NS-Business Card for employees

More information

• How does the NS-Business Card work?

  The NS-Business Card is a public transport card which allows you to use public transport for work-related journeys. The journeys you make are recorded when you check in and check out using your NS-Business Card using the card readers of the relevant transport operator. You can use your card to board the train, bus, tram or metro, and the invoice will be sent to VU Amsterdam. Your unit will receive a monthly break-down of all journeys made.

• Additional door-to-door services

  Official travel can be combined with the use of the following additional door-to-door services: the OV-fiets (rental bicycle available from railway stations), bicycle storage at the station, train-taxi rides, Greenwheels (rental car) and Q-Park car parks (Park and Ride sites). Your manager will need to pre-authorise the use of Greenwheels and Q-Park car parks. Visit the NS website to find out how you can use the additional door-to-door service.

• Can I also use the NS-Business Card with other train, bus, tram and metro operators?

  Yes, you can use the NS-Business Card to travel with any train, bus, tram and metro operator in the Netherlands. If you are travelling with a public transport operator other than NS, you can simply use your NS-Business Card to check in and out. However, it is important that you check in and out for each separate operator that you use. If you change operator while you are travelling, you must always check in and out with each company. In all cases, your journey will be billed at the rate applied by the relevant operator.

• What is the benefit of an NS-Business Card for me as an employee?

  With the NS-Business Card, employees no longer have to queue up to buy a ticket, or pay for the ticket themselves in advance, keep the ticket and subsequently put in a claim for travel expenses. The invoice for the journey will be charged to VU Amsterdam automatically. Your NS-Business Card is personalised, so the invoice will automatically be charged to your particular unit.

• Can I also use the NS-Business Card for my regular commute to and from work or for private journeys?

  No, the use of the card for such purposes is prohibited. The card is intended solely for official travel within the Netherlands. Official travel means a journey made by an employee at the instructions of his or her manager for the purpose of performing work-related duties outside of his or her regular place of employment. In the event of unauthorised use, the costs will be deducted from your salary.

• I forgot to check in or out. What can I do?

  I forgot to check in.

  If you fail to check in, you may be charged a correction fee. Have you already passed the check-in gates, but not yet boarded the train? Then try to check in before boarding the train. 

  I forgot to check out.

  No panic: the Forgotten Check-out Service is standard on your NS-Business Card. If you forget to check out, you will be charged a correction fee. NS helps you correct this via this service. This can be done in two ways:

  1. If NS can determine with at least 80% certainty at which location you missed your check-out, it will correct the forgotten check-out automatically.
  2. Is there no 80% certainty? Then you will receive an e-mail notification from NS, stating that you have forgotten to check out. You can then correct your ride yourself in your Mijn NS Zakelijk account.

  Please note: the Forgotten Check-Out Service only works for journeys made with NS. You can (have) a forgotten check-out corrected up to 5 times a year with the Forgotten Check-out Service. You cannot unsubscribe from the Forgotten Check-out Service. Is the automatic correction not correct? Please contact Customer Service NS Business.

  When can a forgotten check-out be corrected?

  With the NS Business Card it is possible to request a correction via Mijn NS Zakelijk from 9 days after your journey. The difference between the correction rate and the actual fare will then be corrected on the next invoice.

  Correction rate for not checking in or out

  In addition to the journey price, the NS also charges VU Amsterdam a correction fee ranging from € 20 to € 45, depending on the 'violation'. These additional costs can be settled with the employee via the salary.

• I accidentally travelled by 1st class with a 2nd class NS-Business Card.

  If you accidentally travel in the wrong class, then in addition to the regular fare, the NS will charge VU Amsterdam a ‘penalty’ correction charge. These costs must be paid by the card holder personally.

• Can a group of people travel on a single NS-Business Card?

  No, the card can only be used by one person at a time.

• I make a lot of international journeys by train. Can I also use the NS-Business Card for this purpose?

  Yes, in the case of structural international train travel, you can have this product activated on the NS Business Card via the HR Service Desk, with the manager's permission.

• Can I travel within the Netherlands using international trains and Intercity direct?

  You can also use your NS-Business Card to travel within the Netherlands using IC Brussels, IC Berlin and ICE International trains (no supplement required). You check in and out at the NS gates. For Intercity direct, a supplement is always required for each journey. To travel with Thalys, you need to book in advance and buy a separate train ticket.

  During your international journey, your international train ticket is your valid ticket. You only have to show the NS-Business Card if you have used the subscription on your NS-Business Card to get a discount on your international journey. And/or during the journey to the departure station of your international train journey.

  With the NS-Business Card, you can also travel internationally on account. You can book your trip easily via Mijn NS Zakelijk. For example, you travel with Thalys to Paris and Brussels or with ICE International to Frankfurt or Cologne. You do not have to declare afterwards and VU Amsterdam receives 1 clear invoice. When you book the entire journey via Mijn NS Zakelijk, your international train ticket is also valid on the domestic route for your journey to the departure station of your international train. You do not check in and out with the NS-Business Card to avoid double costs for the domestic journey.

  Did you book your international journey from the departure station of the international train and make a domestic journey before that? Then you check in and out on the domestic journey with your NS-Business Card. From the departure station of your international train you then continue your journey with your international train ticket. We advise you to book the entire journey via Mijn NS Zakelijk, so you do not have to check in and out en route.

• What should I do if I have forgotten to bring my NS-Business Card with me?

  You should buy a single ticket using your own private OV-chipkaart. You can then claim the cost of the journey using the self-service option Submit claims for official domestic travel. To do this, you will need to demonstrate that you made the journey by public transport (by submitting the original ticket or the payment information from your own public transport chip card, for example).

• When am I entitled to a refund for delays?

  In the event of any delay lasting for more than half an hour, you are entitled to a reimbursement of (a part of) your fare. This also applies to journeys that you make using the NS-Business Card. You can do this via the link in the transaction overview on Mijn NS Zakelijk.

• What should I do if I lose the card, or if it is stolen?

  In case of loss or theft of your NS-Business Card, you should request a duplicate as soon as possible via the HR Service Desk citing the reason. The lost or stolen NS-Business Card will then be blocked automatically. The processing time for your request of a duplicate will be about 10 days.

• I never make work-related journeys. What should I do with the card?

  If you wish, you can send your card to the HR Service Desk – Public transport, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam. However, we recommend keeping the card in case you ever need to make a work-related journey in the future.

• What should I do if my employment is terminated?

  You should return your card to the HR Service Desk – Public transport, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam. This must be done no later than your last working day.