Underhill

A friend heading to France in a week told us that it's now possible to order chip-and-pin cards from a bank. Has anyone had success doing that?

Jeff801

Chase will provide chip and signature cards. American Express also provides chip and signature cards. Both claim that these will work in rail ticket machines, but I have not tried that. They do NOT work in toll machines on the Autoroutes in France.

Myer

I have an Andrews chip and pin card and used it last year in the Paris Metro.

Avalon2

My new Chase card is pin and sign and it worked in Paris Metro .Virgin Atlantic american Express card is now chip and pin

texasbookworm

I just switched our Bank of America Master Card (which we hardly ever used since an old awards program changed from what it was when we got the card) to a Bank of America Visa card with a chip and pin technology AND no overseas fees (we have a Capitol One MC with no overseas fees we'd used for years--but now this Visa has a better awards thing). Not a fan of Bank of America, and haven't had this card but a month, and haven't tried it overseas yet, but it is possible to get chip and pin on American card. And if there is truth in their advertising, then now BoA is a "no overseas transaction fees" option, too. (We hate opening new accounts, which does "affect" your credit rating--we have no mortgage or other debt but still don't like that rating to be affected, but in our case we just switched accounts, so not really new account, so no affect--so they said!)

MaineGG

Our US Bank Flexperks Visa with chip worked in Metro machines as well as in SNCF and Transilien ticket machines. It did not work in any fuel pump, nor did it work in some autoroute toll machines. It does have a 3% foreign transaction fee so we only use it when the old Cap One Mastercard won't work or isn't accepted.

xyz123

texasbookworm and others.....The card you refer to is the new Bank of America Travel Rewards Card...it has the emv chip and as noted no foreign transaction fee and no annual fee. However, it is a chip and signature card not a chip and pin card as is the US Bank card referred to later.

Chip and signature cards are inserted the same way a chip and pin card is inserted into a pos terminal but instead of asking for a pin, it spits out a receipt for you to sign not altogether different from the magnetic strip card. Yes it works at manned (or womanned) pos terminals for the most part but then again for the most part, so do archaic magnetic strip only cards but I am not here to discourage you from getting it because after all it is free, it has an emv chip and it has no foreign transaction fee.

But don't count on it to work in many of the places that have been causing difficulties for Americans namely the unpeopled kiosks.

There are several federal credit unions that operate kin the DC area, Andrews (for the air force base) FCU, State Department FCU and Pen(tagon) FCU that offer chip and pin cards that operate as chip and signature cards at populated pos terminals but work as a chip and pin at the automated kiosks. No annual fees and no foreign transaction fees.

USAA is now offering a mastercard that is supposedly a true chip and pin card although that hasn't been verified yet.

Underhill

I called Citibank today and was told that a chip-and-pin card can be issued with for a Platinum account. But that costs $90. We probably have to stick with Citibank, because that's where our airline miles come from.

xyz123

Citibank's cards are chip and signature (see above)

Most carry a 3% foreign transaction fee

Are the airline miles (they may be, I'm just asking) worth more than the 3% they rip you off for having the audacity to use your credit card in a foreign transaction?

Andrew

I just got a new Citibank AAdvantage Visa card with no annual fee for the first year, and it is chip-and-pin. I'll be using it next month in Paris. Hope it works at Metro stations! I'll find out.

I had to ask for a pin when I activated it - it was not automatic.

xyz123

Andrew....again I'm not here to be critical nor am I trying to be critical but to repeat...

1. Congratulations on no annual fee for the first year.

2. The card is chip and signature not chip and pin. The pin you requested is not part of the chip and pin mechanism it is there to use the card in an ATM for a cash advance which with this particular card given the high fees they charge is usually not advisable. (As a general rule, cash advance n any credit card are usually loaded with high fees but the operative word there is generally. There are some with no fees and the fact you pay interest from the moment the ash is in your hands is no big deal if it's just being used for convenience and you pay it back immediately as the interest is charged by the day but leave that aside).

This Citibank card also has, as noted, a 3% foreign transacton fee. Now if the miles are worth 3% to you, then it isn't a bad deal. But that's a decision you have to make.

There are better alternatives including true chip and pin cards with no foreign transaction fees available today.

Andrew

xyz123, thanks for the clarification. I know about the 3% transaction fee, and I'm not planning to use this card to build up AA miles. I'll only use this particular card if it works at the automated ticket machines. If not, it's useless. For everything else, I'll use my credit union Visa (1% foreign transaction fee) or just Euros. 2% on small purchases is worth it to me to save a few minutes in line at a ticket window vs. using a machine.

