t0t1t2

According to information here you can ask back credit for a service fee of €1,-. This can be done at the NS (Dutch railways) desks at Schiphol. These are located right above the railway tracks before security as can be seen here. I don't know how long it takes exactly, but I do know that there's usually some queues at those desks.

However, the price of the anonymous chipcard itself (€7,50) is non-refundable. Therefore if you would be travelling by train only it would need 9 single train tickets to be worth it.

But, using this card probably saves some money using the public transport in Amsterdam as well, especially if you will be taking just a couple of short trips per day there as the fare using this card is calculated based on the distance and this is often cheaper than a single ride (1 hour ticket) costing €2,90.

However, if you would be travelling longer distances in Amsterdam or more trips per day one of the 24/48/72 hours passes makes more sense. You might still want to buy the ov-chipkaart for convenience in case you don't want to buy separate tickets all the time, but in that case it does not make sense from an economic perspective anymore.

Hope this helps a bit

Enjoy your time in The Netherlands!

Analise

I thought it WAS refundable except for €2,50 as per what stut wrote.

And now there's an extra service fee of €1 added to that link you provided, t0t1t2?


Yes, I would need the train for trips between Hoofddorp and Amsterdam Centraal. I can use the €7,50 card with money I add to it?

To confirm, train trips between Hoofddorp and Amsterdam Centraal would be be a part of the 24 pass, is that correct?

Thanks.

stut

Sorry, that's my mistake. On closer inspection, you don't get the €7,50 back.

Yes, you can use that card for any train journey in the Netherlands provided you have sufficient funds, and it is enabled for train use (ask when you buy it).

The 24-hour city card is not valid to Hoofddorp, or even Schiphol. The city ring line (running from Zuid WTC towards Lelylaan) is effectively the limit. You'd have to buy throwaway cards. IIRC, the machines at Hoofddorp only take Dutch cards or cash - or you'd buy from the station newsagent.

t0t1t2

So probably it would be most convenient to go for one of these anonymous OV chipcards. The ov-chipcard can be used on any kind of public transport in The Netherlands. So any train, bus or tram.

GVB is the company operating all bus/tram and metro trains in Amsterdam. The 24/48/72 hours city cards are only valid for public transportation by GVB. Trains to Hoofddorp are operated by NS and as stut indicates the GVB cards are not valid on those. In order to use that train you can either buy single tickets with a surcharge of €1 per ride or use the credit on your ov-chipkaart.

Analise

Thanks, got it.

The train options confuse me. Maybe that's my fault:

1. When I take trains between Amsterdam Centraal and Hoofddorp (I might take that train 3 times), are there specific ticket machines for that train route and are the instructions only in Dutch? What is the train fare?

2. If I want the 24 hour smart card for Amsterdam trams, is there a specific set of ticket machines at Amsterdam Central where I can purchase it? Is a surcharge of €1 added to the cost?

I really appreciate your assistance.

Got it. Thanks.

So if I use a machine to buy tickets between Hoofddorp and Amsterdam Centraal, I'll STILL be subject to a surcharge of €1? If so, it's still cheaper than €7.50 for the ov-chipkaart.

yytleisure

1. Any NS yellow and blue machine at the train stations will sell you this ticket, select few take coins, some temperamentally accept credit cards and all have an English button. There's also the manned wickets that have a small surcharge. Check ns.nl for fares.

2. IME you have to exit the main station and go to GVB service centre just out front to get tickets for local transport. However single and 24 and usually 48/72 hour cards are available on trams - just board and buy.

No surcharge at machines. Can't beat the convenience of having OV chipkaart which you can use on trams or trains or basically everything but for a short trip it might be hard to justify the €7.50 for some, but beats fighting with the machine or lining up repeatedly for tickets. just tap and go. It's good for years too if you plan on going back.

Mizter T

(My bolding.)

The somewhat vague "valid for four to five years" statement regarding an anonymous OV-chipkaart does amuse me.

What is the logic at work here regarding how long it might actually remain valid for?

Analise

Thanks. If select few take coins and some others take credit cards, it sounds like Euro bills are the most widely accepted form of payment. For some reason, I thought coins were.

That's easy. Thanks.

Thanks!

stut

It's none of the above - Dutch debit cards are the most widely accepted form of payment. Which is a royal pain for visitors.

yytleisure

Sorry I should have been clearer. All have card readers but as stut said they're for Dutch pin and chip cards. I've had some success at times getting my Canadian Visa card to work but they're fussy! None take euro notes like the wonderful German machines. If using coins look for a coin slot on the upper half of the machine but for paper cash you have to see a live person and pay for the privilege of waiting.

Not sure of the logic but luckily the expiry date is on the card. Mine was over 5 years after I bought it

Analise

Sounds like it.

No I don't want to pay for the privilege of wasting time. I will go with coins & look for the slot at the upper 1/2 of the ticket machine. Thanks.

yytleisure

No problem. I've used Amsterdam and Netherlands transport quite a lot so feel I have some handle on it. A chip and pin card is your best bet for payment at train ticket machines. but if you have a decent stash of coins that's also helpful, it's just getting to one of the ones that take coins that seem to be a bit scarcer these days than I recall from before. Paper money is fine on trams to buy from driver for those tickets.

Please ask if you have any more questions!

Analise

Thank you! As I get closer to this trip, I just might take you up on your kind offer.

Analise

The locker situation was easy. What I didn't expect is that the locker only took plastic. No coin slots. Even though it's a chip/signature card, I added the pin a while ago which made all the difference. I used cash at the ticket machines because of the lower price.