Advance Museum Tickets for Amsterdam?

Advance tickets aren't necessary for the Resistance Museum or Hermitage. Advance-timed ticketing just became available for the Van Gough museum and it's good idea to use them as lines can be very long even in the off-season.
The site will even allow you to purchase a (free) timed ticket in conjunction with the Museumkaart. The Rijksmuseum sells advance tickets but they are not timed nor do they allow you bypass any lines. When I visited in May (shortly after it reopened after the 10-year refurbishment), the lines to get in were horrendous. While things may settle down by October, it's smart to get there very early or a couple hours before it closes.

When I was there in April 2012, a Museum Card holder could get into a ticket holder's line at the Van Gogh Museum, which was short and moved quickly (since no money was changing hands, and all the guards had to do was look at the pass or ticket to confirm it). So, there would have been no advantage to getting a timed admission ticket. Has the system at the Van Gogh Museum changed?

We too, have been to the places you want to go in Sept.-Oct. and just bought tickets when we got there. We haven't been to the Anne Frank house though. The lines were never more than a half hour, and sometimes much less. Lines don't bother us as we have found interesting people to talk to. What is annoying is having a bus load of people cut in the front of the line. You won't have any two hour waits. The Dutch Resistance Musuem is particularly interesting becuase it covers the Dutch East Indies in the Pacific War. Something we don't usually think about. You could see the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh in one day as they are next to each other and there are places to eat in the park or nearby.

So, there would have been no advantage to getting a timed admission ticket. Has the system at the Van Gogh Museum changed? The system has changed. All visitors must now have a ticket. A pass doesn't grant you automatic admission anymore.

The only museum where you should really, really buy advanced tickets is the Anne Frankhuis. There, waiting time can be longer than one hour on a cramped sidewalk (not fun). For the Rijksmuseum that reopened recently, online tickets (with day and time of entry specified) are also available here https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/tickets . It pays off to buy in advance there. For the Van Gogh museum, you can buy online tickets here https://tickets.vangoghmuseum.nl/activity/ For other museums, it is unlikely you'll face long queues. Maybe on the Stedelijk if they are running some special exhibition.

For the Rijksmuseum that reopened recently, online tickets (with day and time of entry specified) are also available here https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/tickets . It pays off to buy in advance there. Incorrect. From the link you provided: "....Please note that it may not be possible to avoid queuing due to crowdedness in the museum. The busiest hours are Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 11:00-15:00 and in the holidays. Plan your visit around these times to avoid the crowds.
The e-tickets are valid for one year after date of issue and are not limited to a specific day or time...."

I'm planning to see Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh and Anne Frank house when I visit in August, but I won't buy the Museumkaart until I get there (I'm hoping to visit the Amsterdam Museum first so I figure I'll buy it there). If I won't have the Museumkaart until then, does this mean I'll have to go on the internet when I'm in Amsterdam to get timed/advanced tickets for those three places? Is reserving a time a separate cost from the admission via Museumkaart? I'm living right by the Anne Frank house so would I be okay with lines by just going at 7pm. What about Van Gogh on Friday night since it's open late? Thanks in advance.

You can't buy a timed ticket for the Rijksmuseum, and the Museumkaart doesn't allow you to skip lines. So for this attraction it's essential to get there when it opens.
After 7pm at the Anne Frank House the lines move fairly quickly so you should be okay without reservations. Same deal with Friday nights at the Van Gough, all other times an advance timed ticket via the website is essential.

