Public transport in the Netherlands: how to pay, check in and save money

The reader recognises the card or device, not the bank account behind it. A phone wallet and the matching plastic card count as two different credentials. Each traveller needs their own credential.

Anonymous OV-chipkaarts have not been sold since 1 July 2026. Existing anonymous cards can still be used until the end of 2027. Personal cards with products do not all stop on one date. NS starts moving season tickets at the end of 2026 and continues through 2027. NS will contact each holder when it is time. Keep using your current card until the provider tells you to switch. The Switch Helper on OVpay shows which option fits your products.

A check-in records the start of the journey. The matching check-out sets the fare. Follow the same steps even when a station has open platforms instead of gates.

• Tap in before boarding and tap out after leaving. Use the gates or poles at a station and the door reader on a bus or tram.
• Use exactly the same physical card, phone or watch at both ends. One traveller must use one credential.
• Use the reader for the correct operator. The operator name appears above the reader. NS readers are yellow.
• Stay checked in when changing between vehicles of the same operator unless a gate forces you out. When the operator changes, check out first and then check in again. This includes bus-to-train transfers and a change from NS to another train company.
• At NS, a check-out at the same station within 60 minutes cancels the check-in. After 60 minutes, NS assumes that you travelled.
• For NS, check out within six hours and before the end of the same NS service day. Correct the journey later if that window has passed.
• If you are still at the station after a failed tap, 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 standard bus, tram or metro fare starts with the 2026 base fare of €1.16. The operator or region then adds its distance rate. Special services and tickets can use another price. 9292 shows the fare for the planned journey.

There is no national daily cap. A cap applies only when an operator or product says so. For example, GVB Max caps eligible GVB travel in Amsterdam at €10.50 per day. You must use the same payment card or OV-pas and complete every check-in and check-out. The cap excludes OV-chipkaart travel, night buses and journeys with other operators.

A full train fare is set by the route, not by the time of day. A bare payment card always pays the second-class full fare. With a bare payment card or ordinary domestic ticket, a one-way trip on Intercity Direct or Eurocity Direct between Schiphol Airport and Rotterdam also needs a €3.20 supplement. Some paper tickets bought from a machine or service desk carry a €1.60 surcharge.

When you pay with a bank card, phone or watch, OVpay usually combines the day’s journeys into a payment taken later. The bank statement includes an 18-character reference that starts with NLOV. Use that reference and the amount to look up the journey without an account. The OVpay app gives a clearer trip list.

Balance travel uses a temporary boarding amount. NS takes €20 at train check-in, or €10 when an NS season ticket is on the OV-chipkaart. A bus operator often reserves €4. The correct fare replaces this amount after check-out. Check the operator if its boarding amount is different.

A bare payment card does not carry an NS season ticket. An OV-pas cannot carry one yet either. Current NS season tickets stay on a personal OV-chipkaart until NS contacts the holder. Some bus, tram and metro operators can link their own products to a payment card or OV-pas. The product and credential must match.

Dal Voordeel is often the first NS option to compare. It costs €6.35 per month and gives 40% off eligible off-peak train travel. The fee equals 40% of about €15.88, so it starts to save money above roughly €16 of eligible full-fare travel in a month.

NS off-peak hours are before 06:30, from 09:00 to 16:00, and after 18:30 on weekdays. Weekends and recognised public holidays also count. Check the NS holiday list because not every commemorative day counts every year. You may check in up to five minutes before an off-peak window and must start the journey within 30 minutes. On NS Flex, the first check-in time keeps deciding the rate when you check in with the next train operator within 35 minutes. With a balance-based discount product, every operator check-in must be off-peak.

Co-travel discount is not automatic. The NS season-ticket holder shares a code that is valid for three days. Up to three companions use it before travel. They either buy a Co-travel Day ticket off-peak or link the discount to NS Flex Basis or NS Flex Weekend Vrij. Both options give 40% off at eligible times. The day ticket is not valid during peak hours, even when the journey started off-peak. With eligible NS Flex, the check-in time decides, so the traveller may stay on the train when peak hours begin. Everyone travels together in the same compartment and carries identification. A bare payment card and the OV-pas cannot use this discount. Read the current steps on the NS co-travel page.

For regular bus, tram or metro travel, compare the exact route and operator in the 9292 season-ticket guide. A city day ticket or monthly product can be cheaper, but it may cover only one operator, zone or credential.

Children under 4 travel free and need no card. The rules for older children depend on the mode and product.

