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-   -   Interesting new site in Utrecht (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/interesting-new-site-in-utrecht-1015985/)

hetismij2 Jun 2nd, 2014 02:11 AM

Interesting new site in Utrecht
 
I haven't been yet, since it only opens today, but this looks like an interesting place to visit in Utrecht: http://www.holland.com/uk/tourism/ar...domunder-2.htm

Sadly the official site seems to only be in Dutch at the moment. http://www.domunder.nl/

I shall try and get in to see it asap, but it will probably be a few weeks away.

Tulips Jun 2nd, 2014 02:15 AM

Interesting - and Utrecht is a very nice city to visit.

gailscout Jul 3rd, 2015 01:49 PM

At the top of the site you can now select the British flag for English..

hetismij2 Jul 4th, 2015 07:56 AM

Thanks for the update gailscout.

ribeirasacra Jul 4th, 2015 08:27 AM

At last it is open, but I have to say the 4.5% costs for using a CC seems on the high side to me.

tarquin Jul 4th, 2015 09:57 AM

How much do you think using a credit card costs the supplier?

Gretchen Jul 4th, 2015 10:24 AM

Take a quick look today at the Tour de France for Utrecht.

Dukey1 Jul 4th, 2015 11:23 AM

CC suppliers get a lot of benefits out of that card, believe me.

PalenQ Jul 4th, 2015 02:12 PM

How much do you think using a credit card costs the supplier?>

This is true of all places that take cards and the charge IME is not nearly 4.5% but could be I guess in Holland - one reason it has less places taking c c s than other countries.

Yes that is unusual but must be Hoyle with the company - c c purchases are easier for the merchant so most absorb the cost and figure it in their overall profit margins.

Oh - hetismij - thanks for posting this - Utrecht is such a fascinating city - behind Rotterdam it is my favorite Dutch town outside of Amsterdam.

annhig Jul 4th, 2015 02:38 PM

Thanks for posting this, Hetismij - we almost stayed in Utrecht a few years ago but ended up in Delft and Maastricht instead.

Next time, perhaps....

ribeirasacra Jul 4th, 2015 11:25 PM

***How much do you think using a credit card costs the supplier?***
****CC suppliers get a lot of benefits out of that card, believe me.***
Running a small company (one man) and taking credit card payments I know all about these. I am not going to write on an open forum about my businesses, but I do understand CC charges and still think that 4.5% is OTT.

The EU have ruled that from this October fees will be capped. Personally I find it confusing who is charged what. But the top charge is 0.3%
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-4585_en.htm

hetismij2 Jul 4th, 2015 11:33 PM

Annhig, if you make it to Utrecht let me know. I am less than half an hour away by train.:)

The credit card fee is about what many companies charge. Whilst it seems high I am pretty sure there is a law which means they can only charge their actual fees, not make money on it.

I will look into it later.

annhig Jul 5th, 2015 02:31 AM

Thanks, Hetismij, it would be fun to meet IRL!

so far as I know, c/c fees to merchants are typically about 2% or they were when we looked into taking them for our holiday cottage.

in the end we decided against it as it was easy enough for our guests to pay by bank transfer using the european banking system.

hetismij2 Jul 5th, 2015 07:02 AM

The costs here are higher. You have to pay an annual fee for a credit card normally, unless you can wangle a free deal. We have ours free from our insurance company, but a fee of €20-50 (!) per card is normal.

Merchandisers pay an average of 3.5% here - more if they don't have many credit card transactions.
They complain about the high costs, but can do nothing about it, at least until the new EU rules come into effect.

Domunder almost certainly gets very few credit card transactions so has a higher percentage cost. They are allowed to charge that amount in addition to the price, to cover their fees.

The main reason many places in the Netherlands don't accept credit cards is the high fees they must pay Visa and Mastercard. At the same time Visa and Mastercard say they must charge that amount because there are so few transactions in the Netherlands. Classic Catch 22.

annhig Jul 5th, 2015 08:30 AM

We noticed on our last [lawyers' group] visit to Germany [last week] that there seem to be more places taking c/cards than there were a few years ago, though there was a very embarrassing problem in the restaurant one night when it had been arranged that one of us Brits would pay by c/card as it was our turn to treat the hosts. Despite being told this, at the end of the evening, when most of us had left, the owner refused to take a British c/card and would only take a € one. nonsense I know as, I suspect, did he.

the episode ended with one of our hosts paying with a german debit card, which probably didn't attract the same commission.

Still cash is preferred especially for small transactions.

hetismij2 Jul 5th, 2015 09:24 AM

My Dutch card was refused in Germany too, even though they had a big Visa sign in the window. Paid by debit card no problem.
In one supermarket they accepted the credit card but not the debit card, where other supermarkets (including those in the same chain) accepted my debit card no problem. It didn't help that I don't speak German and the cashier got very angry with me. Luckily someone in the queue translated for me, including the expletives!

annhig Jul 5th, 2015 09:57 AM

in France recently, they had a special line for credit cards only, and they refused my proffered €2 coin in preference for the c/card. [we were only buying milk].

When i understood this, it was fine, though a bit weird I thought.

and no expletives required!


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