Netherlands

CountingClocks · 30-01-2014 4:28pm

Bus will cost you EUR31 return

www.eurolines.nl

keithclancy · 30-01-2014 4:33pm

nbar12 wrote: »

I have to go to Brussels on Saturday to visit my sister and I can only spend the day there so I want to get the train. The thing is that the train is outrageously expensive, €150 return from Amsterdam just for a day trip! Does anyone know any cheap way of getting there by train? I would get the bus but I'm unable to book a return journey for Saturday night

Wait .. were are you getting that price from ?

Its coming out at 47.20 for me on nshispeed.nl with a connection in Rotterdam.

Amsterdam Centraal - Bruxelles Central/Brussel Centraal
Vertrek: zaterdag 01 februari om 09:25
Aankomst: zaterdag 01 februari om 11:59
Reistijd: 02:34
Overstap: 1
Comfortklasse: 2e klas
Voorwaarden: Wijzigen / annuleren tegen kosten

Bruxelles Central/Brussel Centraal - Amsterdam Centraal
Vertrek: zaterdag 01 februari om 21:01
Aankomst: zaterdag 01 februari om 23:36
Reistijd: 02:35
Overstap: 1
Comfortklasse: 2e klas
Voorwaarden: Wijzigen / annuleren tegen kosten

Totaalprijs
€47,20

CountingClocks · 30-01-2014 4:34pm

keithclancy wrote: »

Wait .. were are you getting that price from ?

Its coming out at 47.20 for me on nshispeed.nl with a connection in Rotterdam.

Amsterdam Centraal - Bruxelles Central/Brussel Centraal
Vertrek: zaterdag 01 februari om 09:25
Aankomst: zaterdag 01 februari om 11:59
Reistijd: 02:34
Overstap: 1
Comfortklasse: 2e klas
Voorwaarden: Wijzigen / annuleren tegen kosten

Bruxelles Central/Brussel Centraal - Amsterdam Centraal
Vertrek: zaterdag 01 februari om 21:01
Aankomst: zaterdag 01 februari om 23:36
Reistijd: 02:35
Overstap: 1
Comfortklasse: 2e klas
Voorwaarden: Wijzigen / annuleren tegen kosten

Totaalprijs
€47,20

Yeah, just saw that too. Maybe OP was looking at Thalys prices?

nbar12 · 30-01-2014 6:20pm

CountingClocks wrote: »

Yeah, just saw that too. Maybe OP was looking at Thalys prices?

I certainly was haha, thinking of car pooling now!

keithclancy · 30-01-2014 9:43pm

nbar12 wrote: »

I certainly was haha, thinking of car pooling now!

Bit late now i'd say, Carpooling is fairly hit and miss and its difficult to get them at the right time.

Try
http://www.karzoo.nl/

nbar12 · 31-01-2014 8:49am

keithclancy wrote: »

Bit late now i'd say, Carpooling is fairly hit and miss and its difficult to get them at the right time.

Try
http://www.karzoo.nl/

When I got home from work I was able to properly look and booked those exact train tickets for €47, Cheers for your help!

stickybookmark · 11-02-2014 3:23pm

lufties wrote: »

Hi, I just wondered if I could get some opinions/experiences from Irish expats in The Netherlands. It's a place that always interested me(well amsterdam at least), I just like the idea of living in a so called free society where almost nothing is taboo

Thanks.

I love living in Amsterdam I have to say. It's just so easy to live here, there are very few dramas or stresses. I find the Dutch a great race - practical, good sense of humour, friendly, very little airs n graces about them, no bull they call a spade a spade.
Great flight connections to both Dublin &Cork too and u don't have to endure Ryanair yay

Schipol is sooo easy and cheap to get to on public transport, makes flying home just so easy and stress-free.
And there's always stuff on and stuff to do. Irish gang in droves if u join the GAA club (little/no prior GAA exp req'd!) and huge expat scene here through meetup.com
Almost everyone speaks English and loads of English speaking jobs/workplaces here.
Only little fly in the ointment is the cost of rent here. That is saucy but there are ways to save, like house shares

lufties · 11-02-2014 4:32pm

stickybookmark wrote: »

I love living in Amsterdam I have to say. It's just so easy to live here, there are very few dramas or stresses. I find the Dutch a great race - practical, good sense of humour, friendly, very little airs n graces about them, no bull they call a spade a spade.
Great flight connections to both Dublin &Cork too and u don't have to endure Ryanair yay Schipol is sooo easy and cheap to get to on public transport, makes flying home just so easy and stress-free.
And there's always stuff on and stuff to do. Irish gang in droves if u join the GAA club (little/no prior GAA exp req'd!) and huge expat scene here through meetup.com
Almost everyone speaks English and loads of English speaking jobs/workplaces here.
Only little fly in the ointment is the cost of rent here. That is saucy but there are ways to save, like house shares

Cool thanks for the bit of info, I'm moving to london soon but NL is probably where I'd go if it didn't work out in Jolly old

seachto7 · 11-02-2014 7:26pm

How did you find looking for jobs in NL? Monster?

