Check OV chip card balance and top up automatically

Traveling with the OV chip card is only possible if there is credit on it. You don’t have to leave the house to see how much travel credit is left. View the balance via ov-chipkaart.nl. Please note: for the following steps, the OV card must be linked to ‘My OV-chip’. Read how to do this in the tip ‘Linking the OV chip card to My OV chip’.

• Go to ov-chipkaart.nl.
• Click at the top My OV chip card > login.
• Enter the username and password and click Login.
• Click at the top Menu.
• Click on the drop-down menu OV chip and use > Check your balance.
• If necessary, tick the correct public transport chip card.

The credit appears under ‘Balance information. Behind the amount is when it was last updated.

Is the balance not enough to pay for the next trip? Then you need to charge it.

The OV pass can be topped up online or via machines at the station or in shops. Read more about how to do this in the tip ‘top up the OV chip card’.

For those who regularly use public transport, it is useful to switch on automatic top-up. If the balance falls below zero euros, an amount of your choice is automatically loaded onto the card. This will later be debited from your bank account. Handy, because then you don’t have to pass a machine for every trip. Please note: there are two variants of the OV chip card: the personal and anonymous. Automatic reloading is only possible with a personal OV chip card.

For the following steps, we assume that your OV chip card is linked to ‘My OV chip’. Read how to do this the tip My OV-chip.

• Go to ov-chipkaart.nl.
• Click at the top My OV chip card > login.
• Enter the username and password and click Login.
• Click at the top Menu.
• In the drop-down window, choose Travel on automatic charging > To request.
• Click on the pink button Log in and apply.
• If several public transport cards are linked, choose the correct card and click Next step.
• Check the automatically filled in contact details and complete if necessary.
• click on Next step.
• Choose the amount with which the OV-chipkaart should be topped up automatically. The options are: ten, twenty or fifty euros.

  

• Under ‘Permission’, click the small square. With this you give permission for a revolving direct debit. Amounts that go to the chip card are therefore automatically debited from your bank account. click on Next step.
• Check the details and click on the square for I agree to the Terms and Conditions automatic reload […]. click on Next step.
• The Buckaroo payment environment appears, because the website wants to debit one euro cent to verify the specified bank account. click on Select and choose your bank.
• click on Further.
• It differs per bank how internet banking works. Go through the steps as usual.

The automatic reload request was successful. After some time you will receive an e-mail about this. But Pay attention: the automatic top-up does not work yet. You must first put the new function on the card once at a machine at the station or at a shop.

So one more action is needed: activate the automatic reloading of the card.

• Find where the nearest vending machine is. On the page that appeared after paying, click on Find a vending machine near you. Did you already close the page? Then open the page Find a service point.
• Click in the bar under ‘Street name and number, zip code or city’ and type your street name and number, zip code or city.
• Under ‘Service type’, click the bar.
• click on Auto. Request charging/change map/end.
• click on To search.
• An overview of all vending machines in the area appears on a map. Click on one below the map.

Time to go to a vending machine.

There are several machines to put the balance on the card. You can do this, for example, at a machine at the NS station, but also at a (yellow) machine in a shop. The steps are roughly the same.

• Place the OV chip card in the card holder where you see the OV chip logo, or hold the card in front of the OV chip card reader.
• Options will appear on the screen. Press Pick up order.
• Wait until the machine has found the order.
• You will see ‘Please confirm purchase’ on the screen.
• Choose YES at the right.

The balance on the OV chip card is now updated. You will then see ‘Remove card’ in the middle of the screen, or you must hold your card in front of the OV chip card reader again.