Making card payments is nothing new in the Netherlands. With your bank card you can buy anything, even bus tickets, there are concept museum card; so the existence of a transport card is no surprise. The main advantage of owning such a card is that it can be used on any means of public transport, in any city in the country.
Although train tickets can also be bought on paper, using the travel card will save you the €1 printing fee, while using the card on the bus, tram or metro guarantees a lower price for your journey, as you only pay for the distance travelled and not the whole ticket. The minimum balance required for train travel is €20 for the anonymous card and €10 for the personal card, and €4 for bus travel.
The company issuing the card is Trans Link Systems and, with your consent, they also record your travel history. On the website official You can create an account and access various features such as automatic balance loading, history tracking or card renewal.
Types of transport cards
The most popular types of cards are:
- The anonymous card: can be purchased at any train station, either at the ticket office or at the ticket machines. The cost in 2018 is €7.50 and can be bought even if you don't live in the Netherlands. The card cannot be used for season tickets.
- Personal card: purchased on internet, costs €7.50 and can only be bought if you have a mailing address in the Netherlands. At the time of purchase you will upload a personal photo that will be printed on the card.
- NS-business card: a card offered by NS, it's a personal card that you don't have to load the balance onto. It can be used on any public transport and you will receive a bill at the end of the month for all journeys made. It can be combined with certain train passes.
In the Netherlands, the employer reimburses (partially or fully) transport costs. If transport costs between home and work are not reimbursed in full, it is possible to claim them on the annual tax return. To support this return, you will need to download your travel history from the OvChip website.
Attention! Don't forget check-in and check-out! The transport card is used by bringing it close to the card reader. In buses and trams, access will be through the front (or the specially marked door) so that the driver notices that you have checked in. For train and metro travel, platforms are accessible after check-in at the station entrance gates. It is compulsory to check out when leaving the station or bus. Failure to do so will result in an automatic €4 (bus, tram, metro) or €20/10 (train) charge. The money can be recovered by calling the transport provider or online on their website.
