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Hi,

I have NS Flex Weekend Free, understood that I can bring along 3 persons with combined travel discount.

My family member travelling with me purchased a combined travel discount ticket online and load into NS apps (they dont have OV card).

In the train, the operator said that I do not have a discount card and we can be penalized. I do not understand because I subscribed to NS Flex Weekend Free (€38.35 per month) 

What is the issue? do i need to activate my card so that my family member can enjoy 40% combined travel discount?

Welcome to the NS Community!

The train manager was wrong, because Weekend Vrij entitles you to take 3 others with you at any time, provided they have activated the discount on their card or have a 40% off-peak ticket.

Even though you don’t have the 40% off-peak discount for weekdays added to Weekend Vrij, this is totally allowed. You yourself don’t need to do anything.

The only thing is that with an e-ticket (printed or in the NS app), travel during peak hours (6:30-9:00 and 16:00-18:30 on weekdays) is not allowed, while it is allowed with an ov-chipcard and check-in outside off-peak hours to continue travel in peak hours.

Hello,

I have an NS Free Weekend combined with travelling with 40% discount also in the weekdays off-peak hours.

My family (3 persons) and I will be travelling for 12 days within the Netherlands (both bus and train). So I thought buying anonymous 3 OV chipkaarts for them is a good idea. For the train journeys with NS, I would like to combine their cards with mine so that they can travel with 40% discount. My questions are as follows:

  1. Would anonymous cards be OK? (I guess so)
  2. How do I activate this for them (how I combine their cards with mine)
  3. If I manage, will they be travelling with a 40% discount during weekdays only (not enjoying a free weekend?)
  4. Do we have to go to the machine for activation each time before we take the train?
  5. I will cancel my subscription for good because I will leave NL with them after 12 days. So, do I need to leave order after online cancellation on the machine as well and would that automatically cancel their combined travel discount?
  6. Do I have to do smt else to combine their cards with my bank account?

Thank you for your time.

Hi Silay,

  1. Yes
  2. You don't have to activate anything. Your family members need to activate the Combined Travel Discount at a ticket machine before each journey. You just check in and out with your OV-chipcard. The cards are not ‘linked’ together.
  3. They can travel with a 40% discount on weekdays (in off-peak hours) and in weekends.
  4. Yes. They need to activate it before each journey. It's possible to activate it for two journeys at once, so you don't need to go to a machine again for the return trip.
  5. You can change to Flex Basis, which is free and has no discounts. In that case you don't need to confirm it at a machine. Then you are not entitled to take 3 people with the combined travel discount anymore. You can also really ‘cancel’ the subscription. In that case you need to confirm it at a ticket machine.
  6. You don't combine it with your bank account. They will need to put balance on their OV-chipcards. Their travel costs will be deducted from that balance.

See @mrfreeze's reaction.

Flex Weekend Vrij even entitles you to take along 3 persons outside peak hours (the check-in time counts) even if you dindn’t have the off-peak (weekdays) discount added!

You will then get no discount, but your fellow travellers (with the anonymous ov-chipcards, not a bank card) do get it!

Just don’t change to Flex Basis because with that, you are not allowed to travel with others (Combined Travel Discount).

Having Flex Weekend Voordeel (€ 2,20 per month) is allowed, though.

Thank you all!!! Much appreciated.

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