jrbman...Have you read several of my replies on this thread? To repeat, when originally issued last February, the USAA MC was available as a true chip and pin card. I got one and last summer, used it several times at pos personneled terminals and ait functions as a true chip and pin card, I was prompted for my pin every time. It was not my favorite card as it imposes a 1% fofreign transaction fee but at least I know I had it available.

In May, I had to replace the card and got a new one. To check it out I went to Walmart and found out that it was now a chip and signature priority card. I put several messages on this thread regarding thatg. At first, csr's at USAA denied any change had been made but I finally got somebody who admitted they had changed the card to priority chip and signature. Why I asked and got a royal run around. For business reasons I was told. What business reasons? They couldn't tell me.

With the demise of the true chip and pin functionality of the USAA card, that means there is really only one true chip and pin card available to American consumers today. That is the cards issued by UNFCU which anybody can join by joining an allied organization. That's it. At least Barclaycard USA tells the truth. They advertise their new Arrival plus card as chip and signature with chip and pin capabilities. Every bank in the USA except UNFCU that claims to issue a chip and pin card today really issues a chip and signature card with chip and pin capabilities. Reports are most work in unpersonneled kiosks as you discovered and do prompt for a pin. However...

While it should not matter and visa and mastecard claim it is aviolation of their merchant's agreements, there are reports as you discovered that a few merchants will frefuse to complete a chip and signature transaction although their pos terminal accepts it. As soon as the message signature required pops up on the terminal, the merchant illegally claims he or she cannot complete the transaction and despite the fact it has already been authorized, it is manually voided by the merchant (putting to a lie those merchants who claim a dynamic currency conversiion scam transaction cannot be voided once it is approved but that's another story for another time).

On Flyer talk in what has become a 420 page thread on emv chip cards available in the USA, people have been able to purchase gizmos that can read the chip and use software to decipher the card verification methods on the chips and the order of priority. The newly issued USAA cards, for purchases, have signature verification listed as number 1 no matter what the clowns at USAA say. If that fails, then it goes down the list. But you as the consumer cannot tell a pos terminal if the merchant wishes to violate his or her merchant's agreement to ignore ppriority 1 (signature) and go to priority 2 (pin).

This is the state of affairs regarding chip and pin in the USA today and I am quite sure my information is quite accurate as you discovered despite what anybody else may think.

Oather than UNFCU cards and the USAA cards issued before April 2014 and diners club cards, although not currently available to US residents, there are no true chip and pin cards in the USA. To verify that, all one need do is shop at Walmart. Walmart at almost all its stores has turned on its emv terminals but also does not require a signature on a chip and signature purchase for less than $50. However foreign chip and pin cards are always prompted in Walmart terminals for pins. So if you use your American issued emv chip card at Walmart, it will not prompt you for a pin. If the purchase is under $50, it will just complete the transaction . If over $50, it prompts for a signature.

For what reason the morons running the credit card operations have decided to deprive Americans of true chip and pin cards, nobody knows. But that's the way it is here.

Sarastro...read my response. The early issued USAA cards indeed used offline pins. Those issued after April 2014 have had the cvm's changed and now prioritize, just like Pen Fed to chip and signature priority. When your USAA card expires and a new one issued, you will be sent a replacement card which is not chip and pin priority.

I'll give thise of you a nhice simple test to determine if you have a true chip and pin card. Go into Walmart and buy a Hershey bar if you don't like shopping at Walmart. Insert your chipped card into the terminal. If the terminal requests a pin to complete the transaction, you have a true chip and pin card. If, in this case as it will, it simply completes the transaction, you don't. Guarantee you if you use your Andrews FCU card it will not prompt you for a pin under these circumstances. Will bet anybody a nickel if you don't believe me.

Andrews is definitely a chip and signature priority as we discovered on the last two trips. I did use it to pay for parking at a machine at Hampton Court Palace and it appeared only chip&pin cards would work. The card worked but I was never asked for the pin so it could be that a swipe card would work as well.

Based on the above I've been considering ditching Andrews; it's a hassle to keep up with two bank accounts and they are more painful to deal with than our regular bank. The one comment above mentioning it functioning as chip & pin when absolutely necessary may prompt me to keep it though.

I have a Commerce Bank issued chip and pin card.

Good: No credit union hassle; it is a regular old bank issued credit card.
Bad: It defaults, like so many above, to signature when a human is involved. Very annoying. I would not take xyz's bet above!
More good: It definitely works with the pin when no human is available (kiosks for trains and metro in France for example).

UK seems to mostly work regardless of the type of card used but I just default to this one to make life easy. [Of course tube machines no longer sell children's paper tickets, so I still end up at the window for those but that's a different story].

All in all, it is a workable solution and good protection when needed.

To OP, don't forget to tell your bank that you will be using the ATM card overseas.

No RoamEurope, you have a Commerce Bank chip and signature card with chip and pin capabilities. That is basically all that is available to Americans today (except for UNFCU).

Yes, fair point, but I thought that was pretty clear. To be precise, though, I should have said, "I have a card that was advertised as chip and pin, that in fact has a signature default but a (so far) fail safe PIN back up."

While annoying, I can't really complain because it meets my most basic need- when I have to have a PIN it has always worked. That is more than I could say for any of my prior standard issue US cards.

....and I have yet to have it rejected by a merchant that complains about signature. (Of course, I complain under my breath about my card....). I've used it in Norway, UK, France, Germany and Italy so far.

However, I am much, much more likely to use an atm card for local currency and pay with cash, so maybe I haven't used the card enough to find those merchants that void a signature transaction.

As it stands right now, the problem with some merchants refusing to complete the processing of a chip and signature card is not all that great. Whether it will increase in the future is an open question. But to me, if it happens once, that's a big inconvenience. I just don't believe in spending cash while on holiday. I walk around in my wallet with less than $20 or its equivalent at home or abroad. After all, that is the purpose of using credit cards i.e. to alleviate the inconvenince of having to use cash and worry about exchange rates yada yada yada.

I'm also one who believes in truth in advertising. The American banks are advertising chip and pin cards which are clearly not!