OVpay: the new payment system for public transport in the Netherlands

OVpay

With OVpay, you can travel using your debit card, credit card, mobile phone or smartwatch. You can choose how you want to check in and out.

You do not need to top up your balance. You do not need a separate card either. OVpay works with debit cards from most major Dutch banks.

You have been able to use your debit card for travel since 2023. It works in much the same way as contactless payments in shops.

This is how it works:

• Hold your debit card, mobile phone or smartwatch up to the card reader.

• You have checked in.

• At the end of your journey, check out using the same card, mobile phone or smartwatch.

Always use the same payment method when checking in and out. If you check in using your debit card, please check out using the same debit card.

The public transport pass is a new public transport pass. With this pass, you can travel by train, bus, tram and metro. You can travel throughout the Netherlands with just one pass. The public transport pass is valid for 5 years and costs €6, payable once.

You can top up your public transport pass via your OVpay account. That way, you no longer need to go to a ticket machine. You can also opt for automatic top-ups, in which case your balance will be topped up automatically.

You can apply for the public transport pass via your OVpay account. You will usually receive the card at home within 5 working days. Before you can travel, you must first top up your public transport pass.

You can also buy a public transport pass at Primera

You can also buy your public transport pass at Primera

An OVpay account is your online portal for OVpay. In your account, you can view and manage your journeys using your debit card, credit card or new public transport pass.

You can also check in and out without an account. However, having an account gives you a better overview. For example, you can view your journeys and travel expenses. You can also submit expense claims for your journeys.

You can top up your public transport pass via your OVpay account. Do you not have an OVpay account yet? Then you can create one. You can also top up your card without an account.

Topping up your balance at Primera

You can also top up your public transport pass at a Primera shop. You do this using the barcode on your public transport pass.

If your balance still has not appeared in your OVpay account after 15 minutes, please check whether the payment went through. If the problem persists, you can then contact OVpay.

What is the minimum balance you need to travel?

The amount of credit you need to travel depends on the mode of transport you are using. If you are travelling by bus, tram or metro, you will need at least €4 in credit. This is known as the boarding fare. However, if you are travelling by train, you will need at least €20 in credit to travel.

If you check in and out correctly, you will only pay the cost of your journey. This amount is often lower than the boarding fare. Any remaining balance will stay on your public transport pass.

You can enable automatic top-up in your OVpay account. With automatic top-up, your balance is topped up automatically. This happens when your balance falls below €10.

You can also set up automatic top-ups for more public transport passes

If you want to use automatic top-up for more than one public transport pass, you will need to enable automatic top-up separately for each pass in your OVpay account.

You can only set up your personal details for automatic top-ups once per OVpay account. You should therefore use the same personal details for every public transport pass in your account.

You can also top up for someone else

If you want to enable automatic top-ups for someone else – for example, a family member – you will be paying for that person if you do this via your own OVpay account.

If your public transport pass is broken, lost or stolen, you can apply for a new one. However, if your card is lost or stolen, you must first block it via your OVpay account. This will prevent anyone else from using your pass.

You can apply for a replacement public transport pass via your account.

OVpay will then permanently deactivate your old pass. Your new public transport pass will be sent to you. You will usually receive it at home within 5 working days.

If you request a replacement pass via your OVpay account, the balance on your old public transport pass will automatically be transferred to your new pass. Your season tickets, travel products, automatic top-up and personal details will also be transferred automatically.

You can also apply for a public transport pass without an account

You can also apply for a public transport pass without an OVpay account. To do so, go to OV-pas

You will usually receive your public transport pass within 5 working days of applying. Once you have received the pass at home, you can top it up.

If you no longer wish to use your public transport pass, you can deactivate it. You can do this easily via your OVpay account. Before you deactivate your public transport pass

• If you want to cancel your public transport pass, make sure you have checked out first.

• If your balance is negative, you cannot deactivate your public transport pass. Your balance must be at least €0.

• If automatic top-up is enabled, please switch it off first. You can then deactivate your public transport pass.

• If your public transport pass has been lost or stolen, do not cancel it. Instead, block your pass via Loss or theft of your public transport pass.

What happens next?

If you still have any season tickets or travel products on your public transport pass, please cancel them yourself with your transport operator. This does not happen automatically.

If you still have a balance on your public transport pass, this balance will be refunded to your bank account within 5 working days.

If your public transport pass has been deactivated, you can still claim expenses for journeys you have made using this pass.

OVpay does not offer its own season tickets. Season tickets and discounts are usually provided by transport operators such as NS, Arriva, GVB, Qbuzz, RET or Connexxion.

NS season tickets do not yet work on the public transport pass

At the moment, you cannot yet use an NS season ticket on your public transport pass. So if you have an NS season ticket, please continue to travel using your public transport chip card for the time being.

NS will start transferring season tickets to the public transport pass at a later date. When it is your turn, you will be notified by NS. Even if you travel using your debit card, you will be travelling on NS services without a season ticket and without a discount.

The group travel discount is not yet available with the public transport pass

You cannot yet use the group travel discount with your public transport pass. This is because discounts and season tickets cannot yet be added to the public transport pass.

If you wish to use the group travel discount, please use your public transport chip card for the time being. You can also buy a discounted ticket.

The student travel product does not yet work with OVpay

If you have a

Some discounts do work

You can already use some discounts with OVpay. For example, age-related discounts for children and the elderly. These discounts mainly apply on buses, trams and the metro. Always check first whether your discount is already valid with OVpay.