I am an American and I plan on traveling to the Netherlands periodically over the next few years.
I was recently there and had to use a hodgepodge of credit card, debit cards, cash and worst of all having a colleague pay and then I reimbursed them with cash.
For instance, some company cafeterias only accept credit/debit card. Also, train stations have unmanned kiosks for buying tickets. Also, some vending machines are Maestro card only (no cash).
I tried using my American credit cards that have a chip, but they were not recognized by the cafeteria nor vending machine.
I would like to get a Maestro card so that I have a reliable way to pay.
How can I, as an American, get a Maestro card?
The Maestro card has a logo that looks very similar to a MasterCard, but it is not a MasterCard.
I would also consider another credit/debit card if it had the same acceptance as the Maestro card, but it seems Maestro is the most popular.
I would also consider a prepaid Maestro card if I can get my money back off of it easily and I can get a charge history for submitting an expense report.
[edit] removed references to Maestro as a credit card. Added my experiences using my existing cards.