“Passengers travelling on bus, train, tram and metro services in the Dutch capital and surrounding areas can now pay their fares by tapping onboard readers or ticketing gates at the beginning and end of their journey with their contactless debit or credit card or with their Apple or Android NFC smartphone. Public transport providers GVB and EBS have launched the OVpay service in Amsterdam as part of a national rollout that began earlier this year. It has now made it available across a number of regions including Haaglanden, Voorne-Putten Rozenburg, Waterland and other municipalities in the province of North Holland. The rollout is scheduled to be completed by 2024 with OVpay due to add support for discounted fares and season tickets “soon” and the existing prepaid OV-chipkaart transit card “slowly being replaced with a new one” that will “add new services”.”

“Hema is set to become the first retail chain in the Netherlands to test a new app that turns any phone into a payment terminal, making it possible to pay for purchases anywhere in its stores. App developers ING and European payment provider CCV claim they are the first to put such a payment scheme into practice with a large retailer, making paying easier for consumers. The makers say their app provides more convenience for customers and makes retailers, who don’t need to purchase any additional devices, more flexible. The device will reportedly take normal Dutch debit cards, some credit cards and Apple Pay and Google Pay.”

“Trigo, an Israel-based computer vision company specializing in frictionless checkout technology, is rolling out an AI-powered cashierless grocery store with German discount supermarket giant ALDI Nord in the central Dutch city of Utrecht. On Wednesday, 20 July, ALDI Netherlands will open the doors of ALDI Shop & Go, a 370㎡ (3982 square feet) AI-powered autonomous supermarket where shoppers can walk in, select their items, and simply walk out without having to queue at the checkout lane or scan any items. Trigo applies its algorithms to shelf sensors and ceiling-mounted cameras which analyze anonymized shoppers’ movements and product choices. Payments and receipts are settled digitally.”

“OK’s launch plans are anything but merely OK; they’re downright exemplary. The app will hit 5,000 locations throughout the Netherlands at launch, and by the closing of 2018, that number will triple to reach at least 15,000 points. Users will be able to store credit and debit cards with the app, along with reward cards and similar membership plans / loyalty program setups, which can then be used as in-store payments or online. Customers can even use the app to log in with various partners from the same interfaces.”