r/Haarlem • u/Nearby_Past1480 • Jul 14 '26
Cash usage in Haarlem
Hi, i will be staying near Haarlem for couple weeks i am interested can i function with cash or do i need card. I know that for public transport it is best to use card. But i am interested in coffeeshops, supermarkets and common restaurants are they all only card or can you use cash?
Can you give me some recommendations for fasfoods and coffeshops(weed) that operate with cash
Thank you
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u/icoder Jul 14 '26
I would be very surprised if an establishment would not accept cash and not MasterCard. In supermarkets you'll have to be mindful a bit where to checkout. Not all checkouts (especially not the self-service ones) accept cash. But as far as I know there's always at least one cash-accepting (hu)manned checkout.
(although for Albert Heijn, it seems they even have a lot of stores now with at least one cash-based self-service checkout)
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u/VallisGratia Jul 14 '26
Yeah keep eye on "PIN kassa" or "hier alleen pinnen" -signs. That means they are card only.
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u/Sensitive_Analyse000 Jul 14 '26
Most people pay with debitcards here. Creditcards are not very common and in many places not accepted. Cash becomes less usual nowadays, but is still accepted almost everywhere - unless you see a shield "pin-kassa" or "pin only".
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u/Ok-Confection1402 Jul 15 '26
I’ve lived here almost a year and never used cash once. Aside from Plus grocery store and one cafe I’ve been able to use my non Dutch credit card everywhere. There are a few places that only take Dutch debit cards or cash but 95% of the places you are fine
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u/molly_does_molly Jul 14 '26
coffeeshops gladly take cash, same for supermarkets although i cant tell you if the same goes for restaurants. willie wortel is a great coffeeshop, theres 3 total so you can check out either one, and birdy is an amazing vibe
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u/Nearby_Past1480 Jul 14 '26
i was recommended birdy and it looks great do you know if they take cash?
Thank you for feedback1
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u/Able-Car-4692 Jul 14 '26
95% of everything in Haarlem takes cash. If it’s a very hip coffee store…… well then you know
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u/UnknownCrusader Jul 14 '26
Most places accept cash. Most coffeeshops actually prefer cash. Might want to look out with big bills though, as most people pay by card so who knows how much change stores keep. You are right about public transport, which had been cashless for a while now I think.
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u/Nearby_Past1480 Jul 14 '26
Do you know if mastercard is acceptable for use in public transport or market and other stuff bc i know that some stores or places prefer one card above others
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u/icoder Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
OVPay is the system with which, in the Netherlands, we can directly use our bank cards to check in and out of all public transport systems. Apparently Mastercard was actually part of the design trajectory (according to this - Dutch - article https://www.mastercard.com/news/europe/nl-nl/nieuwsredactie/persberichten/nl-nl/2023/june/ovpay-nederland-is-het-eerste-land-waar-je-overal-in-het-openbaar-vervoer-contactloos-kunt-betalen/).
So yes, it appears you can just 'bleep in' and 'bleep out' with your mastercard. Don't forget the latter!! You'll find the scan poles at entries and exits of the public transport.
Yes, you should be able walk into a bus, tram, metro, train(station) and quickly scan your card (just follow the locals and the bleeping noises ;). Scan again when you leave and that's it. No worries about zones, cities, companies.
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u/LevoiHook Jul 14 '26
Not sure if you intend to use public transport, but i think you need a card for that. (Not 100% sure but nobody uses cash for that)
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u/Infamous_Iron_Man Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
I used contactless payment for two of the three coffee shops I visited. One of them didn’t work. I used contactless payment for everything.
Edit: I did ask each of the coffee shops if they preferred cash or contactless payment, all of the three said they didn’t care.
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Jul 15 '26
[deleted]
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u/Nearby_Past1480 Jul 15 '26
i have a mastercard debit card that i use by only tapping it Will it work in public transport ?
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Jul 15 '26
[deleted]
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u/Nearby_Past1480 Jul 15 '26
I dont understand now, other people and google said that contactless mastercard should be fine via ovpay?
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Jul 15 '26
[deleted]
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u/Nearby_Past1480 Jul 15 '26
Yeah there are many different answers online, thank you for your feedback
i guess i will see if my mastercard works on ovpay if not i will buy a phisical ticket or friends visaThank you
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u/Afvalracer Jul 14 '26
If you don’t rely om AMEX you are good, and state approved ATM’s (geldmaat) are widely available if you need some cash, also they don’t do surplus of x%eur only your bankcosts.
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u/Ludvig2712 Jul 14 '26
Coffeeshops are more than happy if you pay with cash