Amsterdam, 5 July 2007. From this summer, supermarkets in the Netherlands are encouraging their customers to make debit card (PIN) payments as often as possible. Customers will be told that any amount can be paid by debit card. Even small amounts. The supermarkets want this initiative to increase the number of debit card payments. Paying by debit card is safer, cheaper and more efficient than cash, for both the supermarket and the customer.

Preference for debit card payments
The supermarkets are linking in with the Currence ‘Small amount? You can PIN!’ campaign which reminds consumers that small amounts can also be paid by debit card, especially in supermarkets. This is not yet happening enough. The supermarkets are the first sector to make their preference for debit card payments clear. As well as using promotional material reminding consumers that debit card payments are preferred, the participating supermarkets do not charge for debit card payments for small amounts.

Debit card payments for safety
“Security is an important reason for encouraging debit card payments. We want as much shopping as possible to be paid by debit card, for the safety of our customers and staff. The less cash we have in the store, the lower the chance of crime. As far as we are concerned, the number of debit card payments can never be high enough!” said Miranda Boer, spokesman for the Central Bureau for the Provision Trade (Centraal Bureau voor de Levensmiddelenhandel).

Different slogans
Any retailer, and not just the supermarkets, can join the campaign free of charge. Retailers have different reasons for encouraging debit card payments and so they can choose the most suitable slogan. As well as ‘Small amount? You can PIN!’, Currence offers promotional material with the following wording: ‘PINning is free for any amount’, ‘Pay by PIN for your safety and ours’, ‘We prefer PIN to cash’, ‘You can PIN here’ and ‘We prefer PIN’.