Travelling and paying with your Debit Card or OV-pas

^{¹ Arriva, Connexxion, EBS, GVB, HTM, Keolis, NS, Qbuzz and RET. See ovpay.nl for the most up-to-date overview.
² Maestro, Mastercard, VPAY and VISA. See ovpay.nl for the most up-to-date overview.}

OV-pas users pay for their journeys using their OV-pas balance. Translink is responsible for issuing the OV-pas and for managing users' OV-pas balance. For questions about the OV-pas, how it works, where you can buy one and how to top up your balance, please contact Translink. For questions about journeys, please contact the Carrier in question or Translink.

Terms and Conditions

When you check in and out with your Card, you enter into a transport agreement with NS to which the NS Terms and Conditions apply. When you use your Debit Card as a Ticket, the 'OVpay Terms Conditions for Checking In/out with your Debit Card and Credit Card'also apply, and the 'OV-pas General Terms and Conditions' apply to the use of the OV-pas. In addition, the relevant terms and conditions will apply when you use a discount product or discount profile. If you travel with Intercity Direct, the Intercity Direct Product Terms and Conditions will also apply.

When you check in or out with your Debit Card, NS has to Process your journey and payment details. This enables you to travel with NS and pay using your Card. NS and Translink can also provide services. If you do not want to share the necessary journey and payment details with NS or Translink, you will not be able to travel and pay using your Card and you will have to use another type of Ticket.

The processes were set up following the principles of privacy by design. This means that Translink and the Carriers have developed and designed the system in order to protect travellers' privacy as effectively as possible. 

The capitalised terms below have a fixed definition, as stated in the glossary at the end of this privacy statement.

Pseudonymisation and re-identification

Immediately after you check in, the unique identification number ('PAN') of your Card is Pseudonymised, which means that every Card is given its own unique token. This unique token is used for various purposes such as travel, payments, services, inspections and summary reports. 

Translink has an administration system that it uses to record tickets and other administrative issues on behalf of Carriers, and to calculate journey prices as well as the total cost of your travel for the whole day. With this system, each Carrier has its own unique identification number for your Card, so that Carriers have no insight into any journeys you make with other Carriers. 

Without additional information, Pseudonymised data cannot be traced back to your Card data. This Pseudonymisation serves to reduce the risks related to Processing the Personal Data of individual travellers. The Carriers and Translink have made agreements to minimise the risk of reidentification and thereby making it practically impossible for Carriers to view travellers' travel history with other Carriers. However, a pseudonym may in certain cases be linked to an individual if there is a valid reason for doing so, for example when the traveller identifies themselves to the Carrier.

The Carriers and Translink have made agreements with each other to prevent this risk of re-identification.

How can you travel and pay with a Debit Card or OV-pas?

A. Purchase an OV-pas (balance)

You can purchase a physical OV-pas in the OVpay app or on www.ovpay.nl (as of September 2025). When you order an OV-pas, it is assigned a unique number in Translink's central administration system. This is necessary for monitoring the balance on the card and deducting the cost of trips made from the OV-pas balance. The balance changes whenever someone uses the OV-pas to travel, and when money is deposited into or withdrawn from the account.
For a physical card, Translink will need a name and a delivery address to send the card to. The Personal Details needed for card delivery are retained for 30 days, so that Translink can produce and send you a second OV-pas in case of a production or shipping mishap.

We expect that you will also be able to purchase a physical OV-pas (and top up the balance) at multiple nationwide retailers starting from early 2026, either with cash or a Debit Card. You can only top up an OV-pas at these retailers if you purchased your card there, as it needs a barcode. For OV-pas cards purchased this way, Translink does not process Personal Data, nor can Translink or NS identify any individuals who purchased the OV-pas. Although Translink and NS will know which journeys were made using a specific OV-pas, they will not know who made the journeys.

