Disappointed with your current health insurance coverage? The good news is, you have until the end of today (December 31) to cancel your existing insurance plan, if you intend to switch to a new provider in 2025.
According to the Dutch Ministry of Health, cancelling your present insurance before January 1, 2025, is mandatory for all making the switch.
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Switching providers can be a big decision
If you aren’t 100% sure which provider to switch to, rest assured that you aren’t alone.
Speaking to the NOS, Bas Knopperts of comparison website Independer said, “Every year we see that people wait until the very last moment. Last year, for example, we received changes at one minute to twelve.”
Thankfully, the Ministry of Health notes that you have until February 1, 2025, to pick a new insurer — so you still have time to do your research. 💪
Experts stress the importance of additional health insurance
In addition to a mandatory basic health insurance package (or basisverzekering), residents in the Netherlands can also choose to opt for additional health insurance (or aanvullende verzekering).
Advanced dental care usually isn’t included in basic health insurance packages. Image: Freepik
The latter covers services that a basic health package doesn’t — such as comprehensive dental care, alternative medical treatments, eye care, and more.
Koen Kuijper, of health insurance comparison website Zorgwiijzer, laments to the NOS that additional health insurance is “often overlooked”.
“For example,” he continues, “the chance that you fall and break your tooth is usually small, but if you are not insured for this, the costs can add up considerably, while the insurance only costs you a few euros per month.”
Good to know: Many providers in the Netherlands offer additional health insurance packages tailored to specific health requirements, so you only pay for the coverage you actually want.
Providers with excellent dental care, emergency care, and alternative treatment coverage include Anderzorg and Univé.
Municipalities all over the Netherlands are currently facing a dilemma: should they still hold fireworks shows despite the heavy wind?
While a fireworks show on New Year’s Eve might be a staple for some, it looks like the weather has different plans for us this year, reports RTL Nieuws. 🌬️
The good news: It’s still going to sparkle
Don’t let this news bum you out too much, as most municipalities are working hard to get you some bright skies and loud bangs this New Year’s Eve. 🎇
Winds in Rotterdam are manageable for now, so it looks like the fireworks show at the Erasmus Bridge will take place as planned.
The same applies to many of the Amsterdam shows, as events at the IJburg, Nelson Mandelapark, Sloterplas, and Weesp have also been given the green light.
However, for Amsterdammers keen on catching the lights and fireworks show at the Museumplein: it’ll be a lights show only.
Tilburg residents, however? Bad news for you. The midnight fireworks shows have been cancelled, and the jury is still out about what will happen to the 7 PM ones.
The wind also spoiled some other New Year’s classics. The municipalities of Amsterdam and The Hague decided to light bonfires yesterday, December 30, instead of today, and several New Year’s dives have been cancelled.
Then again, for some municipalities, this news isn’t so tragic after all — as they were planning on restricting fireworks anyway or giving them up altogether this year.
Safety concerns
Even though cancelling fireworks shows might spoil the beloved Dutch tradition of blowing stuff up on New Year’s Eve, municipalities are concerned about how safe fireworks would be in light of heavy wind gusts.
The country is experiencing especially strong winds today, meaning fireworks could end up in some unwanted locations (like someone’s backyard, for example). 🙃
Still, this isn’t the strongest storm by Dutch standards, so municipalities are closely monitoring the weather and postponing their decision until the last minute.
A very stormy New Year
Unfortunately, it looks like the wind will follow us into 2025.
The KNMI (Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute) has extended its code yellow weather warning: it now applies to December 31 and January 1.
The code is already in effect in North Holland and several areas around the Wadden Sea tonight. From 10 AM tomorrow (January 1), it will also encompass South Holland, Friesland, and Groningen.
KLM flight KL1204 was forced to make an emergency landing in Oslo on Saturday, December 28 due to a loud bang and severe shaking after take-off.
In conversation with RTL Nieuws, one passenger describes the incident: “Suddenly everything started to rattle and clatter.”
Other passengers reported hearing a loud noise followed by heavy shaking, while various Norwegian news outlets claim that the pilots saw smoke billowing from the plane’s left engine.
Left engine smoke show
The pilots quickly declared an emergency landing due to hydraulic failure, diverting to Norway’s Sandefjord airport — instead of their intended destination, Amsterdam.
KLM flight #KL1204, a Boeing 737-800, veered off the right side of runway 18 after landing at Oslo Torp Sandefjord Airport. The flight had diverted there shortly after takeoff from Oslo Airport (OSL).pic.twitter.com/SKIwHIfMBV
Despite the rough descent, all 176 passengers and six crew members left the plane safely, avoiding injuries.
