I watched 4 videos on transportation in the Netherlands and your video gave me all the answers to my questions in under 10 min! Now I know exactly what to do, I can just say thank you, you’re helping many people with your channel 😊
Thank you, I’m so glad to hear that my video was clear enough! There was so much information with this one, I had to really work hard to keep it simple 😂😅
I'm totally amazed seeing how much information you have given only in one video. Thank you so much for being so informative. you helped me to get rid from my problem. Thank you.
Ah woops: another extra: the anonymous card DOES provide you with some discount-options. If you travel by train with someone that holds a season ticket or certain subscription service, this enables discounts for fellow travellers. You can add this discount, even on an anonymous card at a ticket machine before tapping in. This way you get a 40% discount, but usually only outside peak-hours. Some bus-operators have a discount available to anonymous cards as well, but this greatly differs throughout the country.
Great tips! Yes this is how my husband and I operated for a while - I had the personal card and he kept his anonymous card and still got the 40% discount :):)
Glad you found my videos helpful and thank you for subscribing! That's very exciting for you - I hope all goes well with your move!!! Hopefully my channel helps make your relocation experience as easy as possible :)
I never comment however very informative as an ex-pat. Would have been nice to go into details about the discounts and examples of how much you could have saved if trip X was this long, to these destinations, etc but overall great work !!!
Very good video! Just one additional information. If someone lives in Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg it is possible to have ns flex without a Dutch address and Dutch Bank account. I did this process this week. You must first order and pay the 7.5 euro ov-chipkaart via paypal to an address in one of these countries. After receiving the card, you will need to call customer support or request a subscription via chat.
@@LeesaYu It's really cool! 😍 In my state in Germany we can with one specific monthly ticket travel without any extra cost to Arnhem and Venlo. So now on the weekends will be much more cheap to explore all Netherlands!
Hi! I have 1 month in NL.. I would add that : to travel in the train you have to have almost 20 € into the anonymous card. I dont know if also with the personal card works like that.... And also that to get the personal card you need the BSN registration code
Sidenote for the beginning: you can buy a card for the train. And also buy a card in the busses/tram. You can pay cash, or by card. Depends on the region.
Good video, a small correction. It is possible to get a personal card without a Dutch bank account, (you will need a European IBAN though). You apply directly to OV for the card. Then NS help (or some ticket counters) can fill out a form to bill the subscription to a non-Dutch IBAN. It's much easier with a Dutch bank account... but how can you get one without a BSN number (which is taking forever).
I completely second you on topping up an anonymous card online, requiring you to bring the card to a ticket machine to really get the ordered balance on the card. It's very weird that lost balance because of fuck-ups of the equipment can be refunded (you have to do this yourself though) and can be transferred to your card as soon as you tap in at an NS-validator, and this also was possible in the past with Connexxion, but as time progressed, this all became increasingly more difficult. By the way: some operators (the use is slightly beyond me) have their buses equipped with pick-up readers on the OUTSIDE of the bus (there used to be complete top- & pick-up machines INSIDE the bus, but they fortunately removed those as they were an absolute hassle to work with). It takes some 15 seconds or so, so if a bus is at a bus-station for a few minutes, you can load new balance there as well.
There are discounts available for buses, trams and metro's, but they vary by how much of a discount you get (in the past, with paper tickets, it was 34% everywhere if I remember it right, but only for students, kids (under 11 if I remember it right) and elderly above 65+) and are usually operator-bounded. This means that if operator A, B and C operate lines in one city and parts of their routes overlap, your discount will only work at one of those operators. But because the chipcard has greatly divided and increased the complexity of the tariff-system, there are places where discounts and subcription-services are still bound by region (zones).
NS has now introduced a 10 euro one off administration fee when purchasing a new subscription. I guess they did this to dissuade users from deactivating when they don't need the service.
OV chipkaart is the card you use to tap on and off transport. NS Flex refers to train subscriptions that you can get, which give you a discount on your train journeys. You can only get NS Flex subscriptions if you have a personal OV chipkaart.
Thanks for the video! I have a question. since it would take me some time to open my bank account in The Netherlands, what should I do during that period? Should I first buy an anonymous card and then switch to personal Ov chipcard or there is no point in that and I should just buy daily tickets until I open my own bank account? Also, if I understood correctly - I can apply for a personal ov card through the NS app and choose a subscription plan to use there, right? Have a nice day!
