Here’s how to check into Dutch public transport with your bank card

Hoera! Starting January 31, you can check into NS trains using your debit or credit card. This means that, for the first time, contactless payment on public transport will be widely accepted across the Netherlands.

Yep, you heard that right! After rigorous trials, the long-awaited OVpay is officially here! And it’s only a few weeks late. 💪

For the most part, checking in with your debit card will be the same as checking in with an OV-Chipkaart. But of course, there are a few things you should know.

How does OVpay work?

As with a handy blue or yellow OV-Chipkaart, OVpay simply requires you to hold your pinpas against a scanner at the station. And hoera, after that, you are checked in! 🤩

Deze @nieuweknikkers is net ingecheckt bij de @NS_online met de bankpas op mijn horloge ⌚️. Dat ging snel met #ovpay pic.twitter.com/OLke05BrSY

— Gertjan Rösken (@GertjanRosken) September 8, 2022

Throughout the day, the cost of your rides will be added up, and debited from your bank account at the end of it.

READ MORE | A guide to night buses and night trains in the Netherlands

If you choose to pay with your phone’s contactless payment system instead, you will be debited for each trip separately and immediately. 🤳

What if I don’t have enough money on my debit card?

Good question! It happens to the best of us. Here’s what happens in that case: 

If the balance on your debit card is too low to pay for the trips of your day, then your card will be blocked for use on Dutch public transport. 🚫 💳

But this is not as harsh as it sounds: this blockade ends as soon as the due payments to the NS have been taken from your account. 

READ MORE | Public transport in the Netherlands: the complete guide

OVpay will try to take the money for past rides again at a later point and, as soon as you have enough money in your account, the blockade will be lifted.

Need to travel right away? Geen probleem (no problem)! 

Just add money to your account and hold it against the scanner. OVpay will then take the non-debited amounts from your account, and within 15 mintues, you can travel again.

How is OVpay different from the OV-Chipkaart?

While OVpay is certainly heel handig (very handy), there are some things the OV-Chipkaart just does better. 🤷‍♀️

For one, checking into public transport with your phone/credit card/debit card does not allow you to use any discount-subscriptions you may have. 

Student travel product? Nee. 40% off outside of rush hours? Nee. 

READ MORE | Train etiquette on Dutch trains: 8 things you’ll always see

On top of that, OVpay automatically checks you into second class. If you would like to travel like the royals, you will need to use an OV-Chipkaart to check into first class. 👑

What should you pay attention to when using OVpay?

If you plan on using OVpay, there are a few things to keep in mind to avoid complete OV chaos.

First off, it’s important to use the same card when checking in and out. If you use a different bank card, the pole will recognize that as a new check-in, and you will pay extra. 

If you already own OV-Chipkaart with a subscription on it, it might now be easy to mix the cards up. 

READ MORE | Dutch trains sucked more than usual in 2022, stats say

This also counts for those of us that like to hold our wallet against the OV Scanner. From now on, you will have to be careful not to accidentally let it scan both your OV card and your debit card.

What about my personal data?

At the announcement of the OVpay project, there was a lot of public worry about privacy. 🚄

“Fear not,” says the company itself: public transport companies cannot view your bank details, and your bank cannot see your travel details. 

This makes OVpay just as safe as a card payment at the supermarket. 

Will you be using OVpay? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!