The investigation is still ongoing
While hydraulic failure was confirmed, the exact cause of the unsettling noise is still under investigation.
KLM’s technical team arrived in Sandefjord to join the Norwegian authorities’ investigation into the circumstances of the incident.
In the meantime, KLM has arranged a return flight for all stranded passengers.
This incident was one of three recent disruptions involving KLM flights.
Flight KL895, originally bound for Shanghai, was forced to make a U-turn near Azerbaijan and return to Schiphol, due to problems with the drinking water on board.
Meanwhile, flight KL835 was en route Bali, but only made it as far as Germany before technical issues forced it to return to the Netherlands.
Helaas, it looks like Dutch weather is determined to ring the new year in with a bang — or, rather, a code yellow weather warning. ⚠️🌬️
If you live in the northwestern Netherlands, get ready to be blown — quite literally — into 2025, with the KNMI (Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute) forecasting heavy gusts of wind on December 31 and January 1.
Their warning covers the provinces of North Holland and Friesland, as well as the Wadden Islands.
December 30 and 31: Prepare for rain
Today’s weather isn’t looking much brighter, with RTL Nieuws predicting lots of clouds and some typical Dutch drizzle.
Temperatures will hover around 5 degrees Celsius in the south, though lucky cities in the northwest of the country may hit highs of 8 degrees.
If you were hoping for a dry New Year’s Eve, we’re sorry to burst your bubble, as December 31 is predicted to follow the same template: cloudy, with scattered rain showers and chilly temperatures.
(Unless, of course, you live in the provinces of Zeeland, Brabant, and Limburg — in which case you can pop some bubbly and cheer on the wonderfully dry New Year’s Eve you’re likely to have. 😉🍾)
Dutch weather institute: code orange for the whole country due to heavy thunderstorms, torrential rains and heavy gusts of wind. Stay safe everybody!!
This past year has seen interest rates at many Dutch banks linger at around 1.5%, meaning our savings have had little room to grow. But what if we told you that you could start 2025 with a month of 6% interest on your savings?
Trade Republic’s latest promotion offers users who refer or are referred by a friend a whopping 6% interest on up to €10,000 in savings in January 2025 — now that’s much higher than the usual Dutch rate.
And what is Trade Republic? Trade Republic is an online broker based in Germany that, outside of this promotion, currently offers a2.25% interest rate on savingsto residents in the Netherlands.
Here’s how you can benefit from twice that amount in January.👇
This post might have affiliate links that help us write the articles you love, at no extra cost to you. Read our statement.
How can I earn 6% interest on my savings in January?
There are three simple steps you can take to enjoy 6% interest on your savings in January.
Send a personal referral link to your friends to invite them to join Trade Republic. (Psssst, if you don’t have an account, you can easily set one up.)
Your friend then signs up using your referral link before January 4, 2025.
Your friend adds at least €100 and makes three investments within 21 days. Once they have signed up using your link and start investing using Trade Republic, you will both receive 6% interest on up to €10,000 of your savings. You will receive this interest in February 2025.
Do you have more than €10,000 in savings stored in Trade Republic? You will receive the normal interest rate (currently 3%) on the remaining amount.
Is Trade Republic safe?
You may be looking at that 6% and be worried that it’s all too good to be true. However, we are happy to report that Trade Republic is an ECB licensed, supervised bank based in Germany.
Whoops, they did it again! Dutch people have once more broken their record for the amount of money exchanged via Tikkie in one year: in 2024, the App moved a staggering €7.4 billion.
That’s 8% more than last year when Dutchies sent Tikkies for €6.6 billion, reveals ABN AMRO.
5.3 Tikkies per second
This year, Dutchies sent a total of 157 million Tikkies, meaning that they exchanged 5.3 transactions per second.
And they were super fast in paying them too. Notoriously allergic to debt, the Dutch paid 89% of their Tikkies within one day in 2024 and 64% within an hour.
Of these, 38% were settled within five minutes, and 22% within one minute.
Breaking record after record
Tikkie, which was launched in 2016 by ABN AMRO, has already managed to move €32.6 billion, turning it into a national sport with more fans than football — but no rivalries.
This year, more people than ever joined the countrywide activity, with the platform reaching the milestone of 10 million users — not too shabby for a country of less than 18 million people!
Paying for food, subscriptions, and toilet paper
In 2024, the average amount of a Tikkie was €47.28, over €3 higher than last year.
If you’re feeling sorry for all the times you made fun of Dutch people for sending ridiculously low Tikkies, don’t.