stickybookmark · 11-02-2014 7:36pm

couldn't advise you on jobs sorry. i work in a very specialised field. i emailed a guy i used to work with in ireland who i heard had moved here and he gave me the names of 2 agencies to send my cv to (they only operate in the field i'm in) and i got an interview each out of the 2 of them, and took one of the jobs.

stickybookmark · 19-02-2014 3:36pm

Hey just tried using my dutch bank card which says ''Maestro'' to book a flight on Aer lingus and AL doesn't seem to have an option for Maestro from the drop down menu :-( Are all dutch bank cards the same? Any way round this? Cheers

keithclancy · 20-02-2014 12:09am

stickybookmark wrote: »

Hey just tried using my dutch bank card which says ''Maestro'' to book a flight on Aer lingus and AL doesn't seem to have an option for Maestro from the drop down menu :-( Are all dutch bank cards the same? Any way round this? Cheers

You can't use Maestro online, same as most European countries.

Mate of mine used this crowd and was able to pay with iDeal for the same price:
http://www.goedkopevliegtuigtickets.be/en/

You could also get an online prepaid Mastercard but this takes some time:
https://vikingcard.com/nl/

Nessel · 26-02-2014 11:57am

How did you find looking for jobs in NL? Monster?

Job wise there are several sites you can visit.

Monsterboard.nl
nationalevacaturebank.nl
vacatures.nl
stepstone.nl
vacaturekrant.nl
Hope that will help a little

Hey just tried using my dutch bank card which says ''Maestro'' to book a flight on Aer lingus and AL doesn't seem to have an option for Maestro from the drop down menu :-( Are all dutch bank cards the same? Any way round this? Cheers

And a regular debit card cannot be used like a creditcard no. Payment via iDeal only usually.
It's like that for all debit cards no matter which bank it's from.

stickybookmark · 07-03-2014 4:21pm

Just for general info - Mate of mine just moved here and was told that Sofi numbers are now a thing of the past, you get a ''temporary BSN'' instead (if you tell them you're not sure if you'll be here for longer than 4 months) he's going in to get one next Monday.

keithclancy · 12-03-2014 3:57am

stickybookmark wrote: »

Just for general info - Mate of mine just moved here and was told that Sofi numbers are now a thing of the past, you get a ''temporary BSN'' instead (if you tell them you're not sure if you'll be here for longer than 4 months) he's going in to get one next Monday.

In principal they are both the same thing, just the temporary one you mention is only registered with the Belastingdienst for tax purposes, but its not temporary, you could have it for years just to do your taxes.

Its just your number that the Dutch Government offices use to identify you.

My BSN and Sofi number are the same

all they did was change the name.

keeponhurling · 04-04-2014 1:27pm

stickybookmark wrote: »

Hey just tried using my dutch bank card which says ''Maestro'' to book a flight on Aer lingus and AL doesn't seem to have an option for Maestro from the drop down menu :-( Are all dutch bank cards the same? Any way round this? Cheers

I keep a few quid in my Irish bank account, and use that for booking on aerlingus.com
It's just handier.

Even with KLM you have to actually go into your online banking and do a bank transfer. Seems a bit primitive.

keeponhurling · 04-04-2014 1:28pm

stickybookmark wrote: »

Only little fly in the ointment is the cost of rent here. That is saucy but there are ways to save, like house shares

but easier to buy a gaff here

keithclancy · 07-04-2014 1:35pm

keeponhurling wrote: »

I keep a few quid in my Irish bank account, and use that for booking on aerlingus.com
It's just handier.

Even with KLM you have to actually go into your online banking and do a bank transfer. Seems a bit primitive.

Isn't that just a Visa Debit card ? AFAIK Laser is phased out now.

KLM use iDeal which is a transaction system that's not really anything like a normal SEPA Transfer.

stickybookmark · 15-04-2014 9:41am

keeponhurling wrote: »

Even with KLM you have to actually go into your online banking and do a bank transfer. Seems a bit primitive.

Paying for stuff using 'IDEAL' is funny alright, especially how different it is between different banks. Like if you're with ABN Amro in order to buy anything online you have to have your little device thingy with you, put your card and PIN into it and therefore have to be on a laptop. Totally inconvenient.

Whereas with ING as long as you have Wifi/data you can buy stuff online with it just by putting in your username, password and getting a text to your phone - you don't even need your card with you

keithclancy · 15-04-2014 5:46pm

stickybookmark wrote: »

Paying for stuff using 'IDEAL' is funny alright, especially how different it is between different banks. Like if you're with ABN Amro in order to buy anything online you have to have your little device thingy with you, put your card and PIN into it and therefore have to be on a laptop. Totally inconvenient.

Whereas with ING as long as you have Wifi/data you can buy stuff online with it just by putting in your username, password and getting a text to your phone - you don't even need your card with you

Works fine on my phone.

CountingClocks · 15-04-2014 6:17pm

With the ABN AMRO mobile app you can use a PIN code for most transactions, no need for the e-Identifier.

