My wife and I will be travelling throughout the Netherlands in September. We intend to each use separate credit cards and pay for all intercity train and local bus, tram and metro travel by “tapping on and off”
As we are both over 65, our app. registration will have that information and it will give each of us a senior discount on travel other than intercity trains. I also understand it is best to obtain the app. within 60 days of intended use dates. We do not intend to use our separate phones, but instead our separate physical credit cards.
My question, may we download one OV Pay app. and both register our personal information, including our ages and separate credit cards, on the same account or should we each have separately downloaded and registered apps?
Posted by
The Netherlands
1887 posts
An OV Pay account is personal, it’s tied to one specific person and you need to fill in that person details such as their date of birth. Therefore, 2 people cannot share an account.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
8661 posts
Things change, but last I looked into this, the issue was that you need to establish an account connected to a Debit Card attached to a Dutch bank account (or possibly EU now). Connecting to a US/Canadian credit card is not an option (I have not worked through the details of setting up a pay account recently, but was the case before).
If I recall, to fully activate the OV Pay App also requires performing a pay transaction, (use the card on the transit system) so you can enter transaction information to link with your card. That may not be needed if you set up a linked pay account.
Posted by
The Netherlands
1887 posts
Paul: could it be you’re confusing the new OV Pay system with the older personalized OV Chipcard? To set up the latter you indeed need to link a bank account from which a direct debit can be done. OV Pay is a new system and from the start accepts both foreign and Dutch debt and credit cards (Visa and Mastercard).
The new OV Pay doesn’t work with direct debit. Your debit or credit card is charged immediately when you tap in and out, in the same way your card is charged when you use it to pay in a restaurant or shop.
Posted by
OP
Franklin, Tennessee
204 posts
So we will need two different OV Pay accounts,, each with different credit cards which cards we will tap in/out and obtain senior discount on bus, trams and metros, but not trains.
Where are the tap in , tap out locations on the various systems. Front door or back door of bus, tram and metros? Track side before entering and after exiting a train?
Posted by
The Netherlands
1887 posts
In busses and trams the readers are at every door. For metros and trains, the readers are at the entrance/exits of the stations. In most train and metro stations, you need to tap your card at the readers to open the gate so you can enter/exit the station. The most notable exception to this is the train station at Schiphol Airport. The readers there are located next to the escalators/stairs that lead down to the platforms.
Posted by
Haarlem, Netherlands
134 posts
In addition to Dutch_traveler, small train station often don’t have gates and you will need to tap in/out using the card reader at the platform before entering/after exiting the train. They look like this: https://images.app.goo.gl/QuHVZ8TDGPHHRkEo9.
Posted by
OP
Franklin, Tennessee
204 posts
Thank you all!