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I know there's the OV chipcard for travel, but the empty card itself cost money. Then I have to top-up the travel value.

  1. How about the GVB 1 day card that cost 7.50? Does it mean I have to pay for the empty card as well?

  2. Will the GVB 1 day card works for the train from Schiphol to Amsterdam CS? Or must I use the OV chipcard?

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    related : Where to Buy Tram Tickets in Amsterdam?. Look at @vartec answer
    – Vince
    Mar 22, 2014 at 10:59
  • @Vince: argh... I have to update prices in that answer or add link to current prices at GVB.
    – vartec
    Mar 22, 2014 at 12:32
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    To side notes: you need a minimum €20 balance in your card to check in the train. Also, if you buy paper tickets in the counter (meaning you ask for it to someone instead of using the machines) you have to pay +€0.50.
    – fedorqui
    Mar 24, 2014 at 15:47

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Updated June 2019. Everything is an “OV chipkaart” now, with three types available:

  • Disposable OV chip cards used for day passes or 1-hour GVB tickets (and other local tickets elsewhere in the country). This “card” feels more like a ticket (it's thin and flexible) but it will work on all OV-chip card readers and you're still supposed to check in and out. A train ticket for domestic travel is also a disposable OV chip card.

    NS does charge a small fee on top of the regular fare to issue a one-off ticket. The GVB does not charge any separate any fee for the card/ticket itself but for a short journey, a 1-hour ticket is typically (much) more expensive than the corresponding pay-as-you-go fare anyway.

  • Anonymous OV chip cards. Those cost €7.5. An anonymous OV chip card feels more like a card and can be used for pay-as-you-go travel.

  • Personal OV chip cards with a name and pictures on them. They are necessary to get a rail card or discount pass and can be tied to your bank account. This is not relevant for visitors obviously.

In practice this means that a day pass from the GVB (a disposable OV chip card in itself) does not need to be loaded on a separate card. On the other hand, the trains between Amsterdam and Schiphol are operated by NS and are not covered by GVB products so you need either an €7.5 anonymous OV chipcard (for pay-as-you-go travel) or a separate ticket from NS.

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    An addition about the train tickets: you can indeed still buy paper tickets. The price for a ticket from Schiphol to Amsterdam CS is €4. Also I noticed that The Hague CS ticket machines take foreign credit cards, there is a surcharge of €0.5. I assume the surcharge is the same in Schiphol or Amsterdam.
    – Saaru Lindestøkke
    Mar 22, 2014 at 13:56
  • Really? I never read about the minimun 20 credit when checking in. That'll will certainly be surplus to my needs. What a waste.
    – Lina
    Mar 24, 2014 at 9:15
  • @Lina It's only for NS trains. You can take trams or busses with a few cents credit (and end up with negative credit too). It's indeed quite annoying.
    – Relaxed
    Mar 24, 2014 at 9:48
  • You should be able to buy your trainticket (load) onto your card without the 20 euro credit
    – Ton Plomp
    May 2, 2014 at 0:02
  • @TonPlomp How? I see nothing about that on ns.nl and I don't remember seeing that option on the machines. What you can definitely load on the card are season tickets (personal cards only) but that's not relevant here.
    – Relaxed
    May 2, 2014 at 5:54
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Unless it has changed very recently, 24h, 48h, 72h, and 96h cards are same type single use paper-with-chip cards as the single ride cards which you buy in tram.

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