Regarding the comment on the Van Gogh museum: "The system has changed. All visitors must now have a ticket. A pass doesn't grant you automatic admission anymore." I had the MuseumKaart when I spent 2 weeks in the Netherlands in the 2nd half of May 2013 and I went to the Van Gogh several times. Each time I visited I was directed to go into a fast pass MuseumKaart holder line and greeted by a guard who used a scanner to check my MuseumKaart. And each time after having my card scanned, I went straight to the security check where a guard would open and inspect bags or purses. Quick, easy, painless. At the Rijksmuseum (which I visited on 3 separate occasions during my visit), I had to wait in the line outside to get through the revolving door (go early or go late in the day, I never waited more than 20 minutes then). Once inside the Rijksmuseum lobby, the MuseumKaart did let me skip the other long lines of people waiting to get individual tickets and again I got to go straight up to a guard for fast pass entry by having them use the scanner on my card and from there I was able to go straight into the exhibit rooms. The Hermitage and Stedelijk Museum were both very easy to get into with the MuseumKaart as they had scanning machines in the lobbies where you could hold up your card to get a ticket to print that you would hand to the guard. Dutch Resistance was also easy to get into. Anne Frank Huis had long lines during the daytime, but I went in the evening around 6PM and had no wait at all. If you are sure that you will be visiting a lot of museums during your time there, the MuseumKaart is worth the price. The card will also get you into dozens of small museums and sights that are very easy to pop in and out of (often in under an hour) which are all within walking distance of the major museums.

Regarding the comment on the Van Gogh museum: "The system has changed. All visitors must now have a ticket. A pass doesn't grant you automatic admission anymore." I had the MuseumKaart when I spent 2 weeks in the Netherlands in the 2nd half of May 2013 and I went to the Van Gogh several times. Each time I visited I was directed to go into a fast pass MuseumKaart holder line and greeted by a guard who used a scanner to check my MuseumKaart. And each time after having my card scanned, I went straight to the security check where a guard would open and inspect bags or purses. Quick, easy, painless. I also visited Amsterdam in May and my experience was the same as yours. But when they closed the museum for nine months prior, it was for the express purpose of reorganizing the lobby and entrance way to that they could ease the overcrowding outside the building and implement this new change. Just a couple of weeks ago they finally implemented the new timed ticket scheme. From the Van Gogh site: "...Please note: all visitors to the Van Gogh Museum must have a valid admission ticket...": https://tickets.vangoghmuseum.nl/activity/ The site allows you to order and print out a free timed ticket if you hold the MuseumKaart.

I just got back from Amsterdam and the Musuemkaart is really worth it if you are indeed visiting more than 3 museums (though it's now 54 euros). The card lasts an entire year though. We went to the Rijks, Van Gogh, Hermitage, Dutch Resistance, and because we had the museumkaart, we also went to a few museums because we were close by, including the Royal Palace/Old Time Hall, the Amstelkring museum, the Maritime museum (just to board the replica ship), Rembrandthuis and one of the canal houses, plus we did the Historic Triangle from the Rick Steves book. The lines might have eased by Sept/Oct, but out of the museums listed, the only one I would suggest getting advanced tickets for is the Anne Frank House. In early August, at 8pm, our wait was 40 min. We had tried to book online for tickets, but online tickets for the next 2 weeks were all out, so we had to wait. Once we got to the ticket counter, we showed Museumkaart and they print a $0 ticket out for you to enter. At the Van Gogh museum, we went on Friday night and the regular line was long. The Museumkaart line had no one, so I could enter immediately and they scanned the card, no tickets given. I went to the Rijk museum at about 9:10 in the morning, and again, you walk right in. No need to line up for tickets. They just scan your Museumkaart as you enter the paid area. There was a bit of a line for audioguides though but that was inside the paid zone, so it wasn't too bad. I would definitely suggest going early, if only because the mid-day crowds made it less enjoyable to see the more well-known paintings (at least in the summer).

just back. agree with all the others above, but want to emphasize that anne frank wait can be really, really long. we were so glad to have reserved online, even though it cost extra because we later bought a museumkart once in amsterdam. worth it to just sweep past the endless line standing in the rain outside the anne frank huis.

The issue with lines at the Anne Frank Huis are school classes. They can create a lot of extra wait time and teens might not be interested in chatting with you while waiting ... If you can go in the evening you wouldn't have this particular problem.

The Anne Frankhuis is just too small for the number of visitors it receive. I visited there three times, and the last trip (taking a relative) was my last. They should limit maximum attendance and accept visitors only with pre-booked tickets. If you have time, a good option is to schedule that introductory lecture (30 min). It is quite interesting.