Topping up, managing and refunding your balance on the OV-pas

Through the OVpay app and www.ovpay.nl  you can top up your public transport card with up to €150 credit and view your balance. 
If your OV-pas is lost, stolen or no longer works, you must report this through the OVpay app or to OVpay customer service. Translink will need the OV-pas details to block the card, namely the card number and the verification code. You can find both numbers on your OV-pas: one on the front and one on the back. Translink will then block your OV-pas, after which it cannot be used for travel. If you do not have access to the card number and verification code, you cannot block your OV-pas. 
 If you request a new OV-pas through your OVpay account, the balance will automatically be linked to the new OV-pas. Importantly, this does not apply to a replacement OV-pas ordered separately without an account (e.g. from a retailer). An expired OV-pas will also be blocked automatically and can no longer be used for travel.

Travelling on account with an OV-pas

When you travel on account, you are periodically billed for the trips you made using the OV-pas. To travel on account, you have to enter into a separate agreement with a Payment Services Provider. This agreement outlines the Terms & Conditions of Payment, including payment deadlines and acceptable payment methods (e.g. direct debit or periodic transfers).

The Payment Services Provider will pay the Carrier for every trip you make and bill you afterwards. The Payment Services Provider may charge a different price than the fare charged by the Carrier for the same trip made on balance. You are a customer of the Payment Services Provider.

Translink charges your travel costs to the Payment Service Provider, which in turn pays the costs for each of your journeys made on account to the Carrier (via Translink). The Payment Services Provider then bills you for these costs afterwards. The Payment Services Provider may charge a different price than the fare charged by the Carrier for the same trip made on balance. 
If you fail to meet the Payment Services Provider's T&Cs, including the Terms & Conditions of Payment, you may be temporarily or permanently blocked from travelling on account using the OV-pas.  

Personalised or anonymous OV-pas

If you opt for a physical OV-pas, you can choose whether or not to personalise it. You can personalise an OV-pas by linking one or more Personalised Products to the OV-pas, such as an age discount for bus, tram & metro travel or a free travel product, such as a season ticket. For more information about linking Products to your card, please refer to section E. Service.

An anonymous, physical OV-pas can be used by anyone who has the card in their possession.

When ordering through the OVpay app or the OVpay.nl website, you can have a reference printed on the physical OV-pas. This reference may be your name, but it can also be something else, such as ‘family card’ or ‘card two’. While you can use the reference to distinguish the card from others, it does not make the card personal, which means someone else may also use the OV-pas. You cannot have a reference printed on an OV-pas purchased from a retailer.

B. Travel

First time travelling with your Debit Card

The first time you check in with your Debit Card, an automatic check is performed to determine whether your Debit Card is suitable for public transport travel in the Netherlands. This check is also performed if you check in after not having used the Debit Card to travel for a period of 14 days. 

Translink also checks with the Bank to see whether your Debit Card or bank account has been blocked. If it has, we will block the public transport travel function on your Debit Card so that you cannot use it for travel. This decision is made by the Bank. The Carriers and Translink cannot change this block.

Travelling with your Debit Card and OV-Pas

When you check in with your Card, the card reader reads Technical data from the card. We check whether the Card can be used to travel and notify you via the card reader. A debit card, for example, will be declined if it is issued by a card provider that cannot be used for public transport travel in the Netherlands. Presenting your Card to a card reader is known as a 'tap'.

If you are allowed to travel with your Card, Personal Data is sent from the respective Carrier's card reader to Translink when you check in or out. In addition to the Technical data, the data package also includes the date, time and the stop or station where you checked in or out. Translink records all check-ins and check-outs, pieces together your trips and determines the fares. Your journey will be compiled and the fare will be calculated using this data, along with any relevant additional data associated with Personalised Products and Discount Profiles. Please make sure that upon checking in and out, you present your card to the reader separately, rather than from inside your wallet. This ensures that you only check in and out with the intended card and will not inadvertently be overcharged for your trip.

