Buying tickets in NL

[radamfi]

Payment by credit card in the machines should be enrolled to all stations (or at least 1 machine at any station) by year end.

That's great news, although they already accept credit cards at most of the stations where foreigners are likely to want tickets.

@1. ther are so many, but as told by now so often, not from NS, but from many retailers-price for 1 day (mo-fr only after 9.00) around 15/17€. Currently one from HEMA.

The problem is that they are only available for a short period of time, which is not that useful for foreigners. For example, you can only buy the HEMA tickets from 20 May to 1 June. Then you have to input the code on the NS website and then print off the e-ticket, so you would have to find somewhere to print the ticket.

However, this website seems to allow you to buy these codes after the offer ends, for a small premium. They claim it is legal. They are sold out at the moment but presumably they will offer the HEMA tickets after 1 June.

http://www.treinkaartkorting.nl/

@2.I as Dutchman visit LOndon maybe 1/year
and have an Oyster laying in the cupboard for then.

There's a slight difference as OV-Chipkaarten exipre whereas Oysters don't. Although since you said that you can touch in with a zero balance, I will run my card down into negative territory before buying a new card before it expires. So that recoups some of the card fee.

By now all machines, besides MAESTRO also accept V-pay. Maybe that also helps the Brits-a little.

AFAIK V-pay doesn't exist in the UK, unless that means that UK Visa debit cards are valid.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

There will be yet another promotion that Chipcards will cost only 2 € in june/july 2014, either personal (with foto etc.) or anonymous.

According to

https://forum.ns.nl/ov-chipkaart-5/buitenlandse-gasten-samenreiskorting-2073/index1.html#post13708

only holders of the various railcards/subscriptions can get up to 3 anonymous cards for €2 during the offer period. From 7 to 14 July (the first week after the replacement of regular paper tickets with disposable cards with a €1 surcharge) you can apply for a personal card for €2 at selected stations or online for postal delivery, but they will only post personal cards to the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg.

 

[Chris999999]

but they will only post personal cards to the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg.

Hmmm. Seems to be something the EU should investigate as this is discrimination.

 

[radamfi]

Hmmm. Seems to be something the EU should investigate as this is discrimination.

Do TfL send Oyster cards outside the UK?

 

[Chris999999]

Do TfL send Oyster cards outside the UK?

Yes they do.

However I think the discrimination part is not whether they will sell abroad or not, but the decision to sell to only some EU countries.

If TFL decided to only sell in the UK then that would be fine. However if they decided to sell abroad only to Germany, Belgium, Netherlands and Poland for example, then the French would have good reason to complain.

 

[radamfi]

Quite a few Dutch online retailers will only post to the Netherlands and Belgium.

 

[Howardh]

Well, on Thursday I have to travel from Schipol to Den Haag, and it looks like I can go to a machine and get an e8,- coins single. Too bad I only have e7,- in change just now! Looks like a can of coke from the airport shop....

But WHY is the whole thing so damned complicated? Dutch railways used to be so wonderful, now I fear Belgian rail is so much better?

 

[radamfi]

Well, on Thursday I have to travel from Schipol to Den Haag, and it looks like I can go to a machine and get an e8,- coins single. Too bad I only have e7,- in change just now! Looks like a can of coke from the airport shop....

But WHY is the whole thing so damned complicated? Dutch railways used to be so wonderful, now I fear Belgian rail is so much better?

You can pay by credit card at the machine at Schiphol or use the manned ticket counter at Schiphol to pay in euro banknotes, or buy an e-ticket now from Belgian Railways, where the fare would be €7.80 rather than €8.

I just found this link, showing the cost per transaction to Dutch retailers of different payment methods:

http://boardingarea.com/pointstobemade/2013/10/28/dear-netherlands-please-start-using-credit-cards/

Cash €0.24
Debit card €0.21
Credit card €2.15

So you see why the Dutch don't like accepting credit cards! Arguably we are dumb in the UK for shelling out so much money in commissions to Visa and Mastercard.

