Cash in another currency at the door: what "any major currency" means

Many visitors arrive in Amsterdam with money from home still in their wallet. Some come from countries where cash is normal for almost everything. Others have not yet found a cash machine, or do not want to pay a fee to use one. For them, the words cash in any major currency are useful. This guide explains exactly what those words mean for a booking here, one step at a time.

First: which part of the price this is about

Every price has two possible parts. The deposit is half of the price, paid before she travels, on most bookings. The balance is what is left, paid when she arrives. Cash in another currency is only for the balance. It can never be used for the deposit. The reason is simple: a deposit is paid before she sets out, and cash can only change hands in the room.

The deposit is paid by card, or by Revolut, Wise or crypto if you prefer. Neither PayPal nor a bank transfer is used. The exact amount and the payment details come to you in the booking thread, after the hour is agreed, and nowhere else. If you want to know whether your booking has a deposit at all, the booking terms page lists the cases in plain words.

What major currency means

A major currency, here, is a currency whose notes are easy to exchange in Amsterdam on any ordinary day. In practice, that means the currencies that many travellers carry and that exchange counters and banks change without trouble. The US dollar, the British pound and the Swiss franc are the obvious examples. Several other widely traded currencies can fit this description too.

Because the list is not fixed, the rule is simple: name your currency in the thread before she sets out. If it can be accepted, the exact sum comes back in writing. If it cannot, you will know in good time to pay in euros, by card or by crypto instead. You never have to find out at the door.

Write the three letter code, not the sign

Here is a small detail that saves a real mistake. The sign $ is used by many countries, not only one. The United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Hong Kong all have a dollar, and they are worth very different amounts. The sign kr is used for the Danish, Swedish and Norwegian krone, which are also different. So in the thread, do not write the sign. Write the three letter code that banks use:

• USD for the US dollar.
• GBP for the British pound.
• CHF for the Swiss franc.
• CAD for the Canadian dollar.
• AUD for the Australian dollar.

The euro has a code too, EUR, and you will see it in front of the figures in the reply. If you do not know the code for your currency, write the full name of the currency and the country: dollars from Canada. That is enough.

How the figure is agreed before she arrives

The price of your booking is always set in euros. When you say that you want to pay the balance in another currency, the thread gives you the exact sum in that currency. It is written down, as a figure, before she sets out. That written figure is the balance. You do not have to convert anything yourself, look up a rate, or agree a number at the door.

Read the figure the same way you read any figure in the thread. Check the currency code, check the digits, and if a point or comma makes you unsure, write it back in words. The guide on reading euro figures explains why a mark between digits can mean two different things, and the same care applies to a dollar or a pound.

If you look at the figure and decide you would rather pay in euros, or by card, just say so before she sets out. The balance is then the euro figure, or the card payment, and nothing else changes.

What to have ready at the door

When she arrives, the balance is paid first, before the session begins. A short list helps:

• Notes, not coins. Foreign coins are hard to exchange anywhere, including in Amsterdam, so plan to pay with notes only.
• The exact sum. Count it before she arrives. Change in your currency may not be available, and change in euros for a payment in dollars is confusing for both sides.
• Clean, whole notes. Torn, taped or very old notes can be hard to exchange. Use notes in good condition.
• In one place. Put the counted notes on the table or in an envelope, so that the first minute is calm and nobody has to search a wallet.

If you need the thread in front of you to remember the figure, keep your phone open on the message with the sum. Pay that sum. The door adds nothing to it.

Why a card can be simpler

A card removes most of the steps above. The balance is charged in euros, at the euro figure from the thread, and your bank changes it into your own currency. You do not need to carry notes, count them or think about change.

There is one thing to know about cards abroad. Sometimes a card payment offers to charge you in your home currency instead of euros. This is called dynamic currency conversion. It looks friendly, but the rate it uses is often less good than your own bank's rate. If you are ever given this choice, choose euros. Your bank then does the conversion, usually for less.

Ask your bank before your trip whether it adds a fee for payments in euros. Some cards add nothing, and some add a small percentage. Either way, you pay the same euro figure; the fee, if any, is between you and your bank.

Why crypto can be simpler too

Crypto has no borders, so there is no currency to convert on your side. The thread gives you an exact amount and the details for the payment. Copy both and paste them. Never retype a crypto amount or the payment details by hand, because one wrong character cannot be undone.

A crypto payment can take a few minutes to arrive, and the network may charge a small fee. For the balance, make the payment when she arrives, and leave a few minutes for it to show. For the deposit, the payment is made in the thread before she sets out, and the booking goes ahead once it has arrived.

Revolut and Wise for the deposit

If you use Revolut or Wise, you can hold euros in the app and pay the deposit from them directly. That means your conversion happens inside the app, at the app's rate, before the payment. For many visitors this is the smoothest way to pay the first half. Then the balance at the door can be paid in whatever way you prefer: cash in euros, cash in another major currency at the written figure, card or crypto.

Cash in euros

If you already have euros, or can take them from a cash machine, cash in euros is the plainest option of all. The figure is the figure from the rate list, with no conversion and no second sum. Euro notes come in 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200. Many shops in Amsterdam do not accept the larger notes, so cash machines usually give 20 and 50. For a balance of 90 or 135 euros, a few twenties and a ten are easy to count.

A small plan before you travel

If you like to know in advance how you will pay, a few minutes of planning at home is enough. Decide first whether you want to use cash at all. If you do, carry notes in good condition and keep them apart from the money you spend on other things. Check whether your card works abroad and whether your bank charges for payments in euros. If you use Revolut or Wise, put some euros in the app before the trip. Then, whatever happens on the day, you have two ways to pay, not one. A second method is useful for a simple reason: a card can be blocked by a cautious bank on the first night of a trip, and notes can run out after a long day in the city. With two options ready, neither of those can stop a booking.

A line for your first message

If you already know how you want to pay the balance, add one short line to your booking message. It saves a question later:

Balance at the door: cash, USD

Or: Balance at the door: card. The reply then gives the figure in the right form, and there is nothing to arrange when she knocks. The booking message you can copy has five lines; this can be the sixth.

What stays the same, whatever you pay with

The price is the price in euros, agreed in the thread. The way you pay the balance does not change it. The rules for a cancellation or a change of date do not change either; they depend only on the deposit and on how much notice you give, as the booking terms explain. And the balance is always paid at the start, when she arrives, so the rest of the visit has nothing to do with money at all.