Can I use a VISA debit card in the Netherlands?
- By
- Aparna Patel
- |
- 1 Aug, 2023
- |
I am currently staying with friends in The Hague, but have not been able to use my UK Visa debit card. Supermarkets and local ATMs will not accept it. This is contrary to all the opinions on the net!
For the merchant, VISA debit cards are no different than normal VISA cards. So if a place accepts VISA, it will accept any type of VISA. If it only accepts debit cards, it won’t (since – at least in most places in Europe – “debit card” does not include VISA, even if it is a VISA debit).
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I’ve just been travelling in Holland outside Amsterdam and found that Visa is often not accepted, only Mastercard or Maestro
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My current experience on Amsterdam airport is that payment with Visa Electron debit card (pin & chip & paypass) didn’t work with terminal, when I payed for train ticket, neither in supermarket. Luckily I had enough cash with me.
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We do use (and know) Maestro debit (or V-Pay debit) at almost any store.
Visa Debit or MasterCard debit is not being used, show us your US VISA or MasterCard and they will think it’s a creditcard. Only in big stores or places where many tourists pay you mostly can use a creditcard.
My advice: always have some cash (about 50 euros) and a debit card.
I know that there are banks who offer V-Pay combined with a Visa Credit on the same card. That is the best option i think. In term of acceptance, Maestro is still the number 1 in The Netherlands to pay with, V-Pay second.
My partner and I own a bank account in both Netherlands and UK. The Dutch one has a Maestro card and the UK one has a Visa debit card.
We’ve found that the Maestro card is accepted in 99% of shops, even in traveling market stalls. The Visa is accepted in maybe 50% of shops, including most supermarkets (not the Albert Heijn though!), clothing shops and nearly all restaurants.
The following rule of thumb has proven true for us: Visa/MasterCard/AmEx are accepted at places where they regularly deal with bills of €100+.
We’ve been living in rural Zeeland for about 3 years now and have frequently traveled to bigger cities. The more foreign tourists a shop gets (Amsterdam, The Hague), the more likely it seems to be accepting non-Maestro cards, with it being nearly 100% acceptance in the center of Amsterdam.
The fact that it is a debit card doesn’t change a thing in my experience. Get ready for people to assume it’s a credit card though.
Keep in mind that to pay in most places in Europe your card should have a chip and a pin code.
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I had used Visa Gold debit card July 2017 in Amsterdam, no problem at all. I paid at pharmacy, museums, cafes, super markets, bakeries and so on..
I have a foreign visa debit card. I’ve used it plenty of times in Amsterdam when I was there back in 2014. I used it to pay for supermarkets, restaurants, parking, museums without ever being refused.
Credit:stackoverflow.com‘
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