Train passengers can check in and out using contactless cards & devices from next week
NS is officially implementing OVpay. From January 31, train travelers who travel full fare in second class will be able to pay for their trip with a contactless debit card, credit card, or smartphone. NS, Arriva, and Qbuzz train travelers will no longer have to go to a ticket machine to buy their ticket or top up their OV-chip card balance, NS announced.
Over the past months, over 3,000 travelers tested the contactless payment option. According to the Dutch rail company, it learned from this pilot and made the necessary improvements to the technology.
“From now on, checking in and out of the train is just as easy and fast as paying for groceries without contact,” Tjalling Smit of the NS board of directors said. “It is about convenience. This way, you can use the train without having to buy a ticket.” The OV-chip cards will continue to work. Contactless payment is an additional form of payment.
Contactless payment costs the same as full-fare second-class public transport on the chip card. The costs of trips are added up per day and then deducted. Travelers can check the payment overview with their bank the next day.
“Since the gates will also read chips from debit cards, credit cards, or mobile from January 31, we ask our travelers to present the desired payment method separately at the gate. That prevents travelers from accidentally checking in with the wrong card and paying too much for their trip,” NS said.
