Trams, buses, metros, ferries and trains in Amsterdam all run on the same tap-on/tap-off principle. The big choice is what you tap with — your bank card, a mobile ticket, or a physical OV-chipkaart. Here's the practical version.
Simplest way
Tap a contactless card
Universal rule
Tap on AND tap off
Daily cap on GVB
€10.50 per day (OVpay)
Four ways to pay
Pick whichever fits your situation. They all use the same gates and readers.
OVpay — contactless bank card
Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay
Distance-based — pay per actual journey
GVB Max: max €10.50/day on GVB lines (day buses, trams, metro, ferries)
No app, no card to buy, no top-up
Available since 2023, national
The simplest option for first-time visitors with a contactless card. Tap any Visa/Mastercard or contactless phone at the yellow reader on entry and exit. Charges arrive on your bank statement automatically. Works across GVB (city) and NS (national rail). The GVB Max cap applies only to GVB lines (not OV-chipkaart, not GVB night buses, not other carriers) and only when you check in and out cleanly with the same card.
Mobile ticket via GetYourGuide
GVB 1-7 day, Travel Ticket, Region Travel Ticket, Bus 397, NS train
Fixed price for a fixed duration
QR scan from the GetYourGuide app at the gate
GVB ticket: fully digital, 24-hour blocks from first scan
Travel / Region Ticket: voucher → OV-chipkaart swap, calendar days (4 a.m. expiry)
The right choice when you know you'll use public transport heavily over 1-7 days and want a fixed price. Pick the GVB ticket if you stay in Amsterdam, the Travel Ticket if you arrive via Schiphol, or the Region Travel Ticket for day trips out of the city. The GVB ticket is also sold directly in the official GVB app "Gappie" — same prices, same QR mechanism.
Anonymous OV-chipkaart
Physical pay-as-you-go card
€7.50 for the card (non-refundable)
Minimum top-up €10 (e-purse, max €150)
Newly issued cards stay valid until the system is retired (previously ~5 years)
Being phased out in favour of OVpay and the new OV-pas — no fixed end date announced
A leftover option from before OVpay existed. Still works, but the €7.50 card fee is non-refundable and you'll need to top up at a machine before you tap. If your bank card is contactless, OVpay is simpler and cheaper for short visits. Sold at GVB Service & Tickets locations, GVB Service Points, GVB ticket machines, and NS machines at Schiphol and Amsterdam Centraal.
GVB paper chip card
Pre-loaded with a travel product (1h, 1 day, multi-day…)
Sold at GVB ticket machines, Service Points, Service & Tickets locations, and various tobacco/convenience shops
Tram conductors sell 1-hour or 1-day cards on board (card payment only — no cash)
Same price as the equivalent app barcode ticket
GVB only — not valid on Connexxion, EBS or NS
A physical fallback if you'd rather not use an app or a contactless card. Same prices as the digital app version, just on a physical card. Still requires tap-on and tap-off at the reader. Bus and night drivers don't sell tickets — only tram conductors do.
The universal rule: tap on, tap off
Whichever payment method you use, this part is identical.
Every gate at every station, every door of every tram and bus, and every metro turnstile has a yellow reader. You tap your card, phone or OV-chipkaart against it when you board (tap on) and again when you get off (tap off). Both halves are mandatory.
The reader displays a green light and a beep when accepted. If you're rushed by the door closing, hold the card steady for a full second — most "did it scan?" worries come from waving the card too fast.
If you switch between operators — for example, NS train into Amsterdam Centraal, then GVB tram from outside the station — you have to tap off the train and tap on again on the tram. Even though you have the same physical card, the systems are separate.
Use the same card for check-in and check-out on the same journey. This is the most-overlooked OVpay rule. If you tap on with your debit card and tap off with your phone, the system treats it as two incomplete trips and you pay twice. Take one card out of your wallet for the entire trip and use only that one. GVB advises this explicitly.
Missing a tap-off triggers a penalty fare, even with a multi-day pass. The system can't tell where you ended your journey, so it assumes the maximum. The penalty arrives later in the bank statement (for OVpay) or as a debited balance (for OV-chipkaart). Missed check-ins or check-outs also disqualify you from the GVB Max daily cap.
