Upvote:4
I doubt that this is national discrimination. More likely, it's some sort of glitch with your card. Perhaps there is an issue with the "chip" on it.
I'd suggest calling your credit card issuer, explaining your problem, and asking if replacing the card might make sense, or if they're aware of any other difficulty that could be causing you problems.
If it's larger charges that don't work, and smaller ones that do, perhaps it's an issue of the charges being declined because of your traveling. Ensuring your issuer is aware of your travel will maximize the chances of the charges succeeding, and reduce any suspicion that your card is being used fraudulently by someone else.
Upvote:7
Dutch person here. I can confirm that creditcards are rarely accepted. Mostly because of the fees for businesses en we use our debit cards the most (Maestro). This is called "PIN" and is very easy to accept and lower fees.
Some places still need cash but i can not even remember when i had to withdraw some cash from an ATM :-)
Big department stores (like C&A or De Bijenkorf) or tourist areas in/around Amsterdam will accept creditcards (Visa and MasterCard, sometime AMEX). If you want some more info, let me know!
Upvote:9
Many places in the Netherlands only accept debit cards as they usually incur lower merchant fees than credit cards. Using credit cards isn't as popular in the Netherlands as it is in other countries.