Money, cards and ATMs in Belgium

The currency

• Belgium uses the euro and has since the start.
• Cards are accepted nearly everywhere, contactless is standard, and cash is increasingly a minority choice.

The Bancontact quirk

• Belgium has its own domestic card scheme, Bancontact. Most terminals take international Visa and Mastercard as well, but not all of them do.
• Small independent shops, bakeries, market stalls and some cafes are Bancontact-only. A foreign card is simply declined, with no warning until you try.
• Carry a modest amount of cash for exactly this. It is the one reason you still need notes in a country that otherwise runs on plastic.

ATMs

• Always refuse the machine's offer to charge you in your own currency. Dynamic currency conversion costs several per cent every time, and the offer is phrased to sound helpful. Choose euro.
• Bank ATMs are being consolidated. Belgian banks have moved to shared "Batopin" cash points, which are grouped rather than sitting outside every branch - so plan to withdraw when you see one rather than assuming there is another round the corner.
• Withdraw larger amounts less often if your bank charges a flat fee.

Tipping

• Service is included in restaurant bills by law. Rounding up or leaving five per cent for good service is normal, ten is generous.
• Toilets often charge, typically small change, including in stations and some restaurants. Keep coins.