While the most common categories for payments were food, groceries, and subscriptions, ABN AMRO has revealed that it also registered a sizeable amount of payments for less than €1.
The best part? These were mostly sent around King’s Day, presumably from people charging fellow party-goers for using the toilet. Some things never change. 😉
What’s the most ridiculous Tikkie you’ve received from Dutchies? Tell us about your misadventures in the comments below.
Each year, King Willem-Alexander delivers a Christmas speech from Huis ten Bosch, reflecting on the values, challenges, and hopes of the people of the Netherlands.
This year, the Dutch King’s speech addressed the themes of division, resilience, and the need for human connection.
Curious about what he had to say? Here is the translated text of his speech — grab a coffee, cosy up, and dive in. 👇
The King’s 2024 Christmas speech
“Do not be afraid, for I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” These were the words of the angel to the shepherds on Christmas night.
Good news for the entire population. Christmas excludes no one. Everyone is welcome and belongs. That includes you. That includes each of us.
God’s Son comes into a broken world and brings us peace. For those who look at the many fractures in our world today, the longing for peace is profound. Yet, how far away we seem from it right now!
Tensions are tangible, both internationally and within our own country. This unrest makes us uneasy. Where do we find stability? Who can we still trust? Many feel misunderstood, unwanted, and unprotected.
In Amsterdam, students at the Jewish school Maimonides spoke about learning in a place secured by fences. How they prefer to keep a low profile on the streets or in the tram. To be yourself and peacefully express yourself should be a given in the Netherlands. But it is not.
In Vlaardingen, my wife and I spoke to a group of Palestinian Dutch citizens. Sixty years ago, the first of them arrived in our country to work in a margarine factory. They built their lives here, along with their children and grandchildren. They shared their fear for the fate of family members back home. Their helplessness and despair.
Again and again, I am touched by the personal pain that echoes in the stories.
What can we do about it? Resolving major global issues and bitter conflicts may be beyond our control. But does that mean we are powerless? Absolutely not! What we can do is make sure that we don’t import bitterness and hatred into our streets. To be resilient to everything that drives us apart.
It starts with respecting the basic rules that govern the Netherlands. Every individual is equal under the law. Discrimination is not allowed. And we don’t use violence, even if we feel hurt or misunderstood. These principles are not subject to dialogue or discussion and apply to everyone, always.
To those who feel impacted, I say: be resilient and do not be discouraged. Be proud of the contributions you make to society! Recognise that you are of immense value.
To Jewish Dutch citizens who tell me they doubt their future here, I say: stay! We belong together.
To Dutch Muslims, I say: this is your country too.
In this country, everyone is free to find comfort and inspiration in their faith or life philosophy. Everyone is free to express themselves. Christian, Jewish, Muslim, humanist, atheist, or however you stand in life. Every person is equal.
We don’t have to share one another’s beliefs or opinions. But we must recognise that others, like us, are human beings of flesh and blood. With emotions we all understand:
Concern for the safety and future of your children. Anger for the injustice that is done to you. Sadness at the loss of someone you love. Uncertainty about yourself. The need to be seen by others. The great happiness of friendship. Everyone recognises this.
“What are your fears? What are your dreams?” Our answers to these questions aren’t so different.
When we see each other’s pain and longing, it creates room for understanding. And understanding fosters connection. In all the differences of opinion, let us search for the humanity that unites us.
Communication doesn’t always require a phone, a mouse, or a megaphone. When you ask people what they value in others, you never hear: “They had such a fantastic opinion.” You hear very different things, like: “They’re always there for me.” “They understand me so well.” Or: “They’re such a great listener.”
In giving attention to one another, we find the ability to relieve some of the pain of others – and thus also of ourselves.
Christmas — a celebration of new beginnings — invites us to fully embrace this ability.
The apostle Paul gave a simple advice in his letter to the Romans: “Rejoice with those who rejoice. Mourn with those who mourn.”
If we take this to heart, we bring a more beautiful world a little closer.
I wish you all — wherever you are and whatever your personal circumstances — a blessed Christmas.
Tens of thousands of Dutch people have had their data stolen through quiet viruses, with more people’s devices becoming infected by the day.
The malwares, aptly named “infostealers,” have infected approximately 40,000 Dutch devices over recent years, according to research from RTL Nieuws.
However, those infected often have no idea of the viruses’ existence.
The viruses sit on devices and quietly steal data, such as private information, search histories, chat conversations, photos, and passwords. Some can turn on cameras and microphones.
