I read someplace (and can't find it now) that Americans are having trouble just recently accessing cash via ATMs in Amsterdam. Something about A'dam machines requiring some chip not on American cards. Has anyone had such an experience or have any insight?

the "Chip issue" involves Credit Cards - ATM cards are fine.

(credit cards are fine too - you just have to sign the sales slip like at home)

Read my reply here http://tinyurl.com/34wg85.

Polly, I read the same thing on the Trip Advisor forum. Hetismij set the record straight in the discussion referenced above. Thanks, Hetismij!!

Was in Amsterdamned last month and my ATM card worked just fine at Schiphol Airport and other places.

My credit card would not work in the train station ticket machines however - lack of chip?

We found out about three years ago that US credit cards without the chip will not work in the Amsterdam train station machines. This is one of those tech things where the US in several years behind other countries!

They are however accepted at the ticket windows.

Yes, of course. Our problem was that we missed our train because the ticket lines at the windows were so long. That's why we tried desperately to get them from a machine. Thank goodness it was a day trip and we could get another train an hour later, but those ticket window lines can be murder in Amsterdam.

Ticket lines at train stations all over Europe are getting longer as i think train companies force folks to use online or autmatic ticket machines--- for good reason.

In Holland i believe you may pay a euro or so more so ticket window service.

Venice and Rome are two more stations where I've seen people in tears because they missed important trains standing in line for up to an hour to buy their tickets -- even the special "today's tickets" lines.
We went to Rome termini twice to do advance bookings and after waiting both times for over a half hour and hardly moving in the "call your number sequence", we left and went to a travel agent where they sold us the tickets with no extra charge. Those train stations are becoming nighmares for buying tickets -- also another reason for buying in advance online.

But i recently spent a lot of time trying out the automatic ticket machines in Italian stations and they seem idiot-proof - all in English. Now they may not take credit cards without chips? I think the do but never actually bought a ticket as i had a pass. There are lots of these machines and always were available.

As far as I know the NS ticket machines don't accept credit cards at all - only debit cards, and then maybe not US ones. Went by train today but I didn't pay attention to that - sorry.