NS starts accepting creditcards for online train tickets

[MisterT]

As of today (somewhere this afternoon), NS will start accepting creditcards (MC, VISA, AMEX) as payment method when buying train tickets online. This means that mobile tickets like the group tickets and other regular tickets can now be bought online, without being limited to people with a Dutch bank account and the Dutch iDeal payment method.

 

[leshuttle]

As of today (somewhere this afternoon), NS will start accepting creditcards (MC, VISA, AMEX) as payment method when buying train tickets online. This means that mobile tickets like the group tickets and other regular tickets can now be bought online, without being limited to people with a Dutch bank account and the Dutch iDeal payment method.

Good to see this happening, planning a day trip to Harlem when visiting Rotterdam next month - breaking the journey at a couple of places on the same route that I guess would otherwise be quite costly using an OV-chipcard.

 

[MisterT]

Please note that it's not possible yet to buy tickets directly in the app by credit card. A new version of the app with that possibility should be ready in the next few weeks.
It is, however, possible to buy the same ticket at ns.nl with credit card and then load the ticket in the app.

 

[Bungle965]

Please note that it's not possible yet to buy tickets directly in the app by credit card. A new version of the app with that possibility should be ready in the next few weeks.
It is, however, possible to buy the same ticket at ns.nl with credit card and then load the ticket in the app.

Yes I had a quick play earlier on the Android version and the only way to pay that it was offering me was via IDeal. Good to know an update is round the corner.
Sam

 

[Joe Paxton]

As of today (somewhere this afternoon), NS will start accepting creditcards (MC, VISA, AMEX) as payment method when buying train tickets online. This means that mobile tickets like the group tickets and other regular tickets can now be bought online, without being limited to people with a Dutch bank account and the Dutch iDeal payment method.

At last!

For such an open, outward looking European country as the Netherlands, the lack of payment options available to non-residents always seemed particularly insular.

 

[radamfi]

At last!

For such an open, outward looking European country as the Netherlands, the lack of payment options available to non-residents always seemed particularly insular.

The transaction costs for Visa and MasterCard and especially Amex are presumably much higher than for iDEAL and presumably EU regulation on card fees means that they can no longer charge a surcharge. Therefore there has been a strong disincentive to accept such cards, even though it is inconvenient for foreigners. So whilst having multiple payment option is more user-friendly, the costs in accepting these cards has to come from somewhere. Unlike people in most other countries, the Dutch are aware that the costs of accepting cards gets passed on to the consumer at the end of the day.

It probably doesn't make much difference if a few foreigners use credit cards but if lots of Dutch people who previously paid by iDEAL switch to credit cards that could cause a significant increase in costs and therefore higher fares.

 

[TheSeeker]

This has always always puzzled me. I worked in the Netherlands for a couple of years, commuting from Belgium. The office canteen only accepted ChipKnip, no cash. I had to buy prepaid 50 euro ChipKnip cards in Rotterdam station. If you wanted a ChipKnip card you had to open a bank account in the Netherlands, but no local address = no bank account.