Strictly no foreigners?

I am visiting from the US and took a train from Goes to Schiphol today – something that I apparently was not supposed to do, because:

- For a foreigner there is NO way to buy a ticket at the station (Paying cash or using any type of Credit Card is not possible; what is V-Pay? And who carries 25 Euro in coins?)
- There is no way to buy a ticket on-line either – unless you have a bank account in the Netherlands
- If you go on board you are being treated like a criminal for not having a ticket and you are fined 30EUR (more than the actual fare).

Could somebody please tell me the following:

- How am I supposed to legally get a ticket before going on board?
- Confirm my impression that NS does not want any foreigners to use your excellent train service (In which case I would suggest some big signs “No foreigners!” on the trains - Your ****-Neighbors might be willing to provide some)



Here are some suggestions to make the system work:

- Accept Credit Cards
- Accept cash bills at at least one vending machine per station or a live operator
- Do not take fines from people who have NO way to get a valid ticket other than buying it on the train

Finally I want to thank you for your great service – I wish our local provider Amtrac had trains nearly as modern, clean and on time as you do.

Thank you

Christof


Hello Christof,

First I understand your frustration, and I am going to try to give you correct information.
But I disapprove your comment about the signs we must borrow from our neighbors, that’s totally a wrong comparison.

I think you can find a lot of information on: http://www.ns.nl/en/travellers/home

Maybe a moderator of this forum, is able to help you tomorrow (Sunday they are off)

Michael




- Confirm my impression that NS does not want any foreigners to use your excellent train service (In which case I would suggest some big signs “No foreigners!” on the trains - Your ****-Neighbors might be willing to provide some)



Here are some suggestions to make the system work:

- Accept Credit Cards
- Accept cash bills at at least one vending machine per station or a live operator
- Do not take fines from people who have NO way to get a valid ticket other than buying it on the train

Finally I want to thank you for your great service – I wish our local provider Amtrac had trains nearly as modern, clean and on time as you do.

Thank you

Christof


I do understand your frustration that the system is not working well for foreigners, but I 'd like to give you an advice too: Study History.

**** but not at the contemporary Dutch Railways and also by no means in the present Germany. It is one of the most serious insults in the Netherlands and an inappropriate way of overreacting.




- Confirm my impression that NS does not want any foreigners to use your excellent train service (In which case I would suggest some big signs “No foreigners!” on the trains - Your ****-Neighbors might be willing to provide some)



Here are some suggestions to make the system work:

- Accept Credit Cards
- Accept cash bills at at least one vending machine per station or a live operator
- Do not take fines from people who have NO way to get a valid ticket other than buying it on the train

Finally I want to thank you for your great service – I wish our local provider Amtrac had trains nearly as modern, clean and on time as you do.

Thank you

Christof


I do understand your frustration that the system is not working well for foreigners, but I 'd like to give you an advice too: Study History.

**** but not at the contemporary Dutch Railways and also by no means in the present Germany. It is one of the most serious insults in the Netherlands and an inappropriate way of overreacting.

After World War II the US did help this country a lot with the Marshall Help.
However, the Americans just did forget one thing: learning those stupid Dutchman how to arrange the best payment system, as you have in your country.

On the other hand, when I'm in your country everything is written in English (or Spanish). I can't find a Dutch phrase at all.
So please be happy that in this country almost all people is speaking English as well.
Or did you already try and speak Dutch, as we are obliged to in the US?

70 years ago the Americans who liberated Europe (and our country) did not have any problem with languages, foreign money, etc. etc.
The present American genereation apparently does not have any idea how to solve problems, how to ask the help of people you are staying with to help you to get a train ticket.

If you are staying unprepared in a foreign country you may expect that in some cases you have to make improvisations from time to time.
No doubt, if you asked somebody in Goes or at the reception of your hotel everybody would be glad to help you solve your problem within a couple of minutes.

As Thom said: Study History and espescially the real and recent history of your country, like Vietnam, Iraq, etc. etc.

But don't compare us with ****-practices. In that case you will find yourself alone, as a stranger in a nice en polite country.

First of all: Sorry guys for the comment - it was uncalled for - even if not meant as an insult.

On the topic of prejudice and uncalled remarks:

You might find it interesting that I am not a young uneducated American but a not so young German that moved to the US a couple of years ago.

Having said that I probably
- have studied more history (especially WWII related) then most of you
- have met a couple of very well educated young Americans in my life. Even though I have to admit that the US school system is probably more broken than the NS payment system. But blaming somebody visiting from the US for everything wrong with US foreign politics since the Marshall plan – two generations after anybody reading this forum was alive - shows that maybe it is time to focus on current problems without forgetting the past.
- have been called a **** (even a Soup-**** so many times that I stopped counting. Especially when young and traveling through the Netherlands.
- like hyphenated lists a lot

Anyways, I still believe that the system should be fixed in a way that allows foreigners to buy tickets without depending on bystanders offering to pay with their card and without having to get off the train at the next station.

Thanks everybody for making my trip more entertaining and a special thanks to Lucas for offering some actual advice.

Take it easy
Christof

Femke,

Thank you for making my post policy compliant and for making me aware of the fact that NS is already fixing the problem by accepting credit cards.

Have a nice and sunny day!

Christof

Going back to topic without insults and discrimination and stuff, credit cards are not accepted in ticket machines because hardly anyone here uses this very unsafe form of payment. Maestro/V-Pay is a bank card system that is used by banks all over the world (exept, for some reason, USA). So, with a regular bank/debit card from your own country, you can buy a train ticket or top up balance on your OV-Chipcard at every train station. Keep in mind that credit cards are not commonly accepted anywhere in the Netherlands, i.e. you can't pay at supermarkets with credit card either. If you are from the USA, there are two things you can do: 1. Complain with your bank as you people are really the only large country that doesn't use Maestro/V-Pay anywhere in the world and 2. before going to the NL, get a temporary Maestro or V-Pay card from Mastercard or Visa (they don't only sell credit cards, they are also the companies behind these debit cards). They are also sold in prepay form.

Maestro cards aren't credit cards at all, they're debit cards. Of that type which are widely used in Europe - and which are all accepted in NS machines no matter where they are issued, but which are regularly not accepted in the USA. So there you have it: your card isn't accepted here, our cards aren't accepted in your home country. Just like I need to buy a credit card for no good reason when I want to go to your country, you should purchase a debit card before coming here.

I haven't even had to use my credit card pin.
And that is exactly why you shouldn't use credit cards.