Debit Card and OV-pas validity check

Whenever you check in with your Debit Card or OV-pas, several automatic checks are performed. If you use an OV-pas, we will verify whether your OV-pas has enough balance to allow you to travel by public transport. The minimum balance required can vary per Carrier, and is determined by each individual Carrier. 

• Every time you check in with your Debit Card or OV-pas, Translink's alert list is checked to see whether the card in question has been blocked. This list is managed by Translink and distributed to Carriers. Translink will add your Card to this list if
• your Debit Card is found on the Bank's alert list (Debit Card) or on the alert lists of Translink and the Carriers (OV-pas), for example because it is registered as stolen or missing;
• the Card was declined, for example because you had no balance or because you had exceeded your spending limit on your Bank Account or your OV-pas balance.
• multiple payments made with a Debit Card linked to the same bank account were declined; 
• you used a Personalised product or Discount profile without meeting the applicable terms or conditions.

C. Payment

Paying with your Debit Card

When you check in and out with your Debit Card, Translink calculates the fares for the trips that you make. Translink works with Fiserv (formerly EMS, now Fiserv Ltd. www.fiserv.com) and your bank to process payments for your trips. In the night following the Travel Day on which you travelled, Fiserv will present the full amount due for all trips made on one Travel Day to your Bank. In order to process the payment, Translink sends the Technical data and the Payment Reference to Fiserv and your Bank.

Translink will already settle your outstanding balance during the Travel Day if it exceeds a certain ceiling to be determined by Carriers. The fare due will then be debited directly from your Bank Account. After successful payment, any subsequent trips you make will be charged at the end of the Travel Day, unless you reach the spending ceiling again before the end of the day.

If the payment is successful, an entry will appear on your digital or physical Bank Account statement and you will receive a unique Payment Reference. A unique reference is made for each payment and is always preceded by the letters 'NLOV'. You can find your digital account statement by logging into your secure banking environment.

Because the combination of a Payment Reference and the corresponding amount give you access to certain services, sharing this information with another person or organisation will give them insight into your trip history.

Paying with your OV-pas

When you check in and out with your OV-pas, Translink calculates the fares for your trips. Translink also settles the payment for trips you make on balance. After you check out, the fare is immediately debited from the balance linked to your OV-pas. Once the payment has been processed, you will immediately see the deducted amount in the OVpay app and on www.ovpay.nl, provided you linked your OV-pas with your personal account. For NS travel, you can also use your MijnNS account, ns.nl or the NS App. As mentioned above, your Payment Services Provider will bill you periodically for travel on account.

Unsuccessful payments

If you are unable to pay with your Card, for example because there were insufficient funds in your account, Translink will block the OV-Pas or the travel function on your Debit Card. When this happens, you will be unable to use your Card for travel until the outstanding amount has been paid and/or until your balance exceeds the minimum amount required to travel with an OV-pas.

Paying an outstanding amount for a Debit Card

Over a period of 62 calendar days, repeated payment requests will be made to debit the amount due from your account. If the payment is successful, the block will be lifted. You can also pay the amount due yourself during or after this period. 

• You can do so by tapping your Debit Card on a Carrier's card reader (at a station, at a stop, or in a vehicle). Translink and Fiserv will then make a payment request to your Bank. You can try this only once a day.
• You can also pay the amount due in the OVpay app, provided you have linked your Debit Card to a personal account. Translink and Fiserv will then make a payment request to your Bank.

In all cases, if the payment is successful, you will be able to travel using your Debit Card after about 15 minutes.

Paying an outstanding amount for an OV-pas

You can lift the block on your OV-pas by paying the outstanding amount in the OVpay app. Fiserv will then make a payment request to your Bank. If the payment is successful, you will be able to travel using your OV-pas after about 15 minutes. If you purchased your OV-pas from a retailer, you can also top up your balance by visiting one of the supported national retailers. Please remember that the balance on your OV-pas needs to be equal to or higher than the minimum balance required for travel with the Carrier in question.

