Train passengers can check in and out using contactless cards & devices from today

From today, train travelers can pay for their trip with a contactless bank card or smartphone. NS, Arriva, and Qbuzz train travelers no longer have to go to a ticket machine to buy their ticket or top-up their OV-chip card balance.

The new contactless payment method - OVpay - comes on top of the OV-chip card, which remains functional. It also only works for people traveling full fare in second class at this stage. People using a discount or traveling first class will still have to use the OV-chip card.

“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.”

Because the station gates will now also read debit cards, credit cards, and mobile phones, NS urged travelers to present their 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.”