Health insurance premiums will see a significant rise in 2024, but the increase is less than initially expected. A combination of data collected by price comparison website Geld.nl and NOS shows that 18 health insurers have now announced their 2024 premiums for at least one basic health insurance policy. Of the 29 different packages analyzed, the average monthly premiums will rise by an average of 5.2 percent, taking the total from just below 142 euros to 149.23 euros per month.
Savings interest rates in the Netherlands have risen to their highest levels in over a decade. This observation comes from the financial comparison website, Geld.nl, after almost all banks increased their savings rates in recent weeks. This move was in response to the latest interest rate hike by the European Central Bank (ECB).
Banks operating in the Netherlands often offer substantially higher interest rates to savers in Germany compared to those in the Netherlands. This was reported by the financial comparison website Geld.nl, which based its information on its own data. For instance, while ING's Dutch customers receive a 1.25 percent interest rate on their savings accounts, new customers in Germany enjoy a 3.5 percent interest rate.
Mortgage interest rates have clearly risen more than interest rates on savings accounts since the European Central Bank (ECB) started raising rates last year in its fight against inflation. Economists at De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) asserted this while noting that interest rates on savings have actually increased "only slightly." The Dutch central bank said it was not surprised by the development. Even with previous interest rate increases by the ECB, it took some time before that led to consumers again receiving more interest on their savings.
Taking out car insurance cost an average of 82 euros per year more in May than a year ago, an increase of over 8 percent. Comparison site Geld.nl reported the increase, attributing it to increased inflation and more car damage. The site also noted that the premiums at different insurers vary considerably. Geld.nl investigated 60 different scenarios. It alternated between types of cars, places of residence, ages, and claim-free years. In the last four months of last year, in particular, Geld.nl saw car insurance premiums rise sharply on average.