The Dutch support cash regardless of whether they use it

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Dutch people are still strongly attached to cash as a payment option. This is according to a survey commissioned by De Nederlandsche Bank. An overwhelming majority of respondents (92%) say that being able to pay with cash is socially important.

Published: 19 June 2025

Close up van een portemonnee waar briefgeld uit gehaald wordt.

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On a personal level (i.e. for themselves), three quarters of people (74%) believe it is important that cash payments remain possible in shops and other public places. This is striking, because although Dutch people explicitly say that cash is important, 61% of respondents say they never, or rarely, use cash in shops any more. Among young adults (aged 18-29), this percentage is as high as 71%. This group also considers it less important for themselves to continue paying with cash (65% compared to the average of 74%). Still, a majority of Dutch people usually carry banknotes (68%) and coins (73%). This is less than in 2023, when 79% carried banknotes and 81% carried coins. Older people tend to carry banknotes and coins more often than young people. 

Consistent with advice on cash for emergency situations

The National Forum on the Payment System (NFPS) also underlined the importance of cash in its recent advice to have some cash on hand to be prepared for emergencies. The advice is to keep €70 per adult and €30 per child in cash on hand, preferably in as many different coin and banknote denominations as possible  

Also read: Cash in your emergency kit 

Many Dutch people are already well on their way in this regard. This survey, conducted in February, showed that a majority of people (59%) already had cash at home to use in case of emergency. 79% of them had more than €70 in cash on hand for this purpose.

Higher denominations slightly more popular

The need for banknotes of the highest denominations (€100, €200 and €500) increased slightly compared to 2023 (see Table 1). This may have to do with the recent period of higher inflation. At the same time, lower denomination notes have traditionally been more popular than higher ones, but less so than two years ago. About three quarters of respondents expressed a need for €10, €20 and €50 banknotes for their own use.

Table 1. Do you need the following euro banknotes for your own, personal use? 

You can swipe the table to see more columns.

  

2025 

2023 

€5 banknotes 

71% 

79% 

€10 banknotes 

76% 

83% 

€20 banknotes 

77% 

83% 

€50 banknotes 

73% 

77% 

€100 banknotes 

22% 

19% 

€200 banknotes 

8% 

6% 

€500 banknotes 

5% 

3% 

No need 

12% 

8% 

Source: Panteia 2025                          

€20 banknote is considered the most beautiful 

Of the lower denominations, there is a special mention for the €20 banknote. 27% think this is the most beautiful banknote. Like in 2023, this banknote is the most popular, Confidence in the authenticity of banknotes is high and continues to rise. This year, Dutch people rate the reliability of banknotes with an average of 8.0. On average, they can list 2 or 3 security features. As in 2023, the watermark and hologram are the most well-known. 

Background information on the survey

DNB has commissioned a survey on the awareness and appreciation of banknotes in the Netherlands since the early 1980s. This is relevant because DNB wants to know how users perceive banknotes and how this perception evolves over time. The survey covers the use of cash, knowledge of the security features, confidence in the authenticity of banknotes and the extent to which people find banknotes attractive and clean. DNB monitors these developments every two years.

Kennis en waardering van eurobankbiljetten in Nederland 2025 (only in Dutch)

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