I'd keep a €20 in my wallet in Brussels just for good measure. You may want to buy something from a food cart or a frituur ("French" fry shop) that doesn't take plastic. Anywhere else will take your Canadian plastic, including metro and rail ticket machines since it has a PIN.
Originally Posted by
schrodingerdog
Most shops, cafes, restaurants and bars can take mastercard and visa in addition to maestro. The only two places where I've been told they only can accept maestro are the local government office and my GP's.
+1. Even my GP takes Visa/MC; the only reason I even have a Bancontact/Maestro card is to use it in the Netherlands. I can't think of anywhere in Belgium that a tourist would spend more than €10ish that doesn't take credit.
London can easily be done without cash; other than a food cart here or there, everyone takes cards. And even most food carts take cards. I've had the same £10 note in my wallet for at least 3 trips to the UK.