The Apple Wallet trap on iPhones
The single most common scanning frustration for iPhone users.
iPhones have an "Express Transit Card" feature that activates Apple Wallet whenever the phone is near an NFC reader. If you're trying to scan a mobile ticket from the GetYourGuide app or the GVB app, your iPhone may pop up Apple Wallet instead, locking the gate for a few seconds while you cancel it.
Two ways to fix it:
iPhone Settings → Wallet & Apple Pay → Express Transit Card → None. Disables the automatic Wallet trigger system-wide. You can switch it back on after your trip.
In the GetYourGuide app: when you receive the NFC warning, close the ticket and reopen it from the GetYourGuide app. This activates the in-app NFC blocker for that ticket. (This step is documented in the GVB product instructions on GetYourGuide.)
This issue does not exist on Android — Google Pay handles the conflict differently.
Which ticket fits which trip?
Pick the line that matches your itinerary and length of stay.
Children under 4 travel free on all of these. Children 4-11 need their own ticket — separate variants exist for the GVB Day Ticket Child.
Honest tips most other sites skip
Worth knowing before your first ride
OVpay is the easiest option in 2026. If your bank card is contactless, you don't need any app, machine or paper ticket. Just tap. Most first-time visitors overcomplicate this by buying things they don't need.
Two different "1-day" definitions — know the difference. The GVB Public Transport Ticket and GVB app barcode tickets run in 24-hour blocks from your first scan (a 1-day bought at 18:00 stays valid until 18:00 the next day). The Amsterdam Travel Ticket and Region Travel Ticket run on calendar days and expire at 4 a.m. the morning after the last day — so a late-evening check-in burns much of the value. If you arrive in the evening, the GVB ticket is fairer per euro.
The anonymous OV-chipkaart is being phased out. The Netherlands is moving from the physical OV-chipkaart to OVpay (contactless) and a new digital OV-pas. No fixed end date has been announced. Existing cards still work in the transition, but buying one new is rarely worth the €7.50.
Travel Ticket and Region Travel Ticket need a voucher swap. Unlike the GVB Public Transport Ticket (which is fully digital), the Travel Ticket and Region Travel Ticket arrive as a voucher you need to exchange for a physical OV-chipkaart at Schiphol or Amsterdam Centraal before your first ride. Step-by-step voucher guide →
Each operator is its own check-in. NS (national rail), GVB (Amsterdam city), Connexxion (regional buses, including Bus 397), Arriva (Keukenhof shuttles), EBS (Volendam/Edam). Same card works across all of them on the same trip — but each leg needs a tap-on and tap-off.
The "did it work?" doubt resolves itself. When in doubt, hold your card on the reader for a full second and watch for the green light + beep. If it didn't take, the gate stays closed — you can't accidentally skip the check-in.
Anonymous OV-chipkaart — buy at a station (€7.50 + €10 minimum top-up). Phased out from 2026.
Travel Ticket / Region Travel Ticket voucher — book online, swap for an OV-chipkaart on arrival.
Yes, on every leg. Trams, buses, metro, ferries and trains all require you to tap on when you board and tap off when you get off. Missing a tap-off triggers a penalty fare, even with a multi-day ticket. Every transfer between operators (train to tram, bus to metro) needs a fresh tap-on/tap-off too.
OVpay charges per ride, distance-based. When you travel only on GVB and check in and out cleanly with the same card, the GVB Max daily cap applies: a maximum of €10.50 per day on GVB lines (day buses, trams, metro, ferries). The cap does NOT apply to: GVB night buses, journeys made with the OV-chipkaart, or trips with other carriers (NS, Connexxion, EBS, Arriva). Missed check-ins or check-outs also break the cap — they don't count toward the day's tally.
For most tourists in 2026, no. The anonymous OV-chipkaart costs €7.50 (non-refundable), needs a €10 minimum top-up, and is being phased out from 2026 in favour of OVpay and the new OV-pas. If you have a contactless bank card, OVpay is simpler. If you want a fixed-duration pass, buy a Travel Ticket or Region Travel Ticket — they include the OV-chipkaart you need.
iPhones have an Express Transit Card feature that activates Apple Wallet on NFC readers. When you scan a GetYourGuide or GVB mobile ticket, the phone may try to use Wallet instead, slowing the gate. Fix: iPhone Settings → Wallet & Apple Pay → Express Transit Card → None. Or, in the GetYourGuide app, close and reopen the ticket after the NFC warning to activate the in-app NFC blocker.
