Money back for delays – how it works
Have you had a delay on an NS train? Then, under certain conditions, you're entitled to compensation for (part of) your travel costs. Below I'll explain when you can get money back, what the exceptions are, and how much the compensation is.
When do you qualify?
You're entitled to money back if:
- The delay is at least 30 minutes on a regular NS train.
- For the high-speed lines (Intercity Direct or the Intercity The Hague–Eindhoven via Breda), you can apply for compensation from 15 minutes of delay onwards.
When do you not get compensation?
There are a number of situations in which you don't get money back, even if you had a delay:
- The compensation is lower than €2.30
- It was announced in advance that the journey time would be longer (e.g. due to engineering works)
- The delay was caused by an operator other than NS
- You didn't have a valid ticket
- You apply for the compensation 3 months or more after the travel date
- There was an "exceptional case of force majeure", for example a nationwide power outage.
How much money do you get back?
How much the compensation is depends on:
- whether you travelled on a standard ticket or a high-speed line,
- how long your delay was,
- and what kind of ticket you have (OV-chipkaart, e-ticket, etc.).
Below is a table of the compensation amounts:
| Delay on arrival | Compensation regular train | Compensation high-speed line (Intercity Direct / IC The Hague–Eindhoven via Breda) |
|---|---|---|
| 15–29 minutes | no compensation | 50% of the ticket price |
| 30–59 minutes | 50% of the ticket price | 100% of the ticket price |
| 60+ minutes | 100% of the ticket price | – |
How do you claim your money back?
Depending on your ticket and how you travelled:
- through the NS online form. Nederlandse Spoorwegen
- through trein-vertraging.nl, link your OV-chipkaart and claim your money back easily!
Please note: you can only submit an application 24 hours after your journey. trein-vertraging.nl automatically takes this into account.