Netherlands - cash or card (2024)

We just got back from Amsterdam with a few day trips. I used cash, but the only time I really needed it was for tipping the "free" walking tour guide. I can't think off the top of my head if any place we visited was cash only. That would have stuck out to me, but who knows. The one thing that I came across numerous times when using my credit ward, was which currency did I want. Always choose the local currency!

We were there in August of 2022 and used our cards for most everything. Of course, I always carry cash as a backup.

We used credit card everywhere except a couple of supermarkets that did not take credit cards. Usually there was a sign near the cash register.

Plus you use your "tap" credit card on the trams and trains.

Thank y'all so much!

We generally use our credit cards for almost all purchases at home or in Europe. As mentioned by others, cash is always a nice option and for "just in case". Generally, I first check if my bank has "local" ATM partners and reconfirm, if they don't, how many "free" ATM withdrawals I get from non-affiliated banks per month. That way, if I'm needing more cash than I brought (or want to top off my travel cash amount), I know the rules. Otherwise, I have a bunch of Euros that sit with our passports, and just bring those as my starter cash. Usually, I barely dent that, but eventually, it does get used up over several trips. I also always try to remember to go through my spare change collection at home. It will have all sorts of Euro coins in there that I can bring and use for things like a pay bathroom or a cheap snack purchase.
To answer the question, cash STILL has a place in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Europe in general, so it is best to have some on hand, but don't expect to NEED it very often. Sort of similar to the US where a farmer's market, country store, or food truck might take cash only or have some preferred credit card minimum.
There is also the Albert Heijn grocery stores that seemed to have an interesting policy on CC's that I couldn't figure out easily so just paid cash. I think that's hit or miss, but others can answer that better than me.

I’m very curious where you read these posts about needing cash, even before 2020. I live in the Netherlands and I literally can’t remember the last time I paid for anything with cash. Unlike our neighbors in the east, The Netherlands is very much a cashless society. Public transport was cashless well before Covid hit and these days even public restrooms in places like train stations only accept cards. Some sights, like for instance the Rijksmuseum are completely cashless too.
Some Albert Heijn supermarkets only accept debit cards and no credit cards, but that’s about the only thing I can think of where a tourist with no debit card might need cash.

Last time we were in Rotterdam was April 2019. We had an apartment and cooked. We paid cash for all purchases at the Markthal stores, including Albert Heijn. Ditto Jumbo and all farmers market vendors. Would this still be the case today?

The Netherlands is very much a cashless country. The figures for 2023 aren’t known yet but in 2022 79,6% of all payments was made by debit card, 19,9% was cash and the remaining 0,5% was done by credit card.
Every vendor, from a market stall at the market to IKEA will accept card payments.

I used a credit card exclusively in Amsterdam, but in Voorburg I could only use cash for groceries and the farmers market. I also had to purchase a grocery bag to use while at the store.

The only place you can use cash in the Netherlands is your b&b!

Just yesterday new research came out that showed that in 2023 only 4% of all shops don’t accept any cash payments. This is the exact same percentage as in 2022. So there is no increase in the card-only shops.
You can therefore still use cash in a huge number of shops and other places in the Netherlands.

We were in Amsterdam two weeks ago. Albert Heijn on Westerstraat would not take our credit cards. They had a card reader. But the card reader would not accept our credit cards and the cashier said "we don't accept credit cards." So we had to pay cash. I was prepared for this possibility because of, I think, Carrie's trip report. The Albert Heijn on Rozengracht to did take our credit cards. I don't think we used cash anywhere else on that trip. We tapped and paid everywhere, which is so super easy and convenient, even my cash-loving Luddite husband was sold on it.

The supermarket chain Albert Heijn is indeed notorious for not accepting credit cards. Some of their locations, for instance the large one at Museumplein, do accept credit cards. Others only accept debit cards and cash.
Supermarket chain Jumbo accepts credit cards in all their stores.

Card everywhere. Can’t think of a place we used cash, except towards the end when we used cash we had “just in case.”