Debit or credit card in Holland?

Claremac

Hi
We're going to Holland (Duinrell with Keycamp) in August and I keep reading that credit cards aren't commonly accepted in Holland. We have Nationwide Flexaccount Visa debit cards (which I understand is a good card to use in Europe), my husband has a Nationwide credit card and I have an HSBC one. Does anyone know if it is all cards which aren't accepted generally or just credit cards? I don't really want to take too many Euros as that doesn't feel too safe so does anyone have any ideas? Thanks for any help.

Clare

Dave101t

dont feel safe with euro's in holland?!
you can always take cash out of the machine in euros with the cards, rather than holding cash in large volume.

Claremac

Sorry I meant that I'm not happy carrying too much cash around whether in Holland or at home! As I understand it, cashpoints that take Visa etc cards aren't all that plentiful in Holland as they have their own version with their own cashpoints? I stand to be corrected on this!

MrSmartprice

Use your Nationwide Flexaccount card to get cash from ATMs there. It is no different from using one here. It will give you an English language option too.

One thing to remember is that you should not let the ATM's bank do the conversion to euros if it gives you the option. You need the charge against your account to be in euros, not pounds. Then the Nationwide do the conversion at a better rate with no commission.

Amarillo

Duinrell has a cashpoint right by the fairground bit on the way to the swimming pool, huge, looks like a giant safe, you can't miss it !. I took a Fairfx card (pre-paid Mastercard) then took out euros in cash twice whilst there, then used the card to get petrol on the way home and at a service station.

anjibose

Hi we have just got back from center Parc in holland, almost every shop I went in and tried to use either my Visa credit card or my visa debit card I was told No, we dont take that, we did find that one of thier supermarket chains took Mastercard. I would say take the cash, I wish i had.

Claremac

Thanks for the replies. Anjibose, that's the sort of thing I had heard hence the question. Amarillo, can you use an ordinary Visa Debit card in the cashpoint by the fairground?

Amarillo

I think so but I didn't have one on me so am not 100% sure. Maybe email Eurocamp and ask them to check with the reps.

Claremac

Just thought I'd add to this thread as we're back from our Duinrell holiday. The cashpoint in the theme park did take our debit cards but we found that most restaurants and supermarkets didn't take them. The excellent C1000 supermarket in Wassenaar did take them though.
Have to say that it was a fantastic holiday! My boys, 10, 12 (and 40-something!) loved the theme park and it was lovely to be able to give them a bit of freedom to come and go (the boys not the husband!). The waterpark was great, too but have just seen the thread which says that it will be an extra charge from next year. We had just over 2 weeks of lovely sunshine and yet the queues in the theme park were never too bad.
Just one word of warning and the only downside to the holiday was that my son's bike was stolen on the third day from the themepark entrance by the cashpoint machine. When we reported it, we were told that some had also gone from next to mobile homes so beware!

PolishBigSpender

Holland is terrible for credit/debit cards. As a general rule, they're fine in cash machines, but useless in any sort of shop/terminal transactions - even NS (the train company) only accepts Dutch debit cards!

creased-leach

As your question has already been answered...I'll just quickly add that you should make the most of the free pool pass this year- it'll be charged for in 2010.

Enjoy- oh, and take the Euro's!