Michael

<i> The 27% of 'over the counter' fraud you refer to will go down because it will become harder to do.
</i>

Then how can it be the principal problem as you originally claimed: "Online fraud is not the problem, cloning a magnetic strip card and forging the signature is the problem."?

Figures would be more interesting. What is the current cost of "over the counter" fraud compared to the increased cost (you agree to that) of on-line fraud, to which one adds the one-time change-over and the apparently increased cost of maintaining the system. The banks will never tell, but if there is no distinct advantage to the chip&pin system for the banks, they will not rush into changing the system.

My understanding is that fraud was not the reason for the divergent systems, but had to do with a centralized and de-centralized system in terms of identification and data processing when making a purchase.

Michael

<i>
Here is what the OP asked about, "Chip and pin credit card 2015 question" and that is in reference to travel in Europe in 2015. Get it?</i>

I can only speak of my experience in 2014, which I have done. Problems with a non-chip card have been minimal for me. I guess only those who have traveled in Europe in the last two months are qualified to comment.

xyz123

I'm always sorry when