Travel block

You can check whether you have been blocked from using your Card's travel function by tapping it on a Carrier’s card reader and checking the message on the display, or by contacting OVpay customer service. If the travel function on your Card is blocked, you can always use another Ticket to travel by public transport.

D. Summary Reports

All Carriers are sent daily summary reports from Translink to verify the accuracy of their own transactions and payments and to ensure the integrity of the Public Transport system. These reports contain transactions (e.g. every check-in or check-out), journeys (paired check-ins and check-outs) and payments within the domain of the Carrier in question. Translink also ensures that each Carrier receives payment for the trips you make every day using your Card.

E. Service

We understand that you may have questions about matters such as a journey, costs that have been charged, or a missed check-in or check-out. You may also want to view your recent travel history. You can review your travel history in the following ways (The OVpay app has its own privacy statement; you can find it in the OVpay app or OVpay website under 'Privacy'):

• In the NS App or via NS Customer Service (for all Cards); or 
• At an NS Ticket Machine or Counter (for OV-pas only); or
• On the OVpay website, in the OVpay APP and via OVpay Customer Service (for all Cards). 

In order to help you, we will need the Payment Reference Number for the Debit Card and the amount debited from your account. We do not know your Card number and we cannot search for your IBAN either.  If you use an OV-pas, you will need the card number and verification code found on the OV-pas.

App and website

You can link one or more Cards to your account in the NS App and the OVpay App. First create an account using your email address and a password of your choosing in the App. 

There are various ways to link your Card and account.

Debit card

1. In the NS app and OVpay app, you can link your Debit Card using a Payment Reference Number and the corresponding amount in the app, but only up to 31 days after you have travelled and made a payment. To link your OV-pas, you need the OV-pas card number and verification code.
2. Another way to link your Debit Card to the OVpay app is by entering the PAN and expiry date of your Debit Card in your online account. You can then travel using your card. 
3. You can also link the OVpay app to your Debit Card by entering the IBAN and Debit Card number in the online account, and then using the Debit Card to travel within the next 60 days. This method does not work for the OV-pas.

OV-pas

1. In the NS app or OVpay app, select Add OV-pas and enter the card number and the card sequence number. These numbers are printed on the front and back of your OV-pas respectively.
2. You can also order a new physical OV-pas in the OVpay app, which will then be automatically added to your account. 

Linking an OV-pas to your account in the OV-pay app lets you prevent others from linking the card and thereby accessing your travel history and card balance (e.g. if you lose your OV-pas).

App and website services

In your online account, you can track your check-ins and check-outs, review trip fares and payments, the payment status, and any blocks on your Card. You can also correct missed check-ins and check-outs and pay outstanding amounts in the OVpay app.
The OVpay app also enables users to track their travel history with all their Cards on all Public Transport Carriers for the past 18 months. In a Carrier's account environment (web or app, if available), you will only be able to view trips made with that Carrier with your Cards, also for the past 18 months. 

The OVpay app also allows users to create an age profile to benefit from discounted bus, tram and metro travel if they qualify.

Both the NS app and the OVpay app let you enable notifications when you check in or out or when you have an outstanding amount due.

OV-pas

The OVpay app lets you purchase an OV-pas, check and top up your balance and request refunds. Through the OVpay app or the OV customer service, you can report that your OV-pas has been lost, found, stolen, or is defective. 
By the end of the year, you are expected to be able to buy an OV-pas from transport operators as well, and check or top up your balance there.

If your trip with NS was delayed, you used your OV-pas, and you are eligible for compensation based on the ‘Delay Refund' scheme, you can submit a refund request using the web form on ns.nl. Please remember to include the payment reference number and amount (Debit Card) or the required OV-pas details (OV-pas).