• Kids Vrij costs €0 per month for ages 4–11. The child travels free on all operators’ trains, including peak hours, with a supervisor aged 12 or older who has a valid ticket. One supervisor may accompany up to three Kids Vrij children. The child needs an active product on their own personal OV-chipkaart.
• Railrunner is a €2.50 day ticket for ages 4–11. It can be the immediate option while a Kids Vrij card is being arranged.
• Ages 4–11 receive 34% off standard bus, tram and metro balance fares with their own personal OV-chipkaart or an OVpay credential registered for age discount. Some operators or cities offer extra local schemes, so check the route.
• From age 65, the national age discount is 34% on standard bus, tram and metro balance fares. Register it on an eligible personal OV-chipkaart or OVpay credential. It does not create a general train discount.

Use 9292 for a door-to-door plan across operators. It shows fares, disruptions, accessibility information and ferry legs. The operator still matters: use its reader and contact it about a fare, correction or service problem. Some ferries accept OVpay, some are free, and others sell a separate ticket. Check the planned ferry instead of assuming that one rule covers all of them.

An OV-fiets currently requires a personal OV-chipkaart with the free OV-fiets product or NS Flex. A payment card and OV-pas do not open the rental yet. The standard hire is €4.80 per 24 hours, and the normal maximum is seven days. For your own standard bicycle, buy the required bicycle ticket and use the allowed off-peak times. A small folded bicycle travels free. Bicycle space is never guaranteed; check the NS bicycle rules before departure.

The accessible-journey option in 9292 checks available information about stops, stations and vehicles. Accessibility still varies by operator and vehicle, and size conditions can apply to a wheelchair or walker. For an NS train journey, request NS 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, and check that the chosen station offers the help you need.

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

• For a payment card or OV-pas, correct the journey in OVpay from six hours after travel and no later than 60 days afterwards. Without an account, use the NLOV reference and charged amount on the no-account page.
• For an OV-chipkaart, use Uitcheckgemist when that operator supports the trip there. The service can show trips up to 180 days old.
• Refund time and the number of allowed corrections vary. NS normally allows three corrections per calendar year and says a bank-card refund can take up to five days. GVB says its refund or offset can take up to 15 days. Read the result shown for your operator.
• Contact the operator directly if a broken reader, disruption or another system fault caused the incomplete journey.

• A failed earlier fare can block the card for public transport. Pay the outstanding amount in OVpay, then allow about 15 minutes before trying again.
• The issuer or card type may not be accepted. Use another accepted contactless credential or buy a ticket from the operator. Do not board without a valid check-in or ticket.
• An OV-pas or OV-chipkaart may have too little balance or a blocked product. Check its app or account, top it up, or ask the card provider.

The reader treats the wallet card and plastic card as different credentials, even when they use the same bank account. This creates two incomplete journeys. Correct both in OVpay. On the next trip, choose one credential and use it at every reader.

Tell the conductor as soon as you notice a failed NS check-in. If an NS inspector finds no valid ticket, the normal charge is the fare plus €70. Immediate payment by debit card reduces the fine to €50. Immediate cash payment remains €70. An immediate payment cannot be challenged later. Regional and city operators set their own amounts and procedures.

For a deferred NS payment, the letter gives 14 days. Missing that deadline adds €20. Another 14 days later, collection adds €25. To challenge the fine, follow the deferred-payment route, pay within the stated period and submit the objection to NS. NS refunds the amount if it accepts the objection. Keep the payment reference and evidence.

For an eligible domestic NS journey, a delay of 30–59 minutes at the final destination normally returns 50% of the fare. A delay of 60 minutes or more normally returns 100%. Submit the payment-method form within three months. NS does not pay amounts below €2.30. Other exclusions include a delay announced before travel, another operator causing it, no valid ticket and force majeure. High-speed services have separate rules, including a 15-minute threshold on some routes.

If a delay is expected to reach 60 minutes, ask NS staff or customer service about continuing, returning or another route. Do not book your own taxi or hotel and assume it will be refunded; get explicit approval first. If another operator caused the delay, claim from that operator under its rules. Start with the NS delay page.

Contact the operator first for a journey, fine, delay or staff problem. Contact OVpay for an OV-pas, account or OVpay-system problem. Keep the journey date, times, credential reference, screenshots and receipts. If the operator does not resolve a complaint, the independent Public Transport Complaints Desk can advise or mediate without charge. A later case at the Public Transport Disputes Committee produces a binding decision and charges a fee. Follow the deadline in the operator’s reply.

Credit on an OV-chipkaart remains yours. Check the card and request a refund through ov-chipkaart.nl, 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.

Use the cost of living guide to place transport beside rent, food and insurance. The first 90 days checklist puts a bank account and other arrival tasks in order.