Originally Posted by
stimpy
Yes your US non-chip card will work fine at any human operated pay point. But not at the automated ones. And your UK chipped card will work at many, but not all automated kiosks. The last time I checked it will not work at the ticket machines in the Netherlands nor Belgium, but you can of course go to the human operated ticket office and use either card there. They sometimes upgrade these machines so give it a try either way. I keep a Dutch pin card in my wallet so I never have to worry. And a French one too.
About 5 years ago I tried to buy train tickets at the manned window at Schiphol and was told that they would not process US swipe-and-sign cards. You had to have a chipped card. Don't know if one of the chip-and-sign cards I now have would have worked, but at that time I had to go get cash from an ATM. Other than that, and a few out of the way shops that seldom see swipe-and-sign cards, my experience is like yours. Swipe-and-sign will work at most manned ticket windows, shops and restaurants.