Public transport in the Netherlands: how to pay for your trip

This guide is for newcomers planning everyday trips within the Netherlands. Plan your route and check its fare in 9292 (External site, opens in a new tab) (public-transport journey planner).

Each traveller needs their own card or device. A phone wallet and the matching plastic card count as two different cards, even when they use the same bank account. You can use a bank card without buying a travel card. Current NS (External site, opens in a new tab) (Nederlandse Spoorwegen, Dutch Railways) subscriptions still need a personal OV-chipkaart.

The OV-pas lets you pay from prepaid balance. Order it through OVpay and load balance before travelling. You can also turn on automatic top-up. Automatic top-up requires a Dutch bank account.

The OV-chipkaart is being phased out, but some products still need it. Anonymous OV-chipkaarten have not been sold since 1 July 2026. NS says existing anonymous cards can still be used until the end of 2027. Personal cards with products do not all stop on one date.

NS will start moving subscriptions at the end of 2026. The migration continues until the end of 2027. NS will tell you when to switch. Keep using your current card until NS or your other provider tells you to switch. The Switch Helper on OVpay shows which option fits your products.

A check-in records the start of your journey. The matching check-out lets the operator calculate your fare. Follow these steps even at stations with open platforms.

At train stations, readers are at gates or poles. Bus readers are beside the door. Tram readers are usually inside the vehicle. In the Utrecht region, they are on the platform. The operator name appears above its reader. NS readers are yellow.

1. Choose one card, phone or watch for the whole journey.
2. Find the correct operator’s reader.
3. Tap in at that reader before travelling.
4. Check that the reader accepts your tap.
5. Tap out at the correct operator’s reader when you finish the journey, using the same card or device.

When changing buses or trams, tap out of each vehicle and tap into the next. When changing trains with the same operator, stay checked in unless you pass exit gates. When the operator changes, check out first and then check in again. This also applies when changing from a bus to a train.

At NS, checking out at the same station within 60 minutes cancels the check-in without a fare. After 60 minutes, a charge can apply. Check out within six hours of checking in. For NS travel using OV-chipkaart balance, check out before the service day ends at 04:00 if that is earlier. Correct the journey afterwards if you miss the window.

If a tap fails while you are still at the station, try the correct reader or ask staff. If you are already on the train without a valid check-in, tell the conductor before an inspection. A fine can still apply.

A standard bus, tram or metro balance fare starts with a €1.16 base fare in 2026. The operator or region adds its distance rate. Special services and tickets can have another price. Check the planned fare in 9292.

The Cost of living in the Netherlands guide puts transport costs beside rent, food and insurance.

Daily caps depend on the operator and product. GVB (External site, opens in a new tab) (Gemeentevervoerbedrijf, Amsterdam’s public-transport operator) offers GVB Max (daily fare cap), a €10.50 daily cap in 2026. GVB Max is not a national daily cap. Use the same bank card, device or OV-pas and complete every check-in and check-out. The cap excludes OV-chipkaart travel, night buses and other operators.

The standard full NS train fare depends on your route and stays the same during peak and off-peak hours. Standard bank-card travel costs the full second-class fare. In 2026, a one-way trip on Intercity direct (high-speed train service) or Eurocity Direct (high-speed train service) between Schiphol Airport and Rotterdam needs a €3.20 supplement with a bank card or ordinary domestic ticket. Some paper tickets from a machine or service desk carry a €1.60 surcharge.

Bank-card journeys from one day normally appear as one payment the next day. OVpay can collect earlier if you reach its payment threshold. Your bank statement shows an 18-character NLOV (public-transport payment reference). Use that reference and the charged amount to look up your journeys without an account (External site, opens in a new tab). The OVpay app also lists your trips.

OV-chipkaart balance travel uses an instaptarief (temporary boarding charge). NS takes €20 without a subscription, or €10 with a balance-based NS subscription. For example, Gelderland buses use €4 in 2026. The correct fare replaces this amount after check-out. Check your operator’s boarding charge before travelling.

Current NS subscriptions use a personal OV-chipkaart. You can move yours to an OV-pas when NS contacts you. Some regional train, bus, tram and metro operators already offer products for a bank card or OV-pas. Check both the route and the card the product needs.

