Money
Like other members of the EU, the Netherlands currency is the euro, which is divided into 100 cents. There are coins for one, two, five, 10, 20 and 50 cents, and €1 and €2. Notes come in denominations of €5, €10, €20, €50, €100, €200 and €500. The one- and two-cent coins are still in circulation but are unofficially being phased out; most, if not all, shops now round up or down to the nearest five cents.
Credit cards
All major international cards are recognised, and you will find that most hotels, restaurants and major stores accept them. But always check first to avoid, as they say, disappointment. Shops often levy a 5% surcharge (or more) on credit cards to offset the commissions charged by card providers. Visa, Master Card and EuroCard are more widely accepted than American Express.
Be aware that many European countries, including the Netherlands, have recently introduced a Chip and PIN payment system. Card holders from other countries however, can still use their cards with the magnetic stripe in shops. For locations where there is no sales clerck, like ATMs, fuel pumps and toll roads, you will need a PIN. Visa offers some information on this topic on their website.
Be sure to inform your credit card company and/or bank in advance that you will be travelling to Europe and to which countries. Some banks and credit card companies will for security reasons automatically cancel cards that are used overseas.
ATM
The best way is to get your money from one of the many ATM machines. If you have a Euro pass or Cirrus on your bankcard, you can get money from most ATM machine around the city. It seems that there are never enough machines, because there are always people waiting in line. If there are no people waiting, you can bet the machine is out of order. A lot of restaurants around the city accept credit cards but it is advised to carry some cash just in case or ask before ordering. You can also withdraw cash from most ATMs with all major credit cards, but this is usually more expensive due to the service charge.
The Dutch society is moving from cash-driven to debet-card ("PIN-pas"), so make sure you bring a card with Maestro logo (and, apperently, some may need to "have it enabled for the Netherlands" by your bank, so do ask!). 95% of places still accept cash, the only trouble spot may be late-night convinience shops, unattended train ticket vending machines, etc
Because of skimming, ATM machines now have special "mouths" on them to avoid skimmers adding their equipment. The welcome screen of the ATM generally shows what the "mouth" should look like. If the pictures match, even if it's fancy, then it will be safe.
ATMs are more likely to dispense money from debet cards than from credit cards, hence my suggestion to bring a debit card if you have one.If your credit card has a PIN code, remember to bring it as many places do require it if they do accept credit cards at all.
As to paper money, note that many places do not accept bigger notes than the EUR 50,- note. Specifically, many do not accept the EUR 100, 200, 500 note, so don't bring those (the ATMs don't dispense them either).Of course, big fancy hotels do accept big notes, all credit cards etc but these guidelines apply to buying stuff on the street.
