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Payments with Ukrainian payment cards

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Follow the latest information on card payments using Ukrainian credit and debit cards in the Netherlands, and on the use of Dutch payment cards in Ukraine…

payment card with chip lies on a wooden table, as a neutral illustration of card payment and digital checkout.

UPDATE 15 JUNE 2022: Under certain conditions, adult Ukrainian refugees can exchange up to 10,000 hryvnias (approximately €310) in cash for euros at GWK Travelex bureaux de change , at a fixed exchange rate and without additional charges. GWK Travelex can explain which specific conditions apply.

UPDATE 19 APRIL 2022: Adult Ukrainian refugees who reside in the Netherlands and have a recognised, valid identity document can open a payment account here. Find out how this works and which banks and other payment service providers offer this service.

UPDATE 19 APRIL 2022: At many points of sale in the Netherlands, it is not yet possible to pay by credit card or with a debit card issued under the Visa Debit or Debit Mastercard brand, regardless of the country in which the card was issued. Many tourists from countries such as Denmark and Spain cannot use their Debit Mastercard or Visa Debit card at most Albert Heijn checkouts. Ukrainian refugees with such a debit card likewise cannot pay there.

UPDATE 16 MARCH 2022: Cash in Ukrainian hryvnias can hardly, if at all, be exchanged in the EU. Ukrainians with a Mastercard or Visa debit or credit card can, for the time being, use it throughout the European Union, in shops and at ATMs. The cardholder must have sufficient funds, and the Ukrainian card issuer may impose certain restrictions and limits. Every transaction in a euro-area country, such as the Netherlands, uses the current exchange rate between the euro and the hryvnia.

Conversely, debit and credit cards issued in the EU can be used in Ukraine wherever the payment terminal or ATM is still operational.

Withdrawing cash with a Ukrainian payment card

Ukrainians with payment cards (credit cards and debit cards) can try to withdraw cash from a Dutch ATM. If this does not work, the cause often lies with the card issuer (the cardholder’s bank) or with the cardholder. For example, the cardholder may have insufficient funds for the withdrawal. A card issuer (a bank in Ukraine) may restrict cash withdrawals abroad for all its cardholders, for example on instructions from the authorities in its home country.

Companies (for example, Ukrainian transport companies) may have issued business payment cards to employees (such as lorry drivers). If those companies can no longer, or no longer wish to, top up the balance on those cards, their employees may eventually be unable to pay or withdraw cash using their employer’s payment cards.

Acceptance of Dutch payment cards in Ukraine

In Ukraine, the communications links required for card payments may have been disrupted, or the computer systems of Ukrainian banks and transaction processors may no longer be operational. Many card transactions then become impossible in Ukraine, including for Ukrainians themselves.

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