Dal Voordeel (External site, opens in a new tab) (off-peak discount subscription) costs €6.35 per month at the standard adult rate in 2026. It gives 40% off eligible off-peak train travel. The fee equals 40% of about €15.88, so it starts saving money above roughly €16 of eligible full-fare travel a month.

For example, €20 of eligible full-fare journeys becomes €12 with the 40% discount. Add the €6.35 fee: your monthly total is €18.35, saving €1.65.

Dal Voordeel gives a discount. The other listed options include unlimited travel during the listed hours. These are standard adult second-class NS Flex (monthly billed travel) prices for 2026.

For regular bus, tram or metro travel, compare your route in the 9292 instructions for choosing a season ticket (External site, opens in a new tab). A day ticket or monthly product can be cheaper. It may cover only one operator, zone or payment method.

NS off-peak hours on weekdays are before 06:30, from 09:00 to 16:00, and after 18:30. Weekends and recognised public holidays also count. Check NS’s holiday list: not every commemorative day counts every year.

NS allows a five-minute margin around off-peak hours. You must start your journey within 30 minutes of checking in. With NS Flex, your first check-in decides the rate if you check in with the next train operator within 35 minutes of checking out. With a balance-based discount product, each new operator check-in must be off-peak.

Samenreiskorting (External site, opens in a new tab) (co-travel discount) gives up to three companions 40% off at eligible times. An eligible NS subscription holder or student travel product holder shares a code. The code is valid for three days. Each companion uses it before travelling to buy a Samenreisticket Dal (off-peak co-travel ticket) or add the discount to NS Flex Basis (travel without a discount subscription) or NS Flex Weekend Vrij.

The ticket is valid only during off-peak hours, even when your journey started earlier. With eligible NS Flex, the check-in time decides the rate, so you may stay on the train when peak hours begin. You must travel together in the same compartment and carry identification. Use the ticket or eligible NS Flex product; a standard bank-card tap or OV-pas cannot apply this discount.

Children under 4 travel free and need no card. Older children’s fares depend on the transport mode and product. Kids Vrij covers regular train travel; Railrunner (children’s train day ticket) is a day ticket. Bus, tram and metro age discounts use separate rules.

9292 plans journeys across operators and includes fares, disruptions and accessibility information. Check each ferry leg with its operator before travelling.

Contact the operator about a fare, correction or service problem.

Ferry payment rules differ: some accept OVpay, some are free and others sell separate tickets. Check the ferry on your route before travelling.

OV-fiets requires a personal OV-chipkaart. New users need NS Flex; NS Flex Basis has no subscription fee. Existing standalone OV-fiets subscriptions still work, but NS no longer offers new ones. Use your OV-chipkaart for the rental; bank cards and the OV-pas do not open it yet.

In 2026, OV-fiets hire costs €4.80 per 24 hours for the first three days. After three days, the charge rises to €9.80 per day. The maximum rental period is seven days.

For your own standard bicycle on ordinary domestic train services, buy a Fietskaart Dal (off-peak bicycle ticket). The 2026 price is €8.50. Weekday travel is allowed from 09:00 to 16:00 and from 18:30 to 06:30. You may travel all day at weekends, in July and August, and on public holidays except King’s Day. Space is limited; if the bicycle area is full, wait for another train.

You cannot take a standard bicycle on a domestic journey on ICE (international train service), Eurostar (international train service) or Nightjet (international train service). On Eurocity Direct and EuroCity (international train service), peak-hour travel and travel in July or August require an international bicycle ticket and a bicycle reservation. Outside those periods, you need a bicycle ticket for their domestic routes but no reservation.

A fully folded bicycle smaller than 45 × 86 × 80 cm travels free all day. Check the NS bicycle rules (External site, opens in a new tab) before departure.

The 9292 accessible-journey instructions (External site, opens in a new tab) show how to plan a route that considers stops, stations and vehicles. Accessibility varies by operator and vehicle. Check the operator’s size limits for a wheelchair or mobility scooter.

For an NS journey, request NS Reisassistentie (External site, opens in a new tab) (travel assistance) at least one hour before departure. NS recommends booking no more than three days ahead. Use the NS app, website or assistance phone line. Check the help offered at your station and arrive at the confirmed meeting point 15 minutes before departure.

