About the charges, you're correct. I originally thought that this practice was a violation of the merchant's agreement... but I was wrong: http://www.pin.nl/en

About the charges, you're correct. I originally thought that this practice was a violation of the merchant's agreement... but I was wrong: http://www.pin.nl/en-US/Zakelijk/Pages/Veelgesteldevragen.aspx#kosten_3 http://www.pin.nl/en-US/Zakelijk/Pages/Veelgesteldevragen.as... Still, it occurs infrequently. About the credit card acceptance: Good! Most Dutch people have a healthy and rational fear of credit card debt, and the fact that you can't use your Visa to buy groceries encourages good consumer behavior. Sad if you're a tourist, but easily solved by taking out some cash from the ATM which, on this side at least, is free! :)