Amsterdam Travel Answers

Some of the smaller places might only take cash but most are fine with Visa and M/C, not so much AMEX, although I seem to remember that Albert Hein does not take US cards?

I don't think Amsterdam is any different to any other European city in respect of credit card use. Certainly I had no problems. Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted but you may well find Amex and other card providers less commonly accepted. So whether you can easily use your card really depends on your card logo. What you will *not* be able to do, unless your card has a chip & PIN, is use automated machines e.g. for railway tickets. You'll have to use the ticket offices instead. It is up to individual shops etc to decide which (if any) cards they will accept. But I am quite sure the statement that card use is 'not typical' in Amsterdam is incorrect.

you will have no problems with credit cards in Amsterdam . what you might see is commissions added to the currency convertion to yours, check with your bank the fees involved before traveling cheers

I think many people there use Debit cards as opposed to credit cards. This shouldn't affect you in any way. BTW, good idea to travel with at least two cards in case one gets, damaged, stolen or eaten at an ATM machine. Call your card companies and tell them when and where you are traveling so they don't refuse your card for security reasons. When talking to them, get the phone number you need for Europe if you card is stolen or damaged. It's not necessarily the Customer Service number on the back of the card although most are now putting a universal number on them. We use debit cards for cash and credit cards for purchases. This seems to keep fees to a minimum for us. Enjoy your trip.

Awesome everyone! Thanks for the answers. =)

Just about everywhere that I used my AMEX worked......Used cash 75% of the time and AMEX 25%...

I encountered surprise in London when paying restaurant bills in cash (had no choice, I had just changed PIN and forgotten the new one..!). But this brought home to me the fact that credit card use is much less widespread "on the continent" (I live in Belgium but the Netherlands is similar) than in certain other countries. It is not possible to confirm that you "can readily use your Credit Card at MOST restaurants/shops" - I don't know what sort of places you would be frequenting! Your idea of a "small thing" (bus ticket) might be smaller than mine (any single meal, except in high end establishment). I know places, though not in Amsterdam, that have a €25 minimum for payment by credit card. Apart from that, are your credit cards "chip and PIN" or manual signature? In Europe, I think only AMEX doesn't require use of card machine, but it is also the least accepted. You need "chip and PIN", and PIN needs to be 4-digit. If you would be using a card to get cash, check with your financial institution whether it is linked with any Dutch bank, so that you can use ATMs of the right bank, to reduce charges.

You do not need "chip and PIN" credit cards. In fact, in the USA you cannot get chip and PIN cards. I wish you could and the day is coming, but right now, you can't. As late as last autumn we used normal USA credit cards (and debit cards) in Europe and had no problems other than occasionally having to explain how to use them (in very rural areas). My bank is partnered with BNP Paribas in France (and other banks in other countries) but my husband uses a small local credit union and his cards worked just fine. We have been in stores that required a minimum payment (often 10 euros) before they would accept credit cards. This seems perfectly reasonable to us and we prefer to use cash for small amounts anyway. If you do not have a chip and PIN card, rest assured, you have lots of company and you can use your American cards in Europe. It is also a good idea to have enough cash with you to cover an expense where your card may not work for whatever reason . . . in Europe or at home. Enjoy your trip.

As a rule of thumb, you will *need* chip & PIN for automated machines...train tickets, bus tickets, automated fuel vending machines etc. Such machines do not accept cards without chip & PIN. In the vast majority of other situations an unchipped card can be manually 'swiped' and signed for. But, as with logos, it is up to the individual provider to decide whether to accept unchipped cards (the 'swiping' technology, old-fashioned as it is, is generally still available, even on new card machines). Should you wish to get a chip & PIN card to set your mind fully at rest when visiting Europe, Travelex now provide a cash passport with that facility: travelex.com/US/Products/Cas...

credit cards, debit cards will work in Holland for sure from the USA in ING bank,and ABN AMRO banks, you also have a branch of Bank of America with an ATM machine. I know because its my business, setting up these terminals now have double use pin and chip and swipe capabilities. I was the first to introduce to Paris four stars and up hotels with the Bank of Ireland. It is very common now.YOu have still some remote places villages really and the occassional non tourist merchant who dont have it yet. But in all, in amsterdam you wont have a problem And its true accepted that many merchants have a minimum limits that is anywhere, sometime from as little as 10€. So some cash is always good to have ::) Many Americans comes to Europe, and I know them, they never have a problem. Cheers y'all

Thanks for the response! =) My debit and credit cards are chip and pin. By small purchases, I was thinking drinks, or quick lunches. From everyone's responses, I think I should be ok! Thanks. =)

Excellent that your cards have chip & PIN. Remember that it's up to the supplier as to whether cards are accepted for small amounts, so always check first if you're not going to spend much and haven't got the cash to hand. Enjoy! :-)