De Nederlandsche Bank reports slight decline in cash acceptance as PIN-only points of sale rise to 4.8%

De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) published its annual survey of cash acceptance in the Netherlands, finding that the share of retail and service points of sale displaying “PIN only” signs increased to 4.8% in 2024 from 4.5% in 2023, with the increase most visible in larger cities and particularly at pharmacies and cinemas. Locatus checked 5,000 retail locations nationwide for payment signage, alongside 900 market stalls. Cash refusal varied sharply by sector and region, with 38% of cinemas and 21% of pharmacies not accepting cash in 2024 (up from 27% and 16% in 2023), while libraries saw the share of “PIN only” fall to 4% from 14%; chain retailers were more likely to refuse cash (6%) than independents (4%). Geographic differences were pronounced, with around 1 in 10 shops “PIN only” in towns with more than 175,000 inhabitants versus 1 in 100 in villages with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants; Flevoland (10%) and Noord-Holland (8%) had the highest shares, while all surveyed points of sale in Zeeland accepted cash. On customer information, 75% of retailers did not display payment-method signs, and potentially ambiguous signage such as “Pay by PIN” fell to 7% from 12%. DNB linked its monitoring to the 2022 Cash Covenant under which retail representatives committed to continued cash acceptance, and noted that a legal obligation to accept cash is under development, with a legislative proposal submitted to the Senate and exemptions being defined.