Paying for train travel and other forms of public transport in the Netherlands

Dutch people will often tell you that you MUST purchase an “OV chipkaart”. This is no longer the case.

You can use your bank card (or your phone or your credit card). Tap it against one of these check-in and check-out screens that you see in and around train stations, metro stations and also in trams and buses.

(This is also the way public transport works in London.)

My British bank cards work fine on the Dutch public transport screens too. Not all American bank cards may have the required technology.

Don’t forget to check out.

There is an app called OV Pay in which you can check your journeys and also add your end station if you forgot to check out. It happens to everyone, particularly on busy buses and trams.

If you don’t enter your exit stop in OV Pay if you didn’t check out, the system will charge a standard fee for your trip. It won’t pick a logical stop, such as the one from which you traveled back.

This check-in/check-out screen happens to be standing on a train platform at which many international travelers change to a different train. That is what the text on the sign is about.

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