payments. |
However, if you are living and working in Netherlands then it will be useful to get a credit card - especially if you need to travel frequently. A credit card is pretty much essential for international hotel and car rental bookings. In addition, paying for flights and online purchases with a credit card gives you more consumer protection than other payment methods.
Dutch credit cards use the chip and pin system for making payments in retail outlets - you have to input a pin number rather than just sign a sales slip.
In general Dutch people pay the balance of their card in full by direct debit every month. Installment payments can be arranged but you will be charged interest costs.
Let's take a quick look at the various credit cards available in Netherlands that may be worth considering:
1.
ABN AMRO Mastercard
If you are banking with ABN AMRO then their branded
Mastercard will probably be the easiest option. ABN AMRO has a very good banking
service for expats with much info available in English.
 | To qualify for their Mastercard you must be earning at least €1,000 net per month. Note the monthly credit limit is also €1,000 - which some will find very low - however, you can request for it to be raised. The annual fee for the ABN AMRO Mastercard is €20 but it can also be bundled into various ABN AMRO bank account packages. |
The ABN AMRO Gold Mastercard has a higher €5,000 monthly credit limit and costs €50 per year. It requires a minimum monthly net income of €1,750.
ABN AMRO provides a paper credit card statement every month and you can also check transactions online. PIN codes can be changed at any ABN AMRO ATM in Netherlands. There are no forex fees on the card, as far as we can tell.
2.
ING Credit Card
Major retail bank ING also offers their own branded Mastercards.
There are 3 cards available - standard, student and platinum. Credit limits
vary and are dependent on your income.
The
standard credit card costs €20 per year with a credit limit of up to €10,000.
The
student card costs €12.50 per year with credit limit of €1,000.
The
platinum card costs €45.50 per year with credit limit of up to €15,000.
Like
ABN AMRO, ING offers various bank account packages which include credit cards.
ING charges a forex fee of 1.35% for non-Euro transactions.
3.
Visa World Card
Visa offers a number of credit cards to the Dutch market.
The standard Visa World Card has a credit limit of €2,500, with annual
fee €36.50 (waived the first year).
For the standard card, forex fees outside the Eurozone are 1.85% in the EU and 2% elsewhere. For the Gold and Platinum these charges are 0.95% and 1.25%, respectively.
4.
KLM Flying Blue American Express Card
This could be useful for those who
fly regularly with KLM/Air France and are members of the Flying Blue frequent
flyer scheme. The standard card comes with 10,000 Flying Blue Miles bonus after
first use, and miles are earned at a tiered rate depending on annual spend. The
fee is €85 per year, waived the first year.
There is also a "Plus Option" that costs €100 extra which comes with 20,000 bonus miles and higher earning rates.
Forex fees on this card are 2.3%.
For more details see KLM Flying Blue American Express Card
5.
American Express Cards
Amex has a number of other card options for Dutch
residents which can earn "Membership Rewards" points. This is a very
flexible program with many different partners, particularly in the travel and
airline sector.
The standard cards are Blue Card (annual fee €50, €25 first year), Green Card (€65) and Gold Card (€125). The American Express Platinum Card is a high end card with many travel privileges including comprehensive travel insurance and airport lounge access. Minimum yearly income required is €70k and the card costs €600 annually. AMEX forex fees are 2.3%.
Note that American Express cards are not as widely accepted in Europe as Visa or Mastercard.
6.
Bijenkorf Card
Bijenkorf
is a major Dutch department store selling branded articles. They offer Bijenkorf
Mastercards (various membership levels) which earn points on spending - 1
point per €1 in Bijenkorf and 1 point per €2 spend elsewhere. These
points can be redeemed for items at Bijenkorf. They also offer card holders various
discounts and closed shopping evenings. Forex fees are 1.85%.
7.
ANWB Credit Cards
ANWB (Royal Dutch Touring Club) is the main motoring
association of the Netherlands (like AA or RAC in the UK). They offer members
a standard ANWB Visa and/or an ANWB Mastercard with credit
limits of €2,500 each, both which cost €11.50 per year. For the Visa
card, forex fees outside the Eurozone are 1.85% in the EU and 2% elsewhere; the
Mastercard has forex fee of 1.85%.
The ANWB Visa Gold card has a higher credit limit of €5,000 and an annual fee of €27.50 per year. Forex charges are 0.95% (in EU but outside Eurozone) and 1.25% elsewhere.
See also: Opening a Bank Account in Netherlands
Note: Credit cards names above are registered trademarks. You should pay your credit cards balance in full every month. As the Dutch say "Let op! Geld lenen kost geld" which basically means "borrowing money costs money"!