Amsterdam/NL Contactless Metro and Trains

[audreyh1]

Has anyone tried the very new contactless payment system for metro and/or trains in Netherlands? The app is called OVpay and you are supposedly able to use ApplePay using your phone or watch as one of the payment methods. This replaces the old OV-chipkaart that we used to use. They only started this a couple of months ago as far as I can tell.

 

[audreyh1]

Well this video indicates that you don’t even need to use any app, just check-in and check-out directly with ApplePay. So the “official” information which is so OVpay app focused is very confusing.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

Oh! I was going to ask if this worked with Google Pay (Wallet) also, since that's what I use, but I found it! Woo-hoo!

 

[audreyh1]

Yeah, thanks.

So contactless with any Visa or MasterCard. Just be sure to use the same card to check-in and check-out because in many cases they may apply a credit at checkout.

Or ApplePay or GooglePay. In this case they don’t care what card is behind it. But sounds like you should use the same card to check-in and check-out because of credits, but maybe it doesn’t matter if a different card gets the credit.

Was you image from one of the OVpay FAQs?

 

[audreyh1]

Pretty much same setup in Belgium. Same with check-in and check-out.
https://www.stib-mivb.be/article.html?_guid=a0faf6a3-4e98-3810-4da8-80cff5834093&l=en

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

Yeah, thanks.

So contactless with any Visa or MasterCard. Just be sure to use the same card to check-in and check-out because in many cases they may apply a credit at checkout.

Or ApplePay or GooglePay. In this case they don’t care what card is behind it. But sounds like you should use the same card to check-in and check-out because of credits, but maybe it doesn’t matter if a different card gets the credit.

Was you image from one of the OVpay FAQs?

No, actually, it's near the bottom of https://ovpay.nl/en/how-it-works

 

[PaunchyPirate]

Set up your desired credit card to be the default "Express Transit Card" in your Wallet & ApplePay settings. If the system is modern enough, you won't even need to unlock your phone each time. And you won't have to pick a desired card each time. Just hold it up to the card reader in (and out, if that's how the OV system works).

 

[braumeister]

Set up your desired credit card to be the default "Express Transit Card" in your Wallet & ApplePay settings. If the system is modern enough, you won't even need to unlock your phone each time.

Yes, I can confirm that's how it works in London. I just held my watch next to the pad for an instant. No need to unlock or double-click anything. The same as if it were an Oyster card for Tube or buses. There are details on the Apple website, but that page hasn't been updated well enough yet to include all the places it works.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

Yes, I can confirm that's how it works in London. I just held my watch next to the pad for an instant. No need to unlock or double-click anything. The same as if it were an Oyster card for Tube or buses. There are details on the Apple website, but that page hasn't been updated well enough yet to include all the places it works.

Good point about the use of the Watch. And London is where I mastered the technique too. But I just used my phone. Next time -- the Watch!

 

[audreyh1]

Set up your desired credit card to be the default "Express Transit Card" in your Wallet & ApplePay settings. If the system is modern enough, you won't even need to unlock your phone each time. And you won't have to pick a desired card each time. Just hold it up to the card reader in (and out, if that's how the OV system works).

That’s a good tip - I’ll check that out.

I got it set up (after quite a bit of poking around plus also setting same up for the watch) so we’ll see how it works. The watch up is already set up for being unlocked.

Interestingly - two cards I use quite heavily in the US I don’t take to Europe. I’ll take them out of my digital wallet too because I see that the phone wallet remembers each card making it easy to add back in. One more step to actually delete the card.

 

[audreyh1]

No, actually, it's near the bottom of https://ovpay.nl/en/how-it-works

OK - that helps a lot because that is newer than a lot of the OVpay info. Before this they had an OVpay app and you used the app to pay from the phone instead of the digital wallet. Now they are supporting the digital wallet directly.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

OK - that helps a lot because that is newer than a lot of the OVpay info. Before this they had an OVpay app and you used the app to pay from the phone instead of the digital wallet. Now they are supporting the digital wallet directly.

That's what I was hoping. That's what NYC and DC subway systems do, and IMO it's much easier to use the same app you're already using to pay for everything else.