Customer Service

For questions about travelling with a Card, please contact NS Customer Service or OVpay Customer Service. Customer Service employees do not have access to your Debit Card or account data. The OVpay customer service does have access to your OV-pas details, including balance changes, so they can assist you if you have any questions. An employee will always explicitly ask for your data if this is necessary in order to answer your questions.

If you have questions about a missed check-in or check-out, you can contact the OVpay customer service. 

Our Customer Service staff will only see data they need in order to answer your questions.

F. Inspection

Everyone using public transport is required to have a valid Ticket. If you check in with your Card, your Ticket will be linked to that Card through a digital record by Translink. NS employees regularly perform Ticket inspections in trains and at stations. In the process, they may also check whether you are travelling with a valid Personalised Product or Discount Profile. If an NS employee comes to check your Ticket, you must tap your Card on the handheld card reader. 

In order for NS employees to be able to serve/help you, they will explicitly ask for your approval. The NS employee can then view the last 10 actions performed with your Card on their device (up to a maximum of 62 days ago). This data is displayed on the device for a maximum of five minutes and disappears the moment another Card is held up to the card reader. 

The NS employee will be able to see whether you are using a Personalised Product or Discount Profile. This product or profile will only be displayed if it applies to your current trip. In all other cases, the NS employee will not be able to see this data.

If you are travelling on balance with an OV-pas but have not activated a valid Ticket (e.g. because you have not yet checked in or out, the NS employee may issue you with a warning. This warning is registered on the Card and stored in encrypted form for 60 days. The warning will only appear when the Card is scanned during a ticket inspection.

If you use a Personalised Product or Discount Profile that you are not entitled to use, NS staff may block it and you will no longer be able to use it. You can then correct your details in the OVpay app, via the OVpay Customer Service or the relevant Carrier's Customer Service. If you meet all applicable requirements, you will then be able to use the product or profile again.

An NS employee can, on behalf of Translink, confiscate and/or block an OV-pas if it has been reported lost or stolen; if you attempt to travel with an OV-pas that has expired; and/or if there is a suspicion of fraud or misuse involving the Card or the products linked to it.

Basis for Processing

NS uses Card check-ins and check-outs to charge fares for its services. The basis for Processing Personal Data is performance of a contract. This concerns the transport agreement to which the AVR-NS applies and the 'OVpay Terms and Conditions for Checking in/out with your Debit Card and Credit Card' or the 'OVPas Terms & Conditions', depending on what means of payment you use. Additional terms and conditions apply if you use a product or profile.

For enabling check-in and check-out notifications, as well as outstanding amount notifications in the NS App and OVpay app the basis for processing is your consent.

Translink and all Carriers have a legitimate interest in maintaining Card alert lists. Translink distributes these lists to all Carriers, which use them during check-in and check-out to verify whether users are able and allowed to travel with the Card on public transport. (See also B/travel/Payment Card or OV-pas validity check).

Automated decision-making

Automated decisions are made in two cases. 

1. Fare due

Passengers must always pay the fare due. If your payment cannot be processed, the travel function on your Card will automatically be blocked. You will still be able to check out, but you will not be able to check in. You can object to this automated decision in which your Card is temporarily blocked. You can do so by contacting OVpay customer service. They will determine why your Card was blocked and will unblock it if appropriate.

2. Debit Card blocked by bank

If a Debit Card used on public transport has been flagged by a Bank as stolen or missing, or if the Card has been blocked by the Bank for any other reason, the Card’s travel function will also be blocked automatically. This is part of the general terms and conditions for the use of your Debit Card as agreed with your Bank.

The Carriers and Translink cannot change this block. For questions about this, please contact your Bank.

OV-pas blocked by Translink

If an OV-pas has been reported stolen or lost to Translink, if there is not enough balance to travel with the respective Carrier, or if Translink has blocked your card for some other reason, it will be automatically deactivated. After topping up your balance or reporting your card as found, you can use your OV-pas again. A stolen OV-pas is permanently blocked.

