Key facts
- You can check in and out on NS trains and Hermes buses with a contactless bank card or phone, but always at full fare in 2nd class.
- For discounts and subscriptions you need a card: the OV-chipkaart, or its successor the OV-pas (6 euros, valid 5 years).
- The OV-chipkaart is expected to stop at the end of 2027.
- Direct Intercity trains run from Eindhoven Centraal to Amsterdam Centraal in about 1 hour 20 minutes.
- Holding a phone while cycling is banned. Front and rear lights are required in the dark.
What to do
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Hold your contactless debit or credit card, or your phone, to the reader to check in, and use the same card to check out. No registration is needed.
Discount and season products do not work on a bank card. Order an OV-pas through the OVpay app or ovpay.nl, or use an OV-chipkaart until it is phased out.
Not every subscription can be put on the OV-pas yet. Students with the DUO student travel product should wait until DUO says they can switch.
Use it to check direct trains, platform changes and engineering works, which happen often on weekends.
Fit a white or yellow front light and a red rear light that do not flash. Check the reflectors on the back, wheels and pedals.
Lock your frame to a fixed rack. In the city centre, use the free guarded bike parking at 18 Septemberplein or Heuvel.
File a police report. Only reported bikes go into the national theft register, which lets police return a bike they find.
Paying for buses and trains
The Dutch system is called OVpay. You can check in with a contactless bank card, a card on your phone or watch, or the new OV-pas. Hermes, which runs the city buses in Eindhoven, does not take cash on board.
With a bank card you always travel 2nd class without discount. NS lists Dutch debit cards from ABN AMRO, ASN Bank, bunq, ING, Rabobank, RegioBank, SNS and Knab, plus contactless Visa and Mastercard. Some foreign cards and digital-only cards, such as the Revolut digital card, are not accepted.
If you forget to check out, you may be charged a higher amount. Make it a habit to tap out every time.
OV-chipkaart and OV-pas
The OV-pas is the successor to the OV-chipkaart. It costs 6 euros, is valid for 5 years and can be ordered through ovpay.nl or the OVpay app, or bought at Primera shops. The OV-chipkaart is expected to keep working until the end of 2027.
More subscriptions are being added to the OV-pas during 2026. Until your product is available, keeping your OV-chipkaart is fine.
Trains to Amsterdam and Schiphol
NS Intercity trains from Eindhoven Centraal run directly to Amsterdam Centraal, stopping at 's-Hertogenbosch and Utrecht Centraal. The trip takes about 1 hour 20 minutes. Some trains continue to Schiphol Airport; otherwise you change once.
Check the NS app before you leave. Engineering works often change routes, especially at weekends.
Bike rules
In the dark and in poor visibility you must use a front light (white or yellow) and a rear light (red). They may not flash. Clip-on lights are allowed, also on your bag or clothing, but not on your head, arms or legs.
You may not hold a phone or other device while cycling, including calling or texting. Hands-free use is allowed. Fines for both offences are listed in the Openbaar Ministerie's Boetebase.
A normal e-bike assists up to 25 km/h. A speed pedelec counts as a moped and needs a helmet. Fatbikes that go faster than allowed or have a throttle are not allowed on public roads without approval.
Keeping your bike
Bike theft is common. Eindhoven has free, guarded parking at 18 Septemberplein (about 1,400 spaces) and Heuvel (900 spaces). Near the station, NS runs large bike parkings on both sides.
If your bike is stolen, report it. The government notes that only about a quarter of bike thefts are reported. Before buying a second-hand bike, you can check the theft register through the RDW website.
Mistakes to avoid
- Checking in with one card and out with another, which creates a missing check-out charge.
- Expecting student or off-peak discounts on a bank card.
- Using flashing bike lights, which are not allowed.
- Locking only the back wheel and leaving the bike overnight on the street.
- Buying a very cheap bike from a stranger without checking whether it was stolen.
Useful links
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We checked this guide against its sources on 9 October 2026. Rules change: the official source always wins. Spotted something out of date? DM @gone.with.us or email contact@gonewithus.nl.