An incomplete journey creates a correction or boarding charge instead of the real fare. The amount depends on the operator, class and card. In 2026, second-class NS travel with a bank card or OV-pas has a €33.30 missed check-out charge or a €20 missed check-in charge.

Choose the correction route for your payment method:

NS currently directs OV-pas corrections to the OVpay app. For NS Flex journeys with NS, use NS’s own correction route. If you paid with a bank card, phone or watch and have no OVpay account, use the NLOV reference and charged amount on OVpay journeys without an account (External site, opens in a new tab).

NS allows three missed-check-out corrections per calendar year. With NS Flex, manual and automatic corrections count together. You can challenge an incorrect automatic fare reconstruction within six months of the journey date. That request does not count towards the limit, but NS may refuse it.

Bank-card refund times differ by operator. A refund from NS can take up to five days. GVB says its refund or offset can take up to 15 days. Read the result for your operator.

Contact the operator directly if a broken reader, disruption or system fault caused the problem.

The next action depends on why the reader refused the card:

• An unpaid earlier fare can block a bank card for public transport. Pay the outstanding amount through OVpay. After a successful payment, allow up to 15 minutes before using the card again.
• Your issuer or card type may be excluded. Use another accepted card or buy an operator ticket before boarding.
• An OV-pas or OV-chipkaart may have too little balance or a blocked product. Check the app or account, top it up or ask the card provider.

Your phone wallet and plastic card count as different cards. Using one at each end creates two incomplete journeys. Correct both in OVpay. On your next trip, use one card or device at every reader.

Tell the conductor as soon as you notice a failed NS check-in. In 2026, NS Flex and NS-Business Card (business travel card) users receive a €70 invalid-ticket fine on their next invoice. For other travellers, the charge is the fare plus €70 when paying later or immediately in cash. Immediate debit-card payment reduces the fine to €50, plus the fare. Other operators set their own amounts and procedures.

For deferred NS payment, the letter gives you 14 days. Missing that deadline adds €20. After another 14 days, collection adds €25. Keep the payment reference and evidence for your objection.

For eligible domestic NS fare-paying journeys in 2026, a delay of 30–59 minutes at your final destination returns 50% of the fare. A delay of at least 60 minutes returns 100%. For trips covered by unlimited travel, compensation depends on your subscription. Outside those times or routes, the fare-paying rules above apply. Submit your claim within three months. NS does not pay amounts below €2.30.

NS excludes delays announced before travel, delays caused by another operator, journeys without a valid ticket and certain cases of force majeure (events outside the operator’s control). High-speed services have separate rules, including compensation from 15 minutes on some routes. Use the form for your payment method on the NS domestic delay refund page (External site, opens in a new tab).

If NS expects a delay of at least 60 minutes, ask staff or customer service about continuing, returning or taking another route. Normally, get explicit approval before booking your own taxi or hotel if you want NS to repay it. Claim from the responsible operator when another operator caused the delay.

There is an exception for alternative transport if an NS train failure or delay leaves you stranded at the end of the day. You must be unable to reach home or your final destination that day, and unable to contact NS through any channel after repeated attempts. You may then claim reasonable transport costs without prior approval. Keep proof of the failed contact attempts and your receipt or invoice. This exception does not cover a hotel you book yourself.

Contact the operator first about a journey, fine, delay or staff problem. Contact OVpay about an OV-pas, account or OVpay-system problem. Keep the journey date, times, card reference, screenshots and receipts.

If the operator has not resolved your complaint, the independent Klachtenloket Openbaar Vervoer (External site, opens in a new tab) (public-transport complaints desk) can advise or mediate free of charge. You can then take a dispute to the Geschillencommissie Openbaar Vervoer (External site, opens in a new tab) (public-transport disputes committee). The operator must belong to the committee. Its decision is binding. In 2026, the fee is €27.50; you get it back if the committee rules in your favour. Follow the deadline in the operator’s reply.

Credit on an OV-chipkaart remains yours. Check the card and request a refund on the OV-chipkaart website (External site, opens in a new tab), including for an expired card. Keep a personal card that still carries a product until its provider confirms the move. Refund only the balance you no longer need.

For related tasks, use these guides:

• First 90 days in the Netherlands checklist puts a bank account and other arrival tasks in order.
• Inburgeringsexamen (civic integration exam) locations explains where exams take place so you can plan travel to your venue.