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NS Flex subscription from Luxemburg

T

Dear community,

I have a personal OV Chipkaart since I live in Luxembourg (ordered online).

My question is: can I add any NS Flex subscription on my card without Dutch mobile/address? 

It is not possible online as it requires both to be Dutch, but since ordering a personal card is permitted with Luxembourgish address, I wonder if its doable somehow.

Thank you in advance for your answer/s and apologies if this was asked before, I couldn’t find this case in previous topics. 

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Beste antwoord door rvdborgt 9 April 2022, 08:54

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18 reacties

rvdborgt
Reputatie 7
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This cannot be done online. You have to call customer service (+31 30 751 51 55) and they are able to do it. Unfortunately, some of the staff don't know they must do it for people with foreign bank accounts and/or addresses and will try to direct you to the website, but we know that doesn't work. In such a case, you'll have to convince them or call again and hope you'll get somebody else.

T

This cannot be done online. You have to call customer service (+31 30 751 51 55) and they are able to do it. Unfortunately, some of the staff don't know they must do it for people with foreign bank accounts and/or addresses and will try to direct you to the website, but we know that doesn't work. In such a case, you'll have to convince them or call again and hope you'll get somebody else.

Thank you for the quick answer! 

Do you recommend phone over the train station? The fact that I have to ‘convince’ or ‘insist’ sounds challenging though.

B
Reputatie 7
Badge +1

What do you mean by that? Stations do not have fones-since many yrs (I mean for public contact)-its all done via that ´service´centre-and as any company in this world, CFL included, they will have competent, less competent and a few lazy/ignorant clerks. What rvdb means is to simply cut the fone and try again-you will-in the end-after long waiting-get another person on the line who may know better. 

Rvdb talks from his very own expreinece, he is Belgian and uses NS-trains quite a lot and has to change his FLEX subscription every now and then-via this rather cumbersome way to do

Robert B
Badge +3

If possible, use the station service desk. If you have a non-NL IBAN, there will be a 10 day period for the auto debit procedure to be approved.

Alles hier post ik op persoonlijke titel, ben geen NS medewerker.
Robert B
Badge +3

What do you mean by that? Stations do not have fones

Er wordt gevraagd of bellen de voorkeur heeft t.o.v. naar het station gaan.

 

Alles hier post ik op persoonlijke titel, ben geen NS medewerker.
rvdborgt
Reputatie 7
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Do you recommend phone over the train station? The fact that I have to ‘convince’ or ‘insist’ sounds challenging though.

Yes, I know, but unfortunately it's a reality. I've read enough stories :(

If you're at a Dutch station with an open ticket office (they become more and more rare), then you can also go there. Don't know if the staff there are more experienced but it's less easy for them to ignore you :)

EetuAndersson
Reputatie 1

@turchino has this worked for you?

Roughly in the same situation, but from Duitsland.

Just found out that I can order myself an OV-chipkaart, but not a NS-subscription due to lack of dutch mail adress.

Don't try.
Robert B
Badge +3

@turchino has this worked for you?

Roughly in the same situation, but from Duitsland.

Just found out that I can order myself an OV-chipkaart, but not a NS-subscription due to lack of dutch mail adress.

Hello @EetuAndersson,

If you already have an OV-chipkaart the postal address for a subscription doesn't matter, just put postcode 3511ER house number 100 (Laan van Puntenburg Utrecht, the NS headquarters address).

Phone number 0100000000 (any 10 digit number starting with 0, mobile number can be empty), they will not call you anyway.

When ordering online, you will need iDeal to pay, though. Best to handle it at a service desk on a train station, although Revolut (free) and Bunq support it. Ordering by phone (+31 30 751 5155) should be possible, too.

Lastly (but most important), you need to load a subscription on your card from a machine before it works. https://www.ov-chipkaart.nl/en/service-points-finder

Alles hier post ik op persoonlijke titel, ben geen NS medewerker.
EetuAndersson
Reputatie 1

@Robert B thanks for your reply!

Tbh, I really don't like using false information but I guess if everything else fails I'll do that.

My OV chipkaart arrives next week and I basically no nothing about how the whole thing works.

Gotta sit down with it for a bit anyhow and I was thinking as my first step I thought about linking it directly to my OV- and NS account, can't be wrong I guess?

Like you mentioned further up in another post, I'd like to use my non-NL Iban for paying so I guess ordering via phone is my way to go ?

