Dont want to carry too much or too little. Whats the average cash people carry when travelling around Belgium?
Damn same happened to me too. Tried using my SBI debit card and Wise Mastercard at a Belfius kiosk in Charleroi airport last month and got declined first on SBI. Then used Wise and it worked. Then went to Bruges and saw ING ATMs often out of order or with long queues. Most local shops accept Maestro or Bancontact but some still glitch on foreign cards. I now always start with Bancontact at ATM and backup with my Wise card. Carrying 20 euros in cash now too, just to be safe.
In March I toured Liege Dinant Namur and Brussels and carried just eighty euros in cash split between five ten twenty notes and some coins. I used my ANZ Visa credit and debit cards for hotels meals bike rentals and main transport. I withdrew extra using a Belfius ATM in Liege only once when I needed coins for public laundry and tram tickets. The eighty euros gave me peace of mind and I never felt overburdened or short.
I backpacked Belgium for ten days in June and went minimalist with about fifty euros in mixed notes and coins. I relied heavily on my ICICI Visa international card and used Revolut and Wise linked debit cards for ATM withdrawals at ING and Bancontact Cash Point ATMs when needed. I found fifty euros plus occasional top ups kept things light but covered local markets small snacks or train platform tickets without issue.
In May I traveled from Antwerp to Bruges Mechelen and ended up using my Standard Bank Visa debit and FNB contactless Mastercard for 90 percent of expenses. I realized about seventy euros in cash was ideal for local buses market stalls public toilets and souvenirs that only accept coins. I withdrew once from Belfius ATM near Antwerp station and topped up with twenty euros from an ING change machine. No stress throughout the trip.
I spent two weeks last April exploring Brussels Ghent and Leuven with just a little planning around cash. I found that having around one hundred euros in bills and another fifty euros in coins was perfect. I used my TD Mastercard and CIBC Visa nearly everywhere for cafes museums and taxis. I withdrew from KBC Bank ATMs or BNP Paribas Fortis or Cash Points when I needed more. That amount kept me comfortable for small purchases tipping snacks or unexpected minor fees without having a bulging wallet.