{"id":2579,"date":"2025-10-10T16:49:49","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T14:49:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.betaalvereniging.nl\/en\/?post_type=btv_wiki&#038;p=2579"},"modified":"2026-02-26T10:58:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T09:58:57","slug":"credit-cards","status":"publish","type":"btv_wiki","link":"https:\/\/www.betaalvereniging.nl\/en\/knowledge-base\/card-payments\/credit-cards\/","title":{"rendered":"Credit cards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-differences-from-debit-card\">Differences from debit card<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A credit card has some features that distinguish it from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.betaalvereniging.nl\/en\/knowledge-base\/card-payments\/new-debit-cards\/\" type=\"btv_wiki\" id=\"2469\">regular debit<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.betaalvereniging.nl\/en\/knowledge-base\/recieving-payments\/debit-card-payments\/\" type=\"btv_wiki\" id=\"3078\">payment<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.betaalvereniging.nl\/kennisbank\/kaartbetalingen\/vernieuwde-betaalpas\/\">card<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Payments are settled with the cardholder <strong>in arrears<\/strong>, usually once a month.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>An amount may be <strong>reserved in advance<\/strong><em>(pre-authorisation<\/em>), for example for hotel reservations or for the deposit for car rental.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>With many credit cards, purchases are insured for a few months against damage, loss and theft.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You can use credit cards to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.betaalvereniging.nl\/en\/knowledge-base\/online-payments\/\" type=\"btv_wiki\" id=\"19\">pay online<\/a>, for instance in online shops and for online streaming services. This is now also possible with all the updated debit cards that more and more Dutch people get from their banks. The main difference remains that credit card payments are collected one per month <strong>in arrears<\/strong> and that every debit card payment is debited directly from the linked payment account. On the outside, the distinction can still be seen by the word <em>credit<\/em> and sometimes a different notch on the card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-limited-acceptance-at-the-counter\">Limited acceptance at the counter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Like a debit card, a credit card can be used to make contactless payments at the counter. Because the <strong>transaction fees<\/strong> for credit cards are higher than the lowest rates for debit card payments, about <strong>40% of Dutch retailers<\/strong> choose not to accept credit cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Due to card brands&#8217; <strong>HACR guidelines<\/strong>, there has been an increase in <em>full acceptance<\/em> among retailers. Retailers can still opt for <em>limited acceptance<\/em> of non-European credit cards only, in addition to all debit cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-consumer-credit-directive-ccd2\">Consumer Credit Directive (CCD2)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The European <strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.betaalvereniging.nl\/en\/knowledge-base\/european-legislation\/consumer-credit-directive-2\/\" type=\"btv_wiki\" id=\"3029\">Consumer Credit Directive<\/a><\/em> (CCD2)<\/strong> aims to protect consumers from excessive loan debt. This regulation focuses in particular on <strong><em>Buy Now, Pay Later payment services<\/em><\/strong> (such as from Klarna and Billink) and includes stricter creditworthiness tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The question is whether credit cards will also be covered by the new rules. Member states have the option to exempt so-called <strong><em>deferred debit cards<\/em><\/strong> from CCD2 rules. In the Netherlands, almost all credit cards fall into this category because:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>all credit card payments must be repaid in full each month; carrying forward to the next month is not possible;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>no interest costs are charged on credit card payments.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If the Netherlands does not grant exemptions, the cost of credit cards will rise, which could lead to a <strong>narrowing of supply<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Payments Association Netherlands<\/strong> and the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nvb.nl\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dutch Banking Association<span class=\"sr-only\">(opens in new window)<\/span> <span class=\"icon inline-block ml-1 w-[0.875em]\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"32\" height=\"32\" fill=\"#000000\" viewBox=\"0 0 256 256\"><path d=\"M228,104a12,12,0,0,1-24,0V69l-59.51,59.51a12,12,0,0,1-17-17L187,52H152a12,12,0,0,1,0-24h64a12,12,0,0,1,12,12Zm-44,24a12,12,0,0,0-12,12v64H52V84h64a12,12,0,0,0,0-24H48A20,20,0,0,0,28,80V208a20,20,0,0,0,20,20H176a20,20,0,0,0,20-20V140A12,12,0,0,0,184,128Z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/a> (NVB)<\/strong> have pleaded with the Ministry of Finance for exemptions. It is not yet clear whether this request will be honoured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t<div data-name=\"acf\/buttons\" class=\"mt-4 lg:mt-6\" >\n\t\t\n\t\t<ul class=\"flex flex-wrap gap-2 md:gap-6\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\n\n<a\n\tdata-variant=\"primary\"\n\tdata-size=\"default\"\n\tclass=\"group inline-flex justify-center items-center gap-2 cursor-pointer text-sm md:text-md transition-[background,border-color,color] font-bold px-4 md:px-5 min-w-[52px] md:min-w-[60px] min-h-[52px] md:min-h-[60px] border-2 border-base-500 rounded-full bg-base-500 text-mint-500 underline-fade-in hocus:bg-mint-500 hocus:border-mint-500 hocus:text-base-500\"\n\n\t\n\t\t\thref=\"https&#x3A;&#x2F;&#x2F;www.betaalvereniging.nl&#x2F;en&#x2F;news&#x2F;credit-card-exemptions&#x2F;\"\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t>\n\t\n\t\t\t<span data-button-text>\n\t\t\tMore about the needed credit card exemptions\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"transition-transform group-hover:translate-x-2 group-focus-visible:translate-x-2 flex items-center justify-center w-[1em] h-[1em] icon \" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n<path d=\"M21.3105 10.9395L21.4141 11.0537C21.8942 11.6429 21.8596 12.5115 21.3105 13.0605L13.5 20.8711L11.3789 18.75L16.6289 13.5H2.25V10.5H16.6289L11.3789 5.25L13.5 3.12891L21.3105 10.9395Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<\/svg>\n\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-outlook\">Outlook<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The use of credit cards at Dutch counters is very limited and is not expected to increase. Stricter regulations may make credit cards more expensive and less attractive to consumers. In addition, the updated debit card offers many of the same features, making a credit card less often necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Credit cards will, however, remain a necessity at many vehicle, vessel and holiday home rentals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are about six million credit cards in circulation in the Netherlands. They are mainly used online, for more expensive purchases at the counter and during holidays abroad. At the Dutch counter, use is limited: less than 0.5% of purchases are paid by credit card.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":574,"parent":18,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"editor_notices":[]},"btv_subject_tax":[16],"class_list":["post-2579","btv_wiki","type-btv_wiki","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","btv_subject_tax-card-payments"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin  - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Credit cards - Dutch Payments Association<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Credit cards explained: key differences from debit cards, acceptance in the Netherlands and impact of CCD2 rules.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.betaalvereniging.nl\/en\/knowledge-base\/card-payments\/credit-cards\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Credit cards\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Credit cards explained: key differences from debit cards, acceptance in the Netherlands and impact of CCD2 rules.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.betaalvereniging.nl\/en\/knowledge-base\/card-payments\/credit-cards\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dutch Payments Association\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-26T09:58:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.betaalvereniging.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/09\/shutterstock_410714692-610x436-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"610\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"436\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@NLbetalen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.betaalvereniging.nl\/en\/knowledge-base\/card-payments\/credit-cards\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.betaalvereniging.nl\/en\/knowledge-base\/card-payments\/credit-cards\/\",\"name\":\"Credit cards - 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