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Some airline companies (easyJet in particular) don't seem to offer payment with iDEAL, but do seem offer a reduced fee (quite significantly reduced - 9 EUR or so) for using a debit card, e.g. Mastercard Debit or Visa Debit.

Can I get one of those issued in the Netherlands?

Also, assuming the answer to the first question is affirmative: I have an ABN AMRO bank account and an ICS Mastercard (a credit card); do those help me / make it cheaper for me to get such a debit card?

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    How is this about expatriation? Even if you are an expatriate, how would the situation be different if you were not?
    – fkraiem
    Commented Sep 23, 2017 at 0:00
  • Would perhaps be more relevant on the money site?
    – Gala
    Commented Sep 23, 2017 at 13:08
  • Note that Maestro is internationally recognised alright, I used mine to withdraw cash all over the place, even outside the Eurozone and in quite exotic locales. You are really asking about something else, namely a card that supports online transactions. And the rules for that differ from merchant to merchant. Speaking about low-cost airlines, even a Visa Debit might not be enough to avoid extra fees, each have different rather arbitrary restrictions. As an example, if I am not mistaken, EasyJet waives the fee for a Visa Electron but not a Visa or Mastercard Debit.
    – Gala
    Commented Sep 23, 2017 at 13:13
  • As an owner of an ABN AMRO account and ICS Mastercard, I had a hard time finding a debit card. I ended up using the Mastercard (with transaction alerts enabled) whenever I can't pay with iDEAL or PayPal.
    – ris8_allo_zen0
    Commented May 28, 2018 at 22:20
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    The real solution seems to have come from Easyjet though, if I am reading their website correctly, they lowered their fees for many cards (I haven't used them in two years), even credit cards and Amex! They also added a SEPA direct debit option which should work with Dutch bank accounts, even without credit cards.
    – Relaxed
    Commented Feb 26, 2021 at 12:29

2 Answers 2

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There are relatively new banking services that operate without physical branches, such as bunq and N26. You can see a comparison of those here. They use the international standard for debit cards. Therefore, they might solve your problem.

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  • Are these an alternative to existing banks? Please clarify.
    – einpoklum
    Commented Feb 26, 2021 at 10:51
  • @einpoklum: what do you mean under "alternative to existing banks". Banks such as N26, Revolut, etc. do exist already and offer bank accounts including Visa/MasterCard at least for EU residents.
    – Andrey Sapegin
    Commented Feb 26, 2021 at 12:12
  • N26 is just a bank offering a regular Mastercard and wouldn't solve the OP's problem. In fact, it's not even that much cheaper than ABN-AMRO, except perhaps with foreign currency fees.
    – Relaxed
    Commented Feb 26, 2021 at 12:19
  • @bluesman80: I meant, are they banks you can be a client of as an alternative to ABN-AMRO and such, or just companies offering a card irrespective of your bank? ... and it seems the answe is the second. So it's not clear that answers my question. However, I do believe there are questions about bank choices for expats in the Netherlands.
    – einpoklum
    Commented Feb 26, 2021 at 14:24
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    @einpoklum Revolut wasn't a bank originally but seems to be moving in that direction. What bunq exactly is is unclear to me. N26 is a bank, marketed as such and with a license and desposit insurance. Depending on the services you expect, you could in principle use it as your main/only bank.
    – Relaxed
    Commented Feb 26, 2021 at 23:53
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I am yet to find a solution for your original problem (essentially getting a Visa Electron as a Dutch resident) but Easyjet seems to have changed their fee structure so that any Dutch credit card should enable you to book a ticket with no additional fee. SEPA direct debit, when offered, should also work with a Dutch bank account.

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