I just read part of a long Flyertalk thread about chip-and-signature vs. chip-and-pin cards. It seems that at least one person was able to use a Citi chip-and-signature card in Paris in a RER ticket machine last year, but perhaps that's because the purchase was under 10 euros. (so maybe my other card with a magnetic strip would also work?) I guess I'll find out how useful this card is, if at all, when I get to Paris next month.

DebitNM

I will say that our Andrews Fed Credit Union [true] chip and PIN worked in every place we tried with the exception of 2 toll booths in France [it worked at other toll booths in France].

No fee to get it; NO foreign transaction fee, no annual fee. Worked like a charm.

We also used their debit card [connected to their checking account ] and it too worked seamlessly for cash withdrawals. No fees on that one either.

Underhill

xyz123,

You bet the airline miles are worth more! I now have more than enough for a round-trip to Europe in first class.

kerouac

A chip and signature card is no more useful than the old magnetic strip card that most Americans already have. French American Express cards are still magnetic strip cards.

Andrew

Update: I'm in Europe now, and I managed to get an Andrews Federal Credit Union Visa and an ATM card just before leaving on my trip.

The Visa card came with a PIN in the mail the same day. I assumed it was for the chip-and-pin function, as this card is supposedly chip-and-pin. However, it's been treated as a chip-and-signature card everywhere I've used it. In Paris I entered my PIN at the RER station when buying a ticket from the machine with this VISA, and my transaction was successful. Small purchases from other Paris Metro ticket machines did not ask for a PIN and were successful. Otherwise, I've always been asked for signature. (The card has always worked, though; I've used it numerous times.) I'm not driving so I haven't used it for buying petrol.

I'll call Andrews and find out the story when I get home. I don't mind signing a paper slip, but I had hoped to use this card to buy train tickets from machines; it worked in Paris but I assume those were due to the small amounts. It hasn't been an inconvenience so far.

The Andrews ATM card has worked great - no fees and no limit to monthly withdrawals (before a fee like my other credit union). This is nice because I can take out only as much cash as I really need - even 20 euros at a time - so I don't have to bring home too much with me at the end.

skatedancer

I got a Citibank mastercard with a chip, but I still had problems in France -- with gas, tolls and parking machines! I learned to have cash with me while driving, to put into the tollbooths AND to pay other people getting gas so they could use their credit cards to fill my tank! (this last was inconsistent -- one station my card worked; but the ones thereafter, they didn't).

DebitNM

The Andrews chip and pin will revert to asking for signature IF there is a human involved in the process/ transaction.

We used it on 2 trips to France twice and it worked perfectly in shops, restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations ,train tickets and toll booths. The only glitch we has was at selected toll booths en route to Marseille. That did cause panic, but we learned to carry cash for those possible situations. On our first trip using the card (sept. 2012) there was 1 InterMarche in Cavillion and 1 in Apt that couldn't process the card. By our trip in Feb. 2013, it even worked in that store.

chartley

There was a report on this morning's tv in Britain stating that it was ten years since the introduction of chip & pin, and that card fraud was down about 1/3rd. Online and phone transactions do not require the use of a pin, so are still subject to fraud.

I have five different cards which use chip & pin, and although they always work satisfactorily in the U.K., experience in continental Europe has been mixed. Sometimes a pin is asked for, and sometimes a signature. It seems to depend less on the card used and more on the equipment that the merchant has, and the service that they use to process payments. Some places state that they accept cards, but still have difficulty when they are offered one. Personally, I always make sure that I have enough cash on me to pay any likely amount. I have never been pickpocketed, and can use any overseas atm without charge.

The Severn Bridges between England and Wales now accept cards, but do not publicise the fact much. Although the equipment has a keypad, I was not asked for a pin number.

The latest problem is with near-field cards, known as "wave and pay", which is gradually being rolled out. Apparently, some people have offered a chip & pin card but the equipment has simultaneously read the wave and pay card which was in the persons purse or wallet a few inches away. The transaction has therefore been recorded twice.

Incidentally, Diners Club and Discovery cards are now acceptable in Britain, but this may not apply to all merchants, and others may be unaware of the fact.

JoyC

Hi Andrew! Not sure if you're back yet but hope you see this.

According to your post above:

<i> The Andrews ATM card has worked great - no fees and no limit to monthly withdrawals (before a fee like my other credit union). This is nice because I can take out only as much cash as I really need - even 20 euros at a time - so I don't have to bring home too much with me at the end.</i>

Did your Andrews ATM card come from your share savings account? I just talked to a representative, and she said that, within Andrews network of ATM machines, no fee is charged, but if you get cash outside of network or from foreign banks, a fee is charged.What has been you experienced?