(https://www.ns.nl/en/customer-service/payment/problems-when-paying-online.html)

I also wondered, since the OV seems to be chargeable, if I can put money on it via PayPal for my monthly subscription.

But like I said, new to the Dutch OV Jungle so please bear with me. Gotta get myself that NS Flex Weekend Vrij somehow 🤩

Don't try.
rvdborgt
Reputatie 7
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Tbh, I really don't like using false information but I guess if everything else fails I'll do that.

NS have introduced this bug a few years ago and still haven't fixed it. Apparently they don't find it important for their customers to be able to use their correct addresses.

My OV chipkaart arrives next week and I basically no nothing about how the whole thing works.

Gotta sit down with it for a bit anyhow and I was thinking as my first step I thought about linking it directly to my OV- and NS account, can't be wrong I guess?

Like you mentioned further up in another post, I'd like to use my non-NL Iban for paying so I guess ordering via phone is my way to go ?

(https://www.ns.nl/en/customer-service/payment/problems-when-paying-online.html)

I also wondered, since the OV seems to be chargeable, if I can put money on it via PayPal for my monthly subscription.

With NS Flex, you don't need to put money on the card. You'll get a monthly invoice that will be paid via direct debit. You can use any IBAN but if you want to order online, then you'll need a bank account that can handle payment by iDeal. After that, the IBAN of that account will be used for direct debit, but you can change it via customer service, e.g. via phone, chat, Facebook.

EetuAndersson
Reputatie 1

@rvdborgt

Alrighty, guess I'll exploit that bug then. Thx!

If I run into issues after my OV - kaart arrives, I'll return.

 

Don't try.
EetuAndersson
Reputatie 1

So my OV kaart has already arrived and I just called customer service for ordering NS Flex, (luckily?) my internet gave me trouble when the NS-agent asked for my dutch zip code and we agreed upon me calling back.

Since I anticipate them asking for my dutch phone number as well, which is currently clearly wrong in comparison to that dutch adress, I thought about getting myself a durch prepaid phone card upfront.

I really wanna avoid any uncomfortable situation and having to ask someone to turn an eye blind, begging and so forth and so on. Yuck.

So I hope I get that phone card, that way I would have the least amount of false information as possible.

Don't try.
rvdborgt
Reputatie 7
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AFAIK customer service can enter a correct address, including a foreign one. I did have my correct Belgian address in my NS account, and could also change it when I moved, until NS introduced their bug that you couldn't change an NS Flex subscription with a foreign address anymore. The workaround is to change to a Dutch address, change the subscription and then ask customer service to change it back but I can't be bothered do to that every time I change the subscription.

The phone number is never used for anything but it should be entered or otherwise NS Flex changes won't work either. It must be exactly 10 digits long. Mine is correct, but will only work in Belgium… but you really don't need to spend money just to be able to provide a Dutch phone number. It's NS themselves creating all these problems, so no need to beg, feel ashamed or whatever.

EetuAndersson
Reputatie 1

@rvdborgt 

Last time I asked customer service about entering my (foreign) adress, they said they couldn't. But then like you said further up, guess it heavily depends on which type of agent you end up with 🙄

Anyhow, I'll try to get myself a dutch sim cause I might need that in the future regardless. Seems like KPN has sim cards for 5€, I just hope they don't ask for a dutch adress😆

And if that doesn't work out, I feel like I've tried everything from my side and will try to somehow negotiate with customerservice if they "complain" about my provided contact information.

Don't try.
Robert B
Badge +3

A phone number doesn’t matter because NS is not going to call you. In my account, I have 010 000 0000 (and no mobile number) but if they don’t accept it 030 751 5155 will do (that's their own number).

Alles hier post ik op persoonlijke titel, ben geen NS medewerker.
EetuAndersson
Reputatie 1

@Robert B @rvdborgt 

JUST GOT NS FLEX WEEKEND VRIJ!

Thank you so much. Hallelujah 🙏

Don't try.
Robert B
Badge +3

@Robert B @rvdborgt 

JUST GOT NS FLEX WEEKEND VRIJ!

Thank you so much. Hallelujah 🙏

Don’t forget to load it on your card at a machine (pick up order) but that is implied because gates and poles will complain about no balance when trying to check in without NS Flex.

Alles hier post ik op persoonlijke titel, ben geen NS medewerker.
EetuAndersson
Reputatie 1

@Robert B 

Already done, but thx for the reminder!

Don't try.

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