These days, we have a new feature where you can just tap and untap using your credit card (though there is always the risk your particular card doesn’t get accepted). Otherwise I think it’s best to get an anonymous card until you’ve got yourself sorted. It’s annoying to have to buy individual tickets each time you want to use public transport. And the answer to your last question is yes! You can also order via the NS website :)
Can I check in using my anonymous card even it doesn't have enough balance? The machine doesn't accept cash and I don't have bank yet I'm thinking of loading my card on the overstapmetro station
Hi Leesa very informative video! considering that there is NO detailed information on main websites about the most complicated transportation rules EVER :D 2 Quick questions about traveling with a partner with a discount: 1. Is this claim of discount a one time thing from the machine, or does my partner have to activate it each time we travel? 2. Do we both have to pass a card after each travel as per usual after the discount is activated? thanks a lot!
Glad you found it helpful! 1. You have to activate it each time - your partner can activate the 40% travel discount via the NS app, which is much easier than going to the machine each time at the station :) 2. Yes you have to still tap the card to check in and check out like normal. The total price won’t show on the screen, but if you have the NS app you can double check the cost of your journey
I would like to switch to another subscription and my invoice date is on 31st of every month. I wondering what will happen if switch subscription in between the invoice date ? Do I need to pay both the subscription charges or the new subscription will be applied only after my invoice date? Thanks in advance
Hey there! I just went on the 9292 app and it says it costs €8.40 one way. If you travel daily, you should 100% look into getting the personal OV-chipkaart and NS Flex subscription/season pass to maximise your discount. Go here: www.ns.nl/nsflex/webshop#/bestelling/producten
I haven’t done the calculations but Inwould recommend you complete this “decision guide” on the NS flex website which will tell you which product is best for you, and how much you will likely save: www.ns.nl/nsflex/webshop#/keuzehulp/landing
They should have an OV chip card too - if it’s the blue anonymous one, then they have to activate the discount via the ticket machines when they arrive at the station. If it’s the yellow card, you can activate the discount via the NS app
super informative! thank you for this video. i’m planning to visit netherlands for 20 days. i wont have a credit card so that means i wont be able to take a personal card and benefit from the 40% discount am i right?
Yes sadly the personal card isn’t right for you if you are just visiting - but you can get the anonymous chip card (the blue one) which will work just fine for you!
Hello, thx for video) is it possible to use anonymous ov chip card for several ppl at one go, like loading enough money and just use it multiple times at check in and check out? Or every passenger has to own a card in order to travel by public transport? Thx 😅
If you are all using public transport at the same time, you have to have individual anonymous OV chip cards. The cards can only check in once, then check out once for each journey. :) (i.e. can't check in multiple times using the same card).
@@LeesaYu I've weekend 40% off NS pack on my OV chip which includes combined travel discount. My wife also has personal OV chip but without any NS plan. Yesterday we traveled to Utrecht and I was checking for combined travel discount for my wife. So on ticket machine I tapped her card, selected joint travel discount option. Also, on my NS app I turned ON combined travel discount option during traveling. Is it necessary to turn ON/OFF the option from app to get 40% off for my wife?
If your wife already has a personal OV card, she can download the NS app too. Then she is the one who needs to turn on the 40% travel option on her account :) For you it should already be automatically applied because you already have a subscription. Hope that makes sense!
Thanks you very much for your video it's very helpful, I am still confused regarding which subscription suits the best because I'm working at the airport and needs to take tram and train at lelylaan, I don't find any subscription that cover tram and train please can you help me 😭
I believe the information on this website is still correct! tulipfestivalamsterdam.com/keukenhof-express-bus-arriva-858-from-amsterdam-airport-schiphol/amp/ have fun! ☺️☺️
I'm so glad and grateful that I found your channel before my move here. I saw your other view about the Wise card and it really saved me! I do have one question about the subscriptions for the personal card, and wondering if anyone here can help me. The monthly subscription fee we are going to pay is literally the cost of the subscription, right? It won't be added to our card? (I did the monthly pass in NY, so I'm getting a bit lost here) Thank you :)
Hi Leesa, i recently moved to the Netherlands and I am quite confused about the OV chipkaart used for Buses and for Trains. What I understand is NS flex subscription and discounts only works on Trains. I couldn't find similar subscription for buses. Please suggest if it's not the same. Also, is personal ov chipkaart different for NS trains and other public transports?