Your Personal Data is Processed by: NS and Translink. NS, the other Carriers and Translink are jointly responsible for processing Personal Data relating to travel using your Debit Card. These agreements are set out in a Cooperation Agreement between the public transport companies and Translink. The shared responsibilities for processing data pertain to the following processes and relevant personal data:

Tapping (checking in and out)

Legal basis: performance of a contract

• Purpose: Checking Debit Card status and tap validation.
• Personal Data: Technical Card data (PAN, PAN serial number and expiry date); Tap data.
• Retention periods: up to 24 hours.

Processing taps (transaction processing)

Legal basis: performance of a contract.

• Purpose:
  • Processing taps.
  • Qualification of taps: tap in/tap out/tap for settling outstanding debt.
  • Compiling trips based on check-ins/check-outs (trip transaction data); determining fares; preparing trip transaction data/tap for settling outstanding debt.
  • Dividing journeys into segments and creating synthetic segments per carrier, so that the segments can be allocated to the correct carrier and the price of the journey can be calculated.
• Personal data: Technical Card data (PAN, PAN serial number and expiration date); Pseudonymised tokens; trip transaction data.
• Retention periods: 18 months.

Processing OV-pas balance and balance changes

Legal basis: performance of a contract.

• Purpose: to settle against the balance on an OV-pas the completed and corrected journeys, as well as deposited and withdrawn amounts.
• Personal data: Pseudonymised tokens, balance, balance changes
• Retention terms: 5 years (balance) after OV-pas expiration date

Managing and applying alert lists

Legal basis: legitimate interest: insufficient OV-pas balance; outstanding debt with other Carrier(s); stolen or lost card; 

Legal basis: performance of contract: outstanding debt with a Carrier

• Purpose: Translink manages and Carriers use alert lists to deny access to public transport for lost or stolen Cards, Cards with an outstanding debt, or OV-pas cards with insufficient balance for the relevant mode of transport.
• Personal data: pseudonymised tokens; reason for inclusion on list
• Retention term: n/a (old lists are not retained)

Central traveller support (self service) with or without service account

Legal basis: performance of a contract

• Purpose:
  • To provide insight into trip transactions, payment transactions and outstanding debt via the OVpay website and OVpay app;
  • To facilitate the missed check-outs process via the website, OVpay app, or OVpay Customer Service.
  • To purchase personalised products, including discount products, when travelling with a Card.
• Personal data: Payment Reference Number; Payment Transaction Data; Outstanding debt; Trip Transaction Data; Pseudonymisation tokens, name or name, date of birth and/or passport photo.
• Retention periods: Until service has been provided. No data  will be kept on the website/in the OVpay app. Two months after the expiration date of the final active Personalised Product or Discount Profile.

Decentralised passenger support (self service) with service account at public transport company

Legal basis: performance of a contract

• Purpose: To provide data subjects with insight into the following via the website/app of the public transport company in question:
  • trip transactions and payment transactions with the public transport company in question (from the past 18 months);
  • outstanding debt and the underlying transactions (if any) with other public transport companies.
• Personal data: Payment Reference Number; Payment Transaction Data; Outstanding debt; Trip Transaction Data.
• Retention periods: Until service has been provided. No data will be kept on the website/in the app.

Ticket inspection

Legal basis: performance of a contract

• Purpose:
  • Based on check-in/check-out with Debit Card. Checking whether a passenger has a valid electronic public transport ticket while using public transport; and checking the validity of the respective Discount Proifle and/or Personalised Product if applicable;
  • If no valid check-in or check-out records are found, checking the last ten public transport transactions with the same Debit Card to determine follow-up action for public transport company.
• Personal data: Technical debit card data (PAN, PAN serial number and expiry date); Pseudonymised tokens; trip transaction data, product data; name or name, date of birth and/or passport photo.
• Retention periods: Data will be automatically deleted as soon as the inspection device has received the response that the Debit Card was/was not tapped in/out and 5 minutes have passed or when a subsequent card is presented for inspection or when the inspection (app) is closed.