The data is then put for sale on the dark web, where cybercriminals use it to empty bank accounts or take over WhatsApp accounts.
Shady beginnings
Infostealers often appear through illegal downloads, such as when people want a paid app for free. Children also often unwittingly download them through apps for gaming.
Others are found through normal legal software that is downloaded from unofficial websites.
Infostealers also have access to the cookies in browsers, making it possible to bypass two-factor security authentication.
How to detect an infostealer
It’s increasingly hard to detect infostealers. They can hide from virus scanners because they often automatically delete any trace of their presence.
Most people only find out when their online accounts or apps are taken over. At this point, it’s already too late.
According to RTL Nieuws, experts recommend Sophos antivirus software to accurately detect infostealers. Android users can use InterceptX from the same company.
iOS users typically don’t experience issues with infostealers due to how the operating system runs.
Tips to avoid infection
Only download apps from official providers, like the Play Store or Apps Store.
Use a virus scanner regularly.
Install the latest updates for all software and apps. Updates are regularly released to fix security leaks.
Use MacOS or iOS if possible. These devices have a much smaller risk of infostealers.
Regularly check what apps or software children might have installed on your devices and where they came from.
Have you experienced an infostealer virus? Tell your story in the comments below!
Transport & Environment (T&E), a European organisation for sustainable transport, researched 27 European train carriers — and found NS among the top five worst ones.
The study, published last Monday, evaluated carriers according to price, booking and travel experience, punctuality, compensation policy, cycling policy, and night services, reports Treinreiziger.nl.
How did the NS do?
Overall, the NS performed quite badly, obtaining the fifth-lowest score with an average of 5.5/10 points.
By comparison, the top three scores were 7.6, obtained by Italy’s Trenitalia, 7.4 for Czechia’s RegioJet, and 7.1 for Austria’s ÖBB.
But hey, at least the NS can say it’s not the worst active carrier in the Netherlands, this award goes to Eurostar, sitting at the very bottom with an overall score of 4.7.
Why did the NS rank so low?
The NS actually ranked quite well in some categories, such as punctuality (7.8), and compensation (8.3), being one of the few carriers that compensates passengers for more than the minimum amount required by EU law.
However, its prices were the culprit of its poor overall performance.
T&E believes pricing is the ultimate factor driving European passenger choices between different means of transport. As a result, pricing was given more weight, accounting for 25% of the total score, compared to the approximate 15% awarded for other factors.
As a result, the NS’s meagre scores of 5.1 for “Price” and “3.8” for “Special Fares and Reductions” heavily lowered its score.
The NS spokesman is “surprised”
NS is “surprised” by the results, spokesman Erik Kroeze tells Trainreiziger.nl.
In particular, Kroeze questions the data used by the study, which he believes doesn’t consider the number of connections and networks at all and places disproportionate weight on factors such as the presence of catering and Wi-Fi on board.
For Kroeze, these services are not as crucial in a Dutch context, where “the average travel time of the NS traveller is only 22 minutes.”
Additionally, Kreuze criticised the study’s evaluation of NS night services, which received 0 points, despite the carrier running both domestic and international night trains.
“There is better research”
As for the prices, the spokesman concedes that these are particularly high but blames this on political decisions.
“In other countries, the taxpayer pays part of the train ticket via subsidies. Here, no tax money goes to it, so the traveller pays relatively more for a ticket. That is a choice of the politicians,” he says.
Overall, the Dutch carrier shrugged the study results. “There is better research being done, such as the national OV study. That says more as far as we are concerned,” Kroeze concludes.
How do you think the NS compares to other European carriers? Tell us about your experiences in the comments below.
A burglar in Roosendaal marked his birthday in a somewhat unconventional way — by breaking into a construction site.
The man was quickly arrested, reports RTL. But don’t worry, his big day was still celebrated.
A special crime for his special day
On the night from Monday to Tuesday of last week, a man broke into a construction site in Roosedaal, carrying burglary tools and ‘other suspicious objects.’
Although his work is less than noble, his work ethic must be great — he decided to do the job despite the fact that it was his birthday.
Unfortunately for him, in spite of the special circumstances, the police weren’t willing to let this one slide. They caught him red-handed following a break-in report and quickly arrested him.
The star of the show was sniffer dog Moos who caught the suspect after he tried to make a run for it.
His very own Instagram post
The arrestee was transferred to a hospital in Breda and then to the Mijkenbroek cell complex. But the police didn’t want to let all niceties go out the window.
When they learned it was the suspect’s special day, they took to Instagram, writing, “On behalf of Moos and all our colleagues, happy birthday!”
