FAQ about travelling with debit card

You don't have to do anything beforehand to travel with your debit card. So you don't have to sign up. Of course, you must have a valid debit card with which you can pay contactless.

Check in and out with a contactless (digital) debit card from:

• ABN AMRO
• ASN Bank
• Bunq
• ING
• Rabobank
• RegioBank
• SNS 
• Knab
• Triodos (only with physical debit card)

Or with contactless credit cards from Mastercard or Visa. Of course you can also use your smartphone or smartwatch if you have linked your debit or credit card.

Not all banks yet issue debit cards with which you can check in and out in Dutch public transport. Dutch debit cards from Van Lanschot and Handelsbanken cannot yet be used.

Foreign debit cards
You can also use a foreign contactless debit or credit card from Maestro, V PAY, Mastercard or Visa. Do you have a card from a foreign bank and are you unsure whether your card can be used? Then contact your bank or credit card provider.

No, you can't. With a debit card you always travel without a discount or season ticket.

No, you can only travel 2nd class and with no discount using your debit card. 

Checking your debit card by the conductor works the same as with an OV-chipkaart. The conductor scans your debit card and can see whether, where and when you have checked in. He or she does not see any other personal (bank) data, such as balance.

No, you cannot. You can only travel using your own debit card.

Your travel history is in Mijn NS. To see it, link your debit card to Mijn NS. Or view your travel history for one specific day on the OVpay website.

Login to Mijn NS

View travel history on OVpay

You do this very easily via the welcome screen in Mijn NS, by following the steps for adding a debit card.

Good to know: you can only link one (type of) debit card to your account. So only one bank account but also only one type of debit card from the same bank account. Linking both a physical and a mobile card is not possible.

And do you get a new phone or reinstall your wallet? Then you have to link your card again. You'll no longer see your previous journeys.

To Mijn NS

You can check in and out of all public transport in the Netherlands with your debit card.

No, you can't do this. For these things you need an OV-chipkaart with a Flex Basis season ticket, for example.

If you have checked in and out properly, you will see 'IN Debit Card' or 'OUT Debit Card' (or credit card). Or ask a service staff member to confirm that you have checked in properly. 

After you have travelled, review your train journeys on Mijn NS. 

Login to Mijn NS
 

There are a few possible causes for this. Check the error message on the check-in pole and then try again. Alternatively, check the following:

1. Have you enabled contactless payment for this card?
2. Do you have a card issued by ABN AMRO, ASN Bank, bunq, ING, Rabobank, Regiobank, Knab, Triodos or SNS, or an international credit card issued by Mastercard, Visa, V Pay or Maestro? If not, then you cannot travel using your debit card just yet.
3. If you see the message 'choose another payment method', then your debit card has probably been blocked for public transport travel. The reason for this may be that your bank balance was too low the last time you attempted to pay, for example. To resolve this issue, see the question 'My debit/credit card has been blocked for public transport'.

Did you forget to check out with your debit card? From 6 hours after your journey, you can adjust the missed check-out at OVpay.

1. Go to your travel overview on OVpay.nl
2. Look up your journey with your NLOV reference number and the amount debited
3. Enter the missing end station

You will receive the excess amount paid back into your account within 5 days.

View your travel overview on OVpay.nl. 

That's a shame! It is therefore possible that you have paid too much. If you answer a couple of questions, we'll tell you whether you can request a refund, and how.

The gate will probably find your virtual debit card before your e-ticket. Always load your ticket in the NS-app and scan your e-ticket from there. From the NS-app, NFC is suppressed and you use your barcode to open the gate.

Did you buy your e-ticket from another provider? Then see if you can also use a ticket app through that provider. Additionally, on some Android cell phones it is possible to temporarily disable NFC. Check your phone's settings.

If you are unable to check out, we will debit a € 20 correction fee from your bank account. Six days after your journey, visit the OVpay website to adjust this amount.

Fill in the reference number for the debit and select the station at which you were unable to check out.

If you have indeed overpaid, you will get that amount back in your account within a few days. Or it will be offset against travel expenses you still had to pay.

Make sure that you have sufficient balance on your bank account or spending limit on your credit card. Then hold your card up to a check-in pole. The money that you still had to pay will then be debited from your account. If this works, you will be able to continue travelling with your debit card within 15 minutes (maximum). Or pay the money you still have to pay directly via the OVpay app.

Please note: your card will only be blocked for public transport. You can still use your debit card for other purchases, unless you do not have enough balance on your account for these.

You pay the price of a 2nd class ticket without discount.

You do not see the price of a journey on the post or gate. You see the costs of a journey after they have been debited from your account.

Do you want to see immediately what your journey has cost? Then link your payment card to My NS and view an overview of your journeys there.

Do you also want to be able to see your journey with other carriers? Then download the OVpay app. Or view your trip overview of 1 specific day in your journey overview on OVpay.nl.

If you check in with a debit card, the money will only be debited from your account after one day, bundled with any other journeys made. 

First check the price per journey via Mijn NS or your travel overview on OVpay.nl. After all, when you travel with your debit card, all the charges for a day are deducted from your account at once. 

You may also have checked in with a different means of payment than the one you used to check out. In this case, you will be charged a correction fee of €20 for a forgotten check-in or check-out. In that case, see how to (perhaps) get money back by answering a few questions.
 

Yes. If you're allowed to go into the red on your bank account, you'll also be able to travel when there is no balance on your account. Bear in mind that this only applies up to the amount to which you can go into the red.

Yes, you can. This limit does not apply to debit card use in public transport. Outside public transport, this limit still applies.

Travelling with your debit card is just as safe as using contactless payment in the supermarket. Your bank can't see your travel details, and the conductor checking your card cannot see your banking details. View our privacy statement.

Of course, you should always be careful when using your debit card or credit card. In the event that your card is lost or stolen, you should block it immediately.

No, a bank cannot see how you travel. Please also read our privacy statement.

What will be done with your personal data is explained in our privacy statement.

No. A conductor can't see your personal details. He or she scans your debit card and can see whether, where and when you have checked in. They can't see any other personal or bank data such as your balance.