The number of card payments made by Dutch consumers rose to 6.7 billion in 2024, up from 5.9 billion in 2022, according to figures from the Dutch central bank. The total value of these payments increased 15% to €198 billion.
Most transactions — 6.4 billion — involved payments with Dutch cards at physical tills in the Netherlands or abroad. The remaining payments were made online.
Online card payments rose sharply, with 306 million transactions worth €24 billion recorded last year. Of these, 230 million were made with a credit card, but the use of debit cards for online payments showed the strongest growth, tripling to 76 million annual transactions since 2022.
The central bank said the rise in online card use reflects growing demand for digital goods such as streaming services and purchases on gaming platforms. Cross-border online payments with debit cards also saw strong growth, reaching 26 million transactions worth €1.7 billion in 2024.
The popularity of debit cards for online purchases is probably linked to the wider use of digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, which connect to debit cards for online transactions, the central bank said.
New debit cards issued by Dutch banks and the introduction of virtual payment cards have also made it easier for consumers to shop online.
Meanwhile, the number of cash withdrawals from banks fell slightly from 178 million in 2022 to 176 million in 2024. However, the total amount withdrawn rose marginally to €36 billion.
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