Hello...

We are planning to take a day trip to Haarlem (from Amsterdam) and have checked out the NS website. On their "practice" station ticket machine, you can choose an open day-return ticket (without any specific date). However, if I try to buy an e-ticket on the same site, it seems you have to pick a date for a day-return ticket.

I would prefer to buy the tickets in advance and, thus, save a little time at the station (and not have to worry about whether my credit card works in the machine or if I have the cash handy).

Does anyone know if the day-return e-ticket you purchase online can be used at a later date than the date stated on the ticket?

Thanks.
SS

An e-ticket can only be used on a specific day, by a specific named person - who must produce picture ID to go with the ticket, on the booked route. It is also non-refundable. Each ticket must be in the name of the traveller holding that ticket - so for a group each person must have a ticket in their name.

You can buy the ticket at the machine at any time, and choose an open day return. if you do that you must stamp it at the yellow box to validate it on the day of travel.

The ticket machines do not accept chipless credit cards btw.

Or you can pay a little extra and buy them at the ticket window, again without a specific date on them.

Thank you so much, hetismij...you have been an excellent source of information and a great help in my planning for my May trip. We'll use cash at the machine. Does it take bills as well as coins?

SS

We found the ticket machines very easy to use. They do not take bills or chipless credit cards. We just saved up our euro coins and used those. We found that, for some reason, it's a little cheaper to buy the ticket at the machines just outside the Amsterdam station than inside.

If the machines don't take chipless credit cards, or euro bills, what about ATM cards? They seem to work fine in ATM machines, but are ticket machines different? Also, how much is a ticket from Schiphol to Amsterdam's Central Station?
Thanks!

The machines should in theory accept your ATM card if it has a Maestro symbol on it. I have no idea if they actually do so.
A single 2nd class to Centraal costs €3.80 at the machine, and €3.90 from the ticket kiosk.

You can see how to use the ticket machines on the NS website under English.

Thank you, hetismij, I guess I'll use cash....

Since you are going to have to get back to Amsterdam from Haarlem I suggest buying a retour ticket for €7.00. Buy it from one of the machines scattered around the station to save €0.50 at a staffed ticket window. Use coins as Betsy does. That will take four €2 coins and you get change.

Buying tickets in the station is so fast and easy I can't imagine messing around with the NS web site. There are 6 trains per hour.