Credit Card Cost Report Netherlands 2026

Key findings

These figures are based on an analysis of 60 credit cards that SmartCreditcard.eu tracks continuously, from traditional banks such as ABN AMRO, ING and Rabobank to fintech providers such as Revolut, N26 and Bunq. The full methodology is listed at the bottom of this page.

Price distribution: from free to €780 per year

Most credit cards in the Netherlands fall into the €1 to €50 per year category. Completely free cards form the second largest group, while truly expensive premium cards (above €300 per year) are rare: only 1 of the 60 tracked cards falls into this segment.

Fintech versus traditional bank: not necessarily cheaper

A common assumption is that fintech credit cards are always cheaper than those from traditional banks. Our data shows a more nuanced picture. Traditional banks (ABN AMRO, ING, Rabobank, Knab, ASN Bank) charge a fairly consistent flat annual fee, usually between €15 and €60. Fintech providers (Revolut, N26, Bunq, Trade Republic, Wise, Qonto) instead show a much wider spread: from completely free entry-level cards to premium tiers like N26 Metal (€203/yr) and Revolut Metal (€228/yr) that pull the average fintech price up considerably.

If you focus purely on the lowest entry price, fintech providers more often have a free option. If you compare the average annual price including premium tiers, fintech does not automatically come out cheaper overall.

BKR credit check: almost half of cards don't require one

45% of the tracked credit cards require no BKR credit check. These are almost always prepaid cards from neobanks, where you top up funds in advance rather than repaying credit afterwards. For people with a BKR registration or irregular income, this is often the only realistic route to a credit card.

Card network: Mastercard is gaining ground

Of the 60 tracked cards, 53% run on the Mastercard network, 37% on Visa and 10% on American Express. Mastercard has become the most chosen network partner for new fintech cards in recent years, while Visa is historically more strongly represented among traditional bank products.

Cashback and rewards are still rare

Only 8% of the tracked credit cards (5 out of 60) offer any form of cashback or points reward. This is considerably lower than in countries like the United States, where cashback cards are the norm. In the Netherlands, reward programmes are concentrated mostly at premium cards (such as AMEX Membership Rewards and Flying Blue miles) and a small number of crypto-related cards offering cashback on spending.

Business cards make up nearly half the market

43% of the tracked credit cards (26 out of 60) are specifically aimed at business use. This reflects how large the freelancer and SME market in the Netherlands has become for card issuers, from established names like AMEX Business Gold to specialised fintech solutions like Qeld, Moss and Qonto.

Methodology and transparency

These figures are calculated over the full, current database that SmartCreditcard.eu uses for its comparison tool: 60 credit cards from more than 20 providers in the Netherlands, including traditional banks, neobanks and specialised fintech issuers. The figures are updated whenever cards are added, changed or removed from the database. This page was last recalculated in August 2026. If you would like to see or use the underlying data with attribution, please get in touch.

Frequently asked questions