 

[dutchflyer]

|No, no, no, These quoted prices are WAY too high. My brother runs an advice-office for retailers, and its all dependent on the contract and nr. of sales you make per month or per year. For PIN (Maestro) its less as 1 ct for high-volume (NS certainly is), for VISA about 8-10 cts, but this differs as per where that card comes from-€ zone or not. But these are only the amounts the taker has to pay his bank. For cash you have to pay your bank to bring it in-differs for unsorted or bills/coins. BTW-this is €-zone wide.
NS thinks that the main cost for handling cred-cards is the possibility for fraud and that you can dispute money for payments, which leads to much hours of labour to find out details.
In BE the general cost of banking went up skyhigh when they went over to systems like VISA and Maestro instead of their similar old Mr.Cash system. But now they have nothing else, so have to do with it.
On personal chipcards you have to pay for any remaining negative after it expires.

 

[radamfi]

NS thinks that the main cost for handling cred-cards is the possibility for fraud and that you can dispute money for payments, which leads to much hours of labour to find out details.

Why should credit cards be more prone to fraud? I can understand in the old days before Chip & PIN, but now credit cards need PIN verification, so should be as safe as debit cards. Also, I would have thought that debit card payments could be disputed just like credit card payments.

http://www.treinkaartkorting.nl/ns-dagkaart.php

is now selling the HEMA e-tickets, valid until 31 August. It would be interesting to know if anyone in the UK has successfully bought one of these e-tickets using this site.

 

[Howardh]

OK - back now (head held in shame regarding England's two hockey World Cup results - women stuffed by south Africa and the men uber-stuffed by Australia *that hurt*) and did this -
Single from the desk - cash @ Schipol, to Den haag = 8 euro, no add-on suppliment.
Coming back, bought from the ticket dest @ den Haag CS, 8 euro + a 50c surcharge.
Maybe the add-ons don't apply from the airport, presuming that it's a bit unfair on new arrivals who don't have chip cards or anything else?
Anyway, nice smooth journey, save for the guard getting assualted by a freeloader refusing to pay - cops called - statements taken - everyone shifted off that train @ Lieden onto another to get to Schipol...

 

[radamfi]

I have since got a Quidity prepaid card, which has expensive fees, but I was curious to see if it would work in the Dutch train ticket machines.

I went to the Netherlands today and it worked! It worked in the train ticket machines, Zeeman and Albert Heijn. Unsurprisingly, the Post Office card failed to work again, despite emphatically claiming it should work when I phoned last week. So there's no excuse now for the Post Office card not to work, and they have some explaining to do.

I also noticed Rodenrijs and Meijersplein metro stations accept credit cards at no extra cost. If that's the same at all RET machines it would appear that Rotterdam is the place for foreigners to top-up their OV-Chipkaarten. It also allows you to top-up with just €1, unlike NS machines that have a minimum top-up of €4.

 

[Gerald Fiennes]

Thanks, Radamfi. I just tried the treinkaartje website just now and it worked, using my paypal account!

 

[radamfi]

Thanks, Radamfi. I just tried the treinkaartje website just now and it worked, using my paypal account!

Thanks for letting us know it works on PayPal. The site says they will only send the code to verified Dutch PayPal accounts.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Thanks, Radamfi. I just tried the treinkaartje website just now and it worked, using my paypal account!

Have you successfully printed off an e-ticket for a Dagkaart from the UK?
I'm thinking of doing this for a trip in October.
Credit card purchases seem to need a +31 phone number.
The PayPal option seems to need a Dutch account: (translated text):

The code is only verified Paypal accounts sent to Dutch!

 

[radamfi]

Have you successfully printed off an e-ticket for a Dagkaart from the UK?
I'm thinking of doing this for a trip in October.
Credit card purchases seem to need a +31 phone number.
The PayPal option seems to need a Dutch account: (translated text):

I haven't used it myself, but Gerald (above) seems to have successfully bought one using PayPal.

 

[ac-03]

One of the real issues with Netherlands and Germany is their take on card acceptance. There is only one bank in the UK that issues Maestro Cards (Yorkshire Bank/clydesdale bank)

Having regularly travelled around Netherlands/Germany I have regularly been just using cash instead of my visa bank card.