Mobile service for travellers

Legal basis: Carrier's legitimate interest

• Purpose: Ticket inspector can scan a Debit Card at a traveller’s request to provide information about their last ten public transport transactions with the same card (still under development as of July 2022)
• Personal data: Technical card data (PAN, PAN serial number and expiry date); Pseudonymised tokens; trip transaction data.
• Retention periods: Data will be automatically deleted as soon as the inspection device has received the response that the Debit Card was/was not tapped in/out and 5 minutes have passed or when a subsequent card is presented for inspection or when the inspection (app) is closed.

Compiling and publishing reports about travel transaction processing

Legal basis for processing: Translink's legitimate interest; Carriers' legitimate interest and Carriers' legal obligations

• Purpose: Ensuring the integrity of the public transport system (e.g. transaction validation); administration of carrier contracts, balancing transaction accounts, and facilitating financial administration and reporting.
• Personal data: Trip transaction data (e.g. check-in/check-out; date/time; location; means of transportation; trips and fare per trip); Pseudonymised tokens.
• Retention period: 18 months (justified interest); 7 years (legal obligation). 

NS, the other Carriers and Translink use the services of Processors, for which we always make written agreements with external parties (such as IT suppliers) that Process Personal Data on our behalf. We do this by entering into what is known as a 'processor's agreement' in which we set forth, among other things, agreements regarding the security of your Personal Data and the use of the Personal Data.

Translink uses the services of Fiserv  to settle the payment with your Bank. In doing so, Translink provides the Technical Card data and the Payment Reference Number. Fiserv processes this data in its capacity as a Data Controller.

Translink makes use of the services of iProov to create passport photos in the OVpay app. IProov processes this data in its capacity as a Processor. In the process of issuing and producing physical OV-pas cards, Translink makes use of the services of Thales. Thales processes this data in its capacity as a Processor. Translink shares your name and delivery address with PostNL so they can deliver your OV-pas. PostNL processes this data in its capacity as a Data Controller.

In addition, the Carriers and Translink are in some cases required by law to provide your data to third parties, e.g. in the event of a court order.

NS, other Carriers and Translink protect your Personal Data, for example against unauthorised access, loss or theft. All parties have a policy to organise payment for public transport by Card according to a standard, suitably secure level. 

The Carriers, Translink and bunq abide by the PCI DSS for securing Technical data. This is an international security standard whose purpose is to protect payment card data and prevent unauthorised use of card data and the resulting damages.

NS card readers and the Translink central administration system only Process pseudonymised Technical data.

If you have any questions about the Processing of your Personal Data in connection with travel using a Card, please get in touch with the NS and Translink points of contact.  

In principle, NS and Translink can only answer specific questions if they have access to your Card details. If you have created an account in the OVpay App, linked your Card to this account, and provided your data, Translink can also use this data to help you. Before you can view your trip history with a Card, you must provide the Payment Reference Number and the corresponding amount.

For general questions about travelling with a Card, please contact OVpay customer service on 0900-1433 (standard call charges apply) or use the  OVpay contact form.

For specific questions about NS services, please contact NS Customer Service  through one of the specified contact channels, preferably chat, so that you can include any screenshots and be assisted more easily.

If you would like more information about how NS or Translink deals with your Personal Data, please contact the Data Protection Officer in both organisations.

• For NS: fg@ns.nl
• For Translink: fg@translink.nl

Exercising your rights

If you wish to exercise your rights, please notify NS, Translink's Customer Service or Translink's Data Protection Officer, see contact details above.

