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Dutch customers used their cards more often at petrol stations across the border in early 2026, with spending rising even faster than payments.
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Dutch customers made 20% more card payments at petrol stations in Belgium and Germany in the first half of 2026 than a year earlier, ANP reports, citing figures from the Dutch central bank (DNB). Their spending at those stations rose 32%. The figures count payments, not individual motorists or refuelling stops. [1]
The increase was sharpest in Belgium, where payments rose by about a third to 11.3 million, worth €593.6 million. In Germany, they rose 11% to 14.2 million, worth €872.4 million. [1]
Fuel in Belgium and Germany was sometimes tens of cents cheaper per litre than in the Netherlands. Dutch petrol station operators near the borders have complained that higher fuel taxes and VAT at home are costing them customers. [1]
1 listed sources · explore evidence, limitations and provenance.
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