Traveling The Netherlands Using OV Chipkaart
The OV Chipkaart in The Netherlands is the main payment method for public transport in the country. The OV chipcard is made from a plastic card, similar to a bank card, which you can safely keep in your wallet. In general, there are 2 different types of smart cards; they include a personal OV chipkaart and an anonymous one. If you get the personal one, you can see your photo, birth info, expiry date, and serial number. Furthermore, on an anonymous transport card, you can see the operator’s logo and the expiry date. In addition, the expiry date is no longer available on the card from January 2020 onwards.
This transport card comes with many benefits. You can see the details of your travel history and balance online. Therefore, you no longer need to wait in line at the ticket office. As a result, you can easily switch to another type of available public transport without buying a specific ticket.
Card for Personal Use
If you reside in the Netherlands and often travel by public transport, the personal ov chipcard is the best choice for you. By using this card, you are able to have a few travel products on your card simultaneously with different discounts. These are all-in-one smart cards that you can carry everywhere.
Benefits of A Personal Card:
- Having several travel products such as season tickets well as bus monthly passes
- You can receive any applicable age discounts when you travel with this credit. These discounts appear automatically on your card.
- Connect it to your bank to reload your card with sufficient credit automatically.
- Observe your travel info online using the My OV-chip application and print your travel costs for any use in mind.
- If you lose your card, you can block it so that there would not be any criminal activity related to your card.
- This smart card is valid for 5 years.
Anonymous Card for Mainly Tourists
As the name suggests, this card is not connected to any name. Therefore, it does not have any special discounts and passes. Moreover, more than one person can use this card; however, not simultaneously. If you want to have privacy on your travel data and want to travel occasionally, you can use an anonymous ov chipcard. As a result, this card is the option for you.
Benefits of An Anonymous Card:
- They are from newsagents, transport stations, as well as service counters.
- If you add credit to this card, you can use the card immediately. Make sure to activate your ov chipcard from the station.
- It is suitable for your employees. If you need to travel often for business, you can use this anonymous ov chipcard from your company. Therefore, you do not need to pay for your travel beforehand and claim your travel expenses after finishing your journey.
- This card is valid for 5 years from the date of purchase.
Business OV Chipkaart Option
There is a new card for business individuals that is available in the market. It is known as the business ov chipcard. This card is suitable for employees of companies that provides them a good deal that government offers their employers.
Protecting Your Card is Essential
In order to have this card last you a long while, you need to do the following:
- Make sure to place your travel card in your wallet. This results in your card wearing down less quickly and lasting longer.
- Do not bend your card. It will cause your card to stop functioning.
- Losing your card is not an option, and it will result in losing all the credit on your card.
- The anonymous card does not have any protection, and a credit refund is also not possible.
Operating The OV Chipkaart App
By using the OV chipkaart app, you do not need to give any private information to see your public transport travel details. Therefore, this app is very safe and reliable. Also, by using this app, you can find transport service locations near you. You will also find your card details on your phone screen, like your credit and travel products. The good thing is that you can use the app for both anonymous and personal cards.
Tips for Tourists Using Ov Chipcard
There is no separate ov chipcard for tourists. Tourists can buy an anonymous card as well as a disposable one. These cards are available on devices in the stations, as well as newsstands, or even at a supermarket. If you want to stay in the Netherlands for a longer time, you can try getting a personal OV Chipkaart. If you reside in Germany, Luxembourg, or Belgium, you can apply for a personal card from a relative website. The company will send this card to your home address or even the hotel of your stay. If you live in another country, you can purchase an application package for €10.50 as of 2021.
Every tourist also needs to consider 3 things to do when visiting the Netherlands. These tips help you explore this great country with more ease of mind. Moreover, having prior knowledge before entering any country is a very important thing that you should be mindful of.