Thomas D · 15-04-2014 6:56pm

CountingClocks wrote: »

With the ABN AMRO mobile app you can use a PIN code for most transactions, no need for the e-Identifier.

Great I must try that. Ideal payments are a complete chore.

stickybookmark · 16-04-2014 8:37am

keithclancy wrote: »

Works fine on my phone.

Really? I thought the card reader thingamajig was an A type USB i.e. too big to fit in your phone?

Tis the other half is ABN I'm ING only seen him using it

stickybookmark · 16-04-2014 8:40am

CountingClocks wrote: »

With the ABN AMRO mobile app you can use a PIN code for most transactions, no need for the e-Identifier.

Never heard of that either. Cheers

keithclancy · 16-04-2014 9:51am

stickybookmark wrote: »

Really? I thought the card reader thingamajig was an A type USB i.e. too big to fit in your phone?

Tis the other half is ABN I'm ING only seen him using it

The USB Function is optional and all it does is save you typing in the transaction codes, I never use it.

Lock Knife · 23-04-2014 7:51pm

Looking to head over around the end of may, just wondering about a couple of things.

1. Is there similar dongle like mobile broadband services as here, like 3e or something? I'll be down around south west outside of towns, is the coverage pretty good country wide, what sort of money am I looking at monthly, is pay as you go possible or would I be looking at a contract.

2. I see above the the SOFI number system has changed. Can't remember the process before, but will I need an address/lease before I can get my tax number?

3. For companies that pay wages into bank accounts..... would a postbank account do or does it have to be one of the main banks?

Any advice appreciated

Boombastic · 23-04-2014 9:00pm

Lock Knife wrote: »

Looking to head over around the end of may, just wondering about a couple of things.

1. Is there similar dongle like mobile broadband services as here, like 3e or something? I'll be down around south west outside of towns, is the coverage pretty good country wide, what sort of money am I looking at monthly, is pay as you go possible or would I be looking at a contract.

2. I see above the the SOFI number system has changed. Can't remember the process before, but will I need an address/lease before I can get my tax number?

3. For companies that pay wages into bank accounts..... would a postbank account do or does it have to be one of the main banks?

Any advice appreciated

1. yes they have dongles, pretty sure they have payg. vodafone etc. coverage same as at home

2. no, if you Irish citizen, just head in to belastdienst

3 not sure

if you were there before your sofi number is the same as before, just continue to use it

Lock Knife · 23-04-2014 9:38pm

Boombastic wrote: »

1. yes they have dongles, pretty sure they have payg. vodafone etc. coverage same as at home

2. no, if you Irish citizen, just head in to belastdienst

3 not sure

if you were there before your sofi number is the same as before, just continue to use it

nice one Boombastic. yeah it was like 15 years ago so don't have a clue where that number is now.

Boombastic · 23-04-2014 9:44pm

Lock Knife wrote: »

nice one Boombastic. yeah it was like 15 years ago so don't have a clue where that number is now.

I had the same issue, went in to the office to get it again, the one in the office had a lot to say and put a note in my file, and then she used my address from years ago as that was on the system. just show up with your passport, they'll find you

keithclancy · 24-04-2014 11:32am

Lock Knife wrote: »

Looking to head over around the end of may, just wondering about a couple of things.

1. Is there similar dongle like mobile broadband services as here, like 3e or something? I'll be down around south west outside of towns, is the coverage pretty good country wide, what sort of money am I looking at monthly, is pay as you go possible or would I be looking at a contract.

2. I see above the the SOFI number system has changed. Can't remember the process before, but will I need an address/lease before I can get my tax number?

3. For companies that pay wages into bank accounts..... would a postbank account do or does it have to be one of the main banks?

Any advice appreciated

The main providers Vodafone/KPN/T-Mobile are pretty expensive.

Best deal i've found for Mobile Broadband without contract was with mobile vikings.

https://mobilevikings.nl/en/

15 euro a month for 1.5GB of 3G Data, 500 SMS and 15 euro credit at 25 cent / minute of calls.

Handiest is to just use tethering on your Android/iPhone with your Laptop, uses the KPN Network so coverage is decent through most of the Netherlands.

If you need more data there's https://www.robinmobile.nl/

30 euro a month for 'unlimited' although at 800kbps .. and they have a fair usage policy so if you use it with a Dongle/Tethering they 'might' cut you off.

Mobile Vikings have no such restriction:
https://mobilevikings.nl/en/help/settings/what-is-tethering-personal-hotspot-and-how-does-it-work/
https://mobilevikings.nl/en/help/settings/Can-i-use-my-mobile-vikings-sim-card-on-my-laptop/

For me 1.5GB is plenty and for 15 euro a month including calls/texts you can't go wrong, think I have around 70 euros of credit built up since I pretty much always use Whatsapp for messages and Justvoip for calls.

On the pay in wages thing, Postbank was integrated into ING in 2009, so you'll have no problems there.

Netherlands

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