• App: a mobile application developed and offered by an individual Carrier or by Carriers and Translink together (under the name OVpay) that enables Passengers with a Debit Card to access their online account, link their Debit Card to their account and thus easily view their trip and payment history, and submit service requests, among other things. The use of an App is subject to the terms of use of the App in question.
• AVR-NS: Nederlandse Spoorwegen's Terms & Conditions for the transport of Passengers and Hand Luggage.
• AV-S: Terms & Conditions for Urban & Rural Transport (the T&Cs for urban and rural passenger transport services (bus, tram, light rail and metrO) and regional train services provided by Arriva, Connexion, EBS, GVB, HTM, Keolis, Qbuzz and RET).
• Bank: a financial enterprise offering payment services and the institution holding the bank account to which the Passenger's Debit Card used for public transport is linked. This also includes a Credit Card Company or other regulated financial institution that offers payment services as a financial institution and has issued the Debit Card.
• Payment Services Provider: a party that enables you to travel on account using the OV-pas. Travelling on account means that you can pay later for the trips you make using your OV-pas, e.g. through direct debit or a recurring bank transfer.
• Debit Card: a contactless physical or digital payment card or credit card issued by a financial institution that allows you to use and pay for public transport by checking in and out at the designated card reader at the station, at the stop or in the vehicle.
• Payment Reference Number: a code consisting of a combination of fourteen letters and numbers. A unique reference number is assigned to each payment corresponding to trips made with a Debit Card. This code always begins with the letters NLOV and is linked to the amount debited from your Bank Account when you pay with a Debit Card.
• Joint Data Controller: If two or more Data Controllers jointly determine the purposes and means of the Processing, they are considered Joint Data Controllers under the GDPR.
• Discount Profile: the profile that Translink and Carriers use to verify whether you qualify for a discount. Your Discount Profile should contain your name or date of birth and optionally a passport photo. 
• OV-pas: a contactless card issued by a Translink that allows you to use and pay for public transport by checking in and out at the designated card reader at the station, at the stop or in the vehicle.
• Card: a Debit Card or OV-pas
• Personalised OV-pas: an OV-pas reserved for a single individual. Linking a Personalised Product to an OV-pas automatically makes the card in question a Personalised OV-pas. A Personalised OV-pas may only be used by the person associated with the Personalised Product. To verify the traveller's identity, the Carriers who accept the Personalised Product in question have access to a Profile.
• Personalised Product: a product is considered personalised if this is specified in the product's T&Cs. Personalised Products may only be used by the person associated with the product using the OV-pas linked to the product. 
• Personal Data: any information about an identified or identifiable natural person as referred to in the GDPR.
• Pseudonymisation: the Processing of Personal Data in such a way that the Personal Data can no longer be linked to a traveller without the use of additional data, provided that this additional data is stored separately and that technical and organisational measures have been taken to ensure that the Personal Data is not linked to an identified or identifiable traveller as referred to in the GDPR.
• Travel day: a period starting at 00:00 and ending at 03:05 the next day.
• Technical data: this technical data consists of the numbers of the Debit Card, namely the PAN, the PAN sequence number and the expiry date of the card. The PAN is a unique card identification number. The PAN sequence number is stored in the chip of the Debit Card and is not visible.
• Translink: the organisation that registers Tickets, manages balances, collects fares, collects and settles payments on behalf of Carriers, provides services to travellers, and more. Trans Link Systems B.V. has its registered office and principal place of business in Amersfoort. 
• Ticket: proof that grants access to and provides payment for the use of the Carrier's transport services through electronic registration of the journey, or part of it, with Translink.
• Carrier(s): the Dutch public transport companies mentioned on the OVpay.nl website.
• Processing: an operation or set of operations relating to Personal Data or a set of Personal Data, whether or not carried out through automated processes as referred to in the GDPR.
• Processor: a natural or legal person, government agency, department or other body that processes Personal Data on behalf of the Data Controller as referred to in the GDPR.
• Data Controller: a natural or legal person, government agency, department or other body who/that, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the Processing of Personal Data as referred to in the GDPR.