You try to use your DEBIT card (EMV) Chip + Pin in a machine and its accepted as a credit card?

VPay is gradually being accepted in Netherlands/Germany but NO UK banks currently issue these cards.

Maybe it should be for Visa Europe to sort its act out so that everyone in the EU should have an equal choice to be issued a VPAY/Visa Debit/Visa Credit Card.

Likewise for Mastercard (Maestro/Mestercard Debit/Credit)!

Also maybe Netherlands Railways could work on a mobile app so that you could pay for a ticket on your smartphone and then use NFC to check in and out?

One bizarre thing was being issued a paper smartcard for an international journey from Maastricht to Aachen a few weeks ago ? DB don't have any RFID barriers?

 

[radamfi]

Post Office now issue Maestro debit cards but mine didn't work in NL. They consistently claim it shoiuld work and I have been having long 'discussions' with them about it. They now think replacing my card might make it work.

I do now, however, have a Quidity Maestro card which does work in Dutch ticket machines and also Dutch shops which don't accept credit cards such as Albert Heijn and Zeeman. However their fees are expensive.

Many major stations and stations near the border now accept Visa/MasterCard for a €0.50 fee. I have read that all stations will accept them by the end of the year,

You can topup your card using credit cards for no fee at Amsterdam and Rotterdam metro ticket machines.

I assume short distance international tickets are now issued on paper smartcards as well as domestic tickets. You are obliged to touch in and out when using them, but presumably in Germany you can't.

 

[nottsnurse]

I'm currently in the Netherlands on a course (in accommodation near Amsterdam Biljmer Arena to link in with the OP) and must say I don't find the use of the transport systems anywhere near as confusing/difficult as many claim it to be.

The majority of train stations I've used have ticket machines that accept commonly issued British credit/debit cards and have an option for English language to simplify things. The GVB machines I've used have also accepted common British credit/debit cards.

The OV-Chipkaart system is very simple to use and NS ticket machines have a means to check the cost of your planned journey before you make it. It also allows you to load 'traditional' singles/returns/travelcards onto your Chipkaart if that is your thing.

 

[LowLevel]

My dad has been commuting fortnightly to NL to work for much of the last 35 years with a few gaps and breaks. He says trying to buy tickets is a nightmare if you don't speak fluent Dutch and has got much worse recently. He is also buying e-tickets at home in advance as luckily he knows exactly what journeys he is making in advance.

 

[Searle]

Likewise, I didn't find it too difficult to use the machines in Rotterdam, however everyone else around me didn't seem to have a clue at all! There were about 10 people gathered around the TVM next to me, none of them knowing what to do it seemed.

 

[radamfi]

I don't see what relevance speaking Dutch is, given that all staff speak English and the machines can be translated into English.

Nothing much really has changed. If you don't want an OV-Chipkaart then you buy a ticket from the machine or ticket office if there is one, same as it has been for years. Arguably it is now easier as more stations accept credit cards now and you can top up an OV-Chipkaart at the ticket office with Euro banknotes for no fee.

 

[185]

it is sad that tourists find it difficult to travel with our trains and public transport. I think it is in line with Dutch politics nowadays to scare foreigners off to visit our beautiful coutry which is sad.

I think that NS and politicians should rethink their policies and find real solutions to make travel easy for tourist, first of all to make tourist friendly ticket machines which accepts all cards and banknotes like in the UK and Germany, or ticket desk who will sell you tickets at no extra cost.

If I was Dutch minister of transport.....

Interestingly, I got a reply from NS regarding being unable to pay for a ticket at three NS stations - no visa cards were accepted, or banknotes - so for a £35-£40 ticket, you'd need a bagfull of coins.

They denied there was a problem. And mentioned that "many of our stations now take Visa card" - at that time, 'many' referred to Schiphol, Centraal and Den Haag CS!!!

It seems the 'NS way' of making it as difficult as possible to buy a ticket is spreading to the UK - at their UK subsidiary Northern Rail, with some of the most confusing and basic TVMs I've ever seen. Slinging in afternoon peak restrictions messes it up even more.