It is quite confusing indeed, but you are correct: The NS flex subscriptions only apply to trains. You can get a GVB subscription which is separate, and gives you discounts for the tram and GVB buses. But you can use the same OV chipkaart across ALL transportation - train, metro, bus, tram. No need to have multiple cards :)
Yes it is generally cheaper to use an anonymous card, than the disposable. It’s definitely €1 less for train travel. Also it’s a lot more convenient if you travel frequently within Amsterdam as with an anonymous card, you don’t have to buy a separate ticket every single time you need to use public transport :) but if you are just a short term visitor/tourist, then get the disposable card!
The anonymous card costs you a ridiculous 7,50 Euro for a card with no balance on it and (even more ridiculous) 'expires' after 4 to 5 years, while the disposable card is a product on its own. So for a few trips, get the disposable card. It's a bit hard to say where the tipping point is to when it's more economical to get an anonymous card. Big downside: you can't easily bring the anonymous card back and get the balance refunded if you don't want it anymore. In the past they used to charge you another 2,50 Euro fee for 'handling and administration', but they seemed to have dropped that attidude (finally...). You still have to apply online to 'end' the card though.
I live here too and I am a student and I work a lot, I did not sign up for student travel yet. I have realized I spent a whopping 285 almost every month on traveling. I was wondering if NS flex is only for trains since I travel mainly with the subway (metro) which is RET not NS. My main area of travel is within Rotterdam itself I rarely take the train.
Pity that RET doesn't offer RET-based discounts/subscriptions. Many city-operators have included an option to get a discount on their own modalities only. Those are usually a bit cheaper, but they have the disadvantage that when buses (for example) from different operators overlap within a city and you can take both, your discount only works on one. You could try 'Altijd korting': for a 20% discount. Stating your monthly budget on travel and the fact they say that at 100 Euro per month (and up) and at 1000 Euro on annual basis (and up) spendings on public transport you benefit from 'Altijd Korting', you could see if it makes a difference.
@@breezytea4973 No. Buses and trams need a different discount, but if you travel frequently on buses and such, there are different options (check your operator(s) website). If you're lucky, you can even still get zone-based subscription services. These grant you transport on all modalities ánd operators (except trains) in a certain area (a 'zone'). The 'star value' and centre-zone denote the amount of zones you can travel for free. The downside is that the tariff-system has gotten incredibly complex since the smart card system was made mandatory and every operator now has it's own tariff (even when using pay-as-you-go balance), subscriptions (if any, some don't have any at all) and it will take a lot of calculations to find out what the cheapest option is. Some discounts are available on anonymous cards though, but again, this differs from operator to operator and sometimes even region to region.
Good question! According to the official website, children under 4 years old can travel on public transport for free. After this, they can only receive an age discount if they have a personal card (which you can apply for when the child is 3 years and 50 weeks old) :)
@@LeesaYu You can also buy a Rail Runner (Kid ticket). You can put this on a anonymous or it from a machine at the station (without the 1 euro extra for the one-time-use paper chipcard) for 2,50 euro for kids from 4 till 11. From 12 years on it's full price.
@@daisydezem2226 True, but to stress this: The Railrunner ticket is ONLY valid on trains. Quite ridiculous by the way how that ticket is STILL the same price it was years ago, where it was the same price for years before the Euro...
You're right, you're just not supposed to. Ticket checks on buses are very rare, but if they catch you, you not only get a fixed penalty, but the card is also withdrawn: the person you lend it from thus won't be happy. This was all the same in the past, but as subscriptions had to be shown to the driver in the past, it was far harder to cheat with those (unless you are an identical twin, like I am ;) ). Since the pass can be read from inside a wallet, it's very easy to use a personal card from someone else. The drivers usually can't see the validators very well, so they also can't spot a possible 'breach' (as an elderly usually gets a discount, which the reader can show on tap-in)
Yes, I did miss that out indeed though luckily someone else has commented with that information :) As for the post-paid reference, what I'm trying to say here is that you don't need a balance on your card and at the end of the month you get a nice and tidy bill (rather than having to constantly check whether you still have money on your card or not 😉)
@@DavidNijman yeah they changed that last year or something. so if you need to travel you always can. just expect a bill at the end o the month. just dont know how it works with an anonymous chip card. because that one is not linked to your address.
@@metalvideos1961 You can't travel bankbased with an anonymous card, it's as simple as that. The minimum balance to travel by train is 6 Euro with a discount and 16 Euro when paying the full fare.
@@weeardguy i dont know i didn thad balance on my ov card anymore last time i drove with the train. i still could take the train the conductor didnt say anything about it when he checked my card. i do have an anonymous card. so i dont know maybe they changed something with that as well.
