NS is hitting the brakes on digital payment tricks — some cards just got kicked off the train. In other words, your digital debit card may no longer work when checking in.
According to NOS, since July 1, the NS has said a firm doei to digital cards from services such as Revolut, Paysafe, and Vivid, after a sneaky loophole let some passengers ride without paying.
Let’s break it down. 👇
Tap in, ride free, delete the evidence
Here’s where the problem lies. Many digital card services give you the option of creating temporary virtual cards when completing transactions.
This means that NS passengers could check in and out using these temporary cards, ride the train as normal, then delete the card before the fare was charged.
Because OVpay only processes payments AFTER checkout, NS found that it couldn’t collect the fare. Everything looked valid on the surface, but the money? Gone. 💨
The flaw isn’t new. This kind of fare-dodging has been possible for years. But this is the first time any payment services have been blocked over it.
@lautaro.melcon For those without the studentenreisproduct…. #expatlife #dutchlife #expatinnetherlands #argentinian #ns #train ♬ original sound – HBO
In May, Translink — the company behind OVpay — warned Revolut, Paysafe, and Vivid that their cards would be blocked unless they took action. No fixes were made, so here we are.
NS says enough is enough
The NS tells NOS that the issue has gotten too big to ignore. A spokesperson calls it ”serious abuse,” and says the company didn’t make this decision lightly.
As for the financial damage? That’s still unclear. Translink, which handles OVpay transactions, declines to say how much money couldn’t be collected.
Revolut isn’t exactly thrilled. A spokesperson tells NOS the company disagrees with the decision and is figuring out the best way to respond for its Dutch users.
Translink, meanwhile, stands by the way OVpay is set up. Charging fares instantly, they explain, would slow everything down.
Vivid says it’s working on a technical fix, expected to launch in September. Paysafe, on the other hand, remains completely silent. 👀
Was NS right to shut the gates — or should they have found a fix that didn’t hit everyone? Let us know in the comments below! 💬