For example, someone mentioned not having to unlock your phone to pay; well, for security purposes, I set Google Pay to only pay when unlocked. I don't have to worry about a bunch of different settings in a bunch of different apps, just that one. And it would be a pain to have to set or change a card or primary card in all of them, too.

 

[audreyh1]

For example, someone mentioned not having to unlock your phone to pay; well, for security purposes, I set Google Pay to only pay when unlocked. I don't have to worry about a bunch of different settings in a bunch of different apps, just that one. And it would be a pain to have to set or change a card or primary card in all of them, too.

I use ApplePay with my watch, so I don’t need to unlock anything or even take out my phone. The question is whether I even need to double click my watch to pay. If it recognizes that it’s transit and automatically brings up the right card that would be very sweet.

 

[braumeister]

I use ApplePay with my watch, so I don’t need to unlock anything or even take out my phone. The question is whether I even need to double click my watch to pay. If it recognizes that it’s transit and automatically brings up the right card that would be very sweet.

That's exactly how it works. Used it that way last month in London. No need to double-click as long as you have Express Transit Card turned on in Settings, and the default card you use for that doesn't have to be your regular Apple Pay default card.

 

[audreyh1]

That's exactly how it works. Used it that way last month in London. No need to double-click as long as you have Express Transit Card turned on in Settings, and the default card you use for that doesn't have to be your regular Apple Pay default card.

Awesome!

 

[tulak]

Awesome!

+1.

And I spent my last trip double-clicking my watch to use Apple Pay. If only I knew!

Now I want to go back and try it. Lol.

 

[Lsbcal]

Very timely thread, thanks.

We are leaving for London this evening and will also be in Paris, Brussels, and Haarlem so I'll be trying my watch out on transit. We still have Oyster cards from years ago with some unknown amount on them.

 

[HenryD]

The only problem I ran into with these types of systems is that the debit card I used sometimes got declined with "you've reached your contactless limit, use your PIN instead." Probably just a feature of that particular account. I was using a physical card rather than a phone/watch/wallet.

 

[Alex The Great]

Did anyone try Apple card within Apple Watch, to pay for transportation in Europe? Did it work as expected?

 

[braumeister]

Did anyone try Apple card within Apple Watch, to pay for transportation in Europe? Did it work as expected?

Yes, just as expected for trains and buses in England last month. Effortless.

 

[Alan]

That's exactly how it works. Used it that way last month in London. No need to double-click as long as you have Express Transit Card turned on in Settings, and the default card you use for that doesn't have to be your regular Apple Pay default card.

Thanks for the tip, I just turned it on. We have free bus passes in England but have to pay in Scotland, where we visit several times a year. I have been using my contactless card, but now I won’t even have to put my hand in my pocket to bring out my card, just present my wrist to the reader. Laziness is my middle name.

 

[braumeister]

Thanks for the tip, I just turned it on. We have free bus passes in England but have to pay in Scotland, where we visit several times a year. I have been using my contactless card, but now I won’t even have to put my hand in my pocket to bring out my card, just present my wrist to the reader. Laziness is my middle name.

Glad to help. I saw countless people doing it that way in London, both bus and tube, so it's already well established.

 

[audreyh1]

This is so slick! Can’t wait to try it.

 

[Alan]

Glad to help. I saw countless people doing it that way in London, both bus and tube, so it's already well established.

Once you mentioned it I recall seeing all the kids (young adults) round here doing this all the time and hadn’t give it a second thought other than maybe assuming I hadn’t seen them unlock their phone first. (We have a buss pass card that gets us on the buses in England but it doesn’t cover us on the London tube or other city light rail that use contactless such as the Newcastle Metro that we use from time to time)

 

[audreyh1]

Used contactless on the Gent Belgium tram. But had to find the little white terminal! Didn’t help that someone was hugging it making it anlmost invisible. Even though a certain card was assigned as transit express it didn’t pop upon my watch. Who knows. Always such a scramble getting on trams anyway.

Train tickets contactless from machine via watch in Brussels. Nice.

We’ll see how things work in Amsterdam. We may not use public transportation much as DB has a car that can even seat all 7 of us!

Pretty much ApplePay everywhere. We used some cash in Germany, that’s it!