King’s Day 2026: The Netherlands sets a new Tikkie record with 756,316 payments
- Innovation
Marieke Ziedses des Plantes
Sr. Press Officer ABN AMRO
The Netherlands once again made widespread use of Tikkie, ABN AMRO’s payment app, on King’s Day. With a total of 756,316 payments, a new record was set. That is 9 per cent more than last year and confirms that Tikkie is firmly embedded in King’s Day tradition. From flea markets to drinks gatherings and shared expenses throughout the day, people settled up en masse using payment requests.
More than 56% more Tikkies on King’s Day than on an average day
Compared with an average day in 2026, the number of payments was significantly higher. While around 482,338 Tikkies are normally paid per day, the total on King’s Day reached well over one and a half times that amount. This represents an increase of 56.8 per cent compared with a typical day.
“King’s Day may well be the day on which people in the Netherlands say ‘shall I send you a Tikkie?’ most often,” said Moreno Kensmil of Tikkie. “We see people using it everywhere: at the flea market, but also beyond that for food, drinks and everything you experience together. Seeing another record fits perfectly with that.”
Payment volumes also rose sharply during peak moments. At the busiest time, 45 Tikkies were paid per second, with a peak of 1,268 payments per minute. King’s Day once again demonstrates how important fast and simple payment methods have become at times when many people are settling up simultaneously.
The use of QR codes continues to increase. This year, 37.3 per cent of all Tikkies were paid via a QR code, a slight increase on last year. On an average day, this share is around 5 per cent lower, making King’s Day a clear outlier.
Many smaller purchases
Average payment amounts on King’s Day are lower than usual. At €33.18 per payment, the average is well below the annual average of €51.51. This fits the character of the day, during which many small purchases are made. A large proportion of payments are under €10, and amounts below one euro also occur regularly. At the same time, larger amounts are paid as well, for example for second-hand purchases or activities.
The most commonly used payment descriptions paint a familiar picture of King’s Day, with terms such as “King’s Day”, “food”, “toilet”, “pizza”, “drinks” and “beer”.
Tikkie Betaallintje
New this year was the introduction of the Tikkie Betaallintje. With this physical ribbon featuring a personalised QR code, flea market sellers in various places across the country were surprised and put in the spotlight. With this initiative, Tikkie aimed to thank the users who use Tikkie and make use of it every year on King’s Day. During a mobile activation, approximately 6,000 Tikkie Betaallintjes were handed out.