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ignoring the tone of this comment, “charged an arm and a leg” = pennies. i guess pennies are now valuable in the netherlands? in any case, the Dutch supermarke

by kmlx 3y ago

ignoring the tone of this comment, “charged an arm and a leg” = pennies. i guess pennies are now valuable in the netherlands? in any case, the Dutch supermarket chain albert heijn still doesn’t accept any cards except some non starter locally developed ones. i always found it interesting that the netherlands are so far behind places like the UK when it comes to payments. even countries in SE Europe have better payments infra than the Netherlands.

OJFord 3y ago
Not sure where you're from, but it's true at least if I went to NL from the UK and used any credit card, there'd be probably both 1) an awful FX rate; 2) a flat charge. ATMs are typically worse, even if the machine operator itself doesn't add a fee. Some debit cards (or pre-paid 'charge cards', such as any specifically marketed for travel) like Monzo bank's don't, are just like using it at home in GBP (as long as you make sure you're being charged the foreign currency, not 'helpfully' converted for you (at a terrible rate) by the merchant's PoS provider).
- kmlx 3y ago
  it really depends. there are so many providers in the UK that you can find all the possible combinations (high FX rates, high FX fees to mastercard/visa FX rates, no FX fees). > Some debit cards (or pre-paid 'charge cards', such as any specifically marketed for travel) for anyone checking this thread, these two are not the same. debit cards are different from pre-paid, and some shops will have issues with pre-paid. > not 'helpfully' converted for you (at a terrible rate) by the merchant's PoS provider oh yes, this is one of things travellers always need to be aware of: never select currency conversion by the PoS, always charge in the local currency and let your bank to the conversion.
  - OJFord 3y ago
    > these two are not the same ..hence one or the other..? > never select currency conversion by the PoS, always charge in the local currency and let your bank to the conversion That's not good generic advice. Be aware of your best card's fees and see what's better. Credit cards especially are generally atrocious. Some banks' debit cards are free (Monzo, Revolut) and others are no better than credit cards. Hence the market for the pre-paid ones I suppose.

by kmlx 3y ago

OJFord 3y ago

Not sure where you're from, but it's true at least if I went to NL from the UK and used any credit card, there'd be probably both 1) an awful FX rate; 2) a flat charge. ATMs are typically worse, even if the machine operator itself doesn't add a fee. Some debit cards (or pre-paid 'charge cards', such as any specifically marketed for travel) like Monzo bank's don't, are just like using it at home in GBP (as long as you make sure you're being charged the foreign currency, not 'helpfully' converted for you (at a terrible rate) by the merchant's PoS provider).

kmlx 3y ago
it really depends. there are so many providers in the UK that you can find all the possible combinations (high FX rates, high FX fees to mastercard/visa FX rates, no FX fees). > Some debit cards (or pre-paid 'charge cards', such as any specifically marketed for travel) for anyone checking this thread, these two are not the same. debit cards are different from pre-paid, and some shops will have issues with pre-paid. > not 'helpfully' converted for you (at a terrible rate) by the merchant's PoS provider oh yes, this is one of things travellers always need to be aware of: never select currency conversion by the PoS, always charge in the local currency and let your bank to the conversion.
- OJFord 3y ago
  > these two are not the same ..hence one or the other..? > never select currency conversion by the PoS, always charge in the local currency and let your bank to the conversion That's not good generic advice. Be aware of your best card's fees and see what's better. Credit cards especially are generally atrocious. Some banks' debit cards are free (Monzo, Revolut) and others are no better than credit cards. Hence the market for the pre-paid ones I suppose.