 

[radamfi]

Let's not get carried away. For anyone with a Dutch bank card (which is almost everyone who uses Dutch trains) it has been very easy to buy train tickets for a long time, easier than most countries because of the simple fare structure. The old push button machines and the modern touch screens only need a few presses. No worrying whether you need anytime or off peak or various obscure TOC or routing permutations.

Now train travel is virtually seamless. All you have to do is touch in and out and if you have auto top up you never need to visit a ticket machine again.

Of course the lack of credit card acceptance is inconvenient for the small number of foreigners boarding trains at stations without ticket offices, but credit cards have traditionally not been widespread. In fact, a lot of Dutch only get a credit card because they need it when they go abroad! Accepting credit cards means increased costs and therefore higher fares. Accepting banknotes at machines means more chance of the machine running out of change and being robbed. So whilst it may seem not customer friendly for the tourist, these measures are not without reason.

 

[Metrailway]

I'm going to Rotterdam soon for a week and will be getting a "Rotterdam Welcome Card" with 3 days travel on RET included on the OV Chipkaart.

Does anyone know whether the OV Chipkaart would be able to upload other tickets after these three days are up, or would I have to buy a new OV Chipkaart?

 

[radamfi]

90% of machines now accept credit cards and they plan to roll out the rest by the end of September.

http://www.treinreiziger.nl/actueel...elijk_bij_grootste_deel_kaartautomaten-146425

I'm going to Rotterdam soon for a week and will be getting a "Rotterdam Welcome Card" with 3 days travel on RET included on the OV Chipkaart.

Does anyone know whether the OV Chipkaart would be able to upload other tickets after these three days are up, or would I have to buy a new OV Chipkaart?

You will be getting a disposable paper smartcard which will expire after the third day. Only a plastic card can be reloaded.

 

[nottsnurse]

Radamfi - If I'm reading that pdf. right it says the NS machine at Almere Oostvaarders accepts credit cards, but having been there on Tuesday I can confirm it doesn't.

Aside from this though, as I said earlier, I found the OV-Chipkaart very easy to use. I wish the UK had transport systems anywhere near as integrated as those available in the Netherlands.

As if to reinforce the overly complex nature of the UK system I returned via Manchester, getting the train into town, where a bewildering array of different ticket machines litter the station concourse.

 

[radamfi]

Maybe not all machines at each station have been modified to accept credit cards. I was at Eindhoven station yesterday and it did accept them, but Eindhoven is one of the stations that has accepted them for a while.

At Eindhoven airport the GWK Travelex office is selling the Dagkaart (day ticket) for 25 euros, which can be used any day until 1 July 2016.

 

[nw1]

One thing for which there seems to be an ambiguity is whether the standard 5 Euro (or so) ticket from Schiphol to Centraal is valid on IC trains or just the slower (R?) trains. The staff (both Schiphol and Centraal) were convinced that the ticket was valid on both IC and regular trains yet the ticket had a Dutch message which looked (don't speak Dutch but could infer the meaning) like it wasn't valid on IC trains. Also at Amsterdam the notice advising people of the times of airport trains appeared to omit the IC.

 

[radamfi]

There is no difference in price between Intercity and Sprinter trains. The only trains which need a supplement are the Intercity Direct trains between Schiphol and Rotterdam, and the ICE trains between Amsterdam and Arnhem. Intercity Direct no longer has a supplement between Amsterdam and Schiphol, and between Breda and Rotterdam. Of course, Thalys is compulsory reservation and needs a train specific ticket.

 

[Searle]

There is no difference in price between Intercity and Sprinter trains. The only trains which need a supplement are the Intercity Direct trains between Schiphol and Rotterdam, and the ICE trains between Amsterdam and Arnhem. Intercity Direct no longer has a supplement between Amsterdam and Schiphol, and between Breda and Rotterdam. Of course, Thalys is compulsory reservation and needs a train specific ticket.

Me and my partner travelled from Rotterdam to Amsterdam and return on an Interrail pass. On the way there on the ICD, we were advised that no extra fee was needed, however on the way back we were told a fee was needed from the station staff. Can I just check that you're saying that the first staff was right and not the second? Seems to be a very grey area!