using credit cards in Amsterdam
 

does anyone know, if amsterdam is credit card friendly. Attactions, restruants, transportation. Thanks

yes, very. you can use them everywhere there.

My experience a year ago was that credit cards were accepted less often than say London or Paris. Even our hotel liked cash...and gave enough of a discount for it to motivate me to visit the ATM a few times.

Well, I was there just four months ago, and have been going to Am'dam for over 2 decades, and I've very rarely if ever used cash for anything there.

It's so bloody expensive there that if you use cash you will quickly run out!

But seriously the use of credit cards in smaller establishments is nowhere near where it is in the US or in the UK or even in France.

In France you can now use plastic to buy a single metro ticket for €1.20, the strike of the attendants who carry cash to banks several years ago made the French realize that during that time taking credit cards for small purchases did not destroy the economy and the metro dropped its silly rule of minimums for using a credit card...London underground's ticketing machines take credit cards for all fares (and supposedly the clerks do also but I was once frowned upon by a clerk for trying to use my credit card on the way to Heathrow when I had run out of British money for £2.100...fast food restaurants in the US now more and more take credit cards as do many in London...the New York city subway takes credit cards for all fares now in the metrocard vending machines. But in Amsterday, you won't find merchants in smaller shops as quick to accept credit cards...the next great breakthrough in credit card technology will be vending machines of course.

I too have been going to Amsterdam for years and always use a credit card, however in the 80's it was accepted less..Some of the smaller hotels often want cash or you have to pay an extra 3 percent..But all stores, restaurants, etc take credit cards..I am off to Amsterdam next week!

The only problem I had was I couldn't get tickets from machines at the train station with the card. Seems their machines require the special micro chip cards. Mine isn't.

I was in Amsterdam in March 2002 and found it easier to use credit cards only on bigger establishments. I then spent two weeks in Egmond aun Zee (sp?) and also visited Alkmaar; in both of these smaller places it was not as easy to use a credit card. In one way, it was good, 'cause it helped me from spending more money than I should...