Are there any machines at Centraal that accept U.S. credit cards? (non-chip).

Are there any rail offices that sell tickets *other than* the windows at Centraal? (like the SNCF boutiques in Paris)

Just thinking about buying some train tickets for next trip where a long line doesn't factor in...

...while I'm at it, are there any railsites that will sell and mail tickets for Netherlands if ordered online? forget about RailEurope, checked and they're too expensive. the Netherlands railservice doesn't sell tickets online.

Not talking about a big expense here - total cost for 2 passengers, all segments, will only be 51 euro or so.

The lines at Schiphol and Centraal are rather painful in my experience...

We have not had to wait in line to buy tickets more than 5 minutes at Centraal or at Schipol. Done it a couple times and perhaps we were just lucky, but it was quick and easy.

There are plenty of ticket machines in Amsterdam Centraal. I never saw a line. Bring cash.

None of the ticket machines accept credit cards, no matter where they are issued. They will accept cash or debit cards with a Maestro symbol.
Unless you are travelling internationally you cannot order tickets online.
The queues are not long, but not even the kiosks accept credit cards. You need a debit card with a Maestro logo on it or cash I'm afraid,
You will pay €0.50 extra per ticket buying it at the kiosk.
See http://tinyurl.com/257suy

You can buy tickets at some other places such as some post offices but there is no advantage to doing that.

Well, I used the kiosk demo on the NS.nl site. It clearly says "no bills" for the cash payment. I won't have 50E in coins. I suppose that means it's the ticket windows for me.

So when's a good time to go by Centraal, mid-day vs. commuting times? As I recall, I had to pull a number slip and wait upwards of 1/2 an hour the one time I bought tickets from there. Lines at Schiphol have been long every time I've gone there - maybe it's more true for the International windows, though?

Five years or so ago, the ticket lines at Centraal were horrendous -- and yes, I remember that horrible number system that required waiting up to a couple hours. This summer, despite being height of season, they are much more organized and the lines were not bad at all. Some of this is due to the fact that most locals and other Europeans seem to use the machines, but no -- those of us without chip cards are still unable to do so.

You can buy tickets without a date on them at a ticket window, and stamp them on the day of travel. So if you see the queue isn't too bad buy all the tickets you think you will need. Or try your Maestro ATM/debit card with a PIN in a machine first. It should work.
Most ATM cards have a Maestro logo on them.
You do not need a chipcard to use the machines. They do not take creditcards, and never have, so a chip is not needed. Dutch ATM cards have a chip on them but that is for a different thing - an electronic purse, which can be used to pay. But a normal ATM card with magnetic strip will work.

hmm. I stand corrected on the chip thing, then. I stood and looked at the machines and tried one, but I didn't recognize that it was saying it had to be a debit card. But I was pretty surprised that we had to pay cash at the window and couldn't use a credit card. Glad we weren't buying major train tickets.

OK, I appreciate the distinction on the Debit card with Maestro - my travel debit card is branded 'MasterCard' to that might be the solution. Thank you all!