Trains and transportation

It has been a couple of years since we were in the Netherlands so memory maybe a little foggy. Till a better answers comes along ---- The OV cards refer to local transportation -- kind of like a cash card. You tap when you get on and tap when you get off and that tells the card the length of your trip and the fare to be deducted from your card. Sounds like you purchased a regular train ticket from point A to B. When on that train the conductor will scan the the bar code to verify the ticket.

Thank you for that info. So no scan out at the end of the trip unless you use the card that needs to know how much money was used

There are several ways to pay for public train journeys in the Netherlands;
1) Get a special card, called an OV chipkaart in Dutch, or chipcard in English. OV is the abbreviation of Openbaar Vervoer, which literally means Public Transport. The OV chipcard acts like a purse; you load money on it and when you tap in and out, at the entrance and exit of the train station, the fare will be deducted from the balance on the card.

2) Buying point to point tickets. This is what you seem to have bought. Hopefully from the website of the Dutch national railway company www.NS.nl/en

3) Pay with your debit or credit card, by tapping it against the reader just like an OV chipcard.

Now with regards to the bar code and checking in and out; Most train stations are closed of by gates. If you want to enter the station to catch a train or exit the station after you’ve arrived at your destination, you need something to open these gates. Luckily the gates at the train stations are equipped with readers. These readers can read both barcodes on tickets and the NFC chip inside the OV chipcard or inside debit or credit cards.
If you have a ticket, you show the reader the barcode on your ticket. The system will check if your ticket is valid and the gate will open. You do the same at the gates of the train station where you traveled to.
If you have a OV chipcard or debit or credit card, you tap your card on the reader. The system will register your departure train station. When you arrive at your destination you again tap your card. The system will now know how far you’ve traveled and it will deduct the appropriate fare from the balance on your card.
Please note that the above mentioned procedure is how it works when you take the train and the metro/subway. On busses and trams it works differently. Here the checking in and out, takes place on board of the bus when you enter and leave the vehicle.

If you travel by train to and from Schiphol Airport, things are a bit different. Please let me know if you want me to explain that.

I've been wondering myself about this. Thanks for that explanation. Does one save money buying a point to point ticket ahead of time vs using a credit card or the OV chip card? I know you can save 40% with the OV chip card but that's only if it's personalize and registered, correct? For anonymous (tourists) users, would we be paying the same as if we bought ahead of time? I'm not talking about high speed trains. I know those cost more and you can get a good deal online.
I'm debating which of the 3 choices is best... credit card, chip card or buy tix ahead. If I use a debit card, will I be asked be asked for a PIN? I can't see how you could enter that at the gate.

“ Does one save money buying a point to point ticket ahead of time vs using a credit card or the OV chip card?”
There are several discounted point to point tickets available. Both discounted tickets are only valid when you travel during off-peak hours.
Group ticket; https://www.ns.nl/producten/en/meest-gekocht/p/groepsticket-daluren
This ticket is only beneficial if you travel longer distances. Do the math before buying.

Off peak early bird; https://www.ns.nl/producten/en/reizen-in-de-daluren/p/vroegboek-retour-dal

“ know you can save 40% with the OV chip card but that's only if it's personalize and registered, correct?”

No, not correct. You only get the 40% discount if you add a special paid subscription to your personalized chipcard.

“ If I use a debit card, will I be asked be asked for a PIN? I can't see how you could enter that at the gate.”

You won’t be asked for a PIN.

Thank you Dutch traveler. All the replies have helped. Yes we will initially be going from the airport to delft and I see I can purchase tickets on the train site. Is there a better way. Also, it seems the OV card might be most helpful getting around on various things within the city of Amsterdam. True?

If you travel by train to and from Schiphol Airport, things are a bit different. Please let me know if you want me to explain that.

Yes please, I'll be doing this for several days ... thanks in advance ...

The train station at Schiphol Airport is different from most other larger train stations in the Netherlands. It’s not closed off by gates, but anyone can enter and leave freely.
For your train journey to Delft this means the following; you have already bought a ticket, this means you don’t have to do anything at Schiphol Airport. You don’t need to scan your ticket, you don’t need validate it, nothing. Just get on the train. When you arrive at Delft you exit the train and proceed towards the exit. On your way out of the train station you will encounter gates. Scan your ticket at the reader and the gates will open. It doesn’t matter that your ticket wasn’t scanned at Schiphol. The system will recognize you have a valid ticket towards Delft and will open the gate.

For those that depart or arrive by train from Schiphol Airport and wish to pay by OV chipcard or debit/credit card; you need to find the yellow check in poles located near the escalators/stairs/elevators. These poles have the same readers that other train stations have at their gates. Tap your card at these poles and the system will register you are at Schiphol train station.

“ Also, it seems the OV card might be most helpful getting around on various things within the city of Amsterdam. True?”

Not necessarily. The historical city center of Amsterdam where the main tourist sights are is very compact and walkable. Depending on where you stay and what you want to see and do, you may not need public transport at all except to and from the airport.
If you plan to take lots of public transport within Amsterdam and in the direct region around Amsterdam, this card might be useful; https://www.ns.nl/producten/en/onbeperkt-reizen/p/amsterdam-region-travel-ticket

Four of us are flying into Amsterdam. How do we get to Centraal Station from Schiphol Airport? We are staying at the Doubletree Hotel near Centraal Station. Thank you in advance for your help.

I’m doing some research for my trip to the Netherlands later this year and just wanted to add a big thanks to Dutch_traveler for the very helpful info. Seems like traveling via public transportation will be very easy now that one can use a credit card and just tap in and out.

I’ll also be traveling from Schiphol Airport to Delft and the instructions above for how to do that are great and much appreciated. Thanks again Dutch!!

Is there any price difference between using the OV card and credit cards? Is there a charge for the initial OV card? Can any amount be loaded on the OV card? I have AMEX, VISA and Mastercard. If I choose to go the CC route can I use my cards interchangeably? Have people had problems with any brand of card?

“ Is there any price difference between using the OV card and credit cards?”
No, the fare is the same

“ Is there a charge for the initial OV card? Can any amount be loaded on the OV card?”
Yes, you need to buy an OV card which costs €7,50. You can then load any amount on it.

“I have AMEX, VISA and Mastercard. If I choose to go the CC route can I use my cards interchangeably?”
You can only use Visa and MasterCard. Amex is not accepted. You must use the exact same card for your entire public transport journey. If you use your Visa card to tap in when you board a bus or tram, you must use that exact same Visa card to tap out again when you exit the bus or tram.

“Have people had problems with any brand of card?”
So far I haven’t had any issues with my Maestro debit card

Honestly, I would just use a credit card to pay for public transport. It’s so much easier than the OV chipcard as you don’t have to go thru the trouble of buying one, making sure there is enough money on it for your journey and retrieving any remaining balance.

Got it, Dutch Traveler, Thanks!

Such helpful information. Thank you Dutch_traveler for the detailed explanations.

Dang, so glad I saw this post. Great questions, and what clear explanations, Dutch Traveler! We will be arriving in Amsterdam this Friday (woo hoo!!!) and this helped me understand things even better. Good to know that we will probably be able to just walk most of the time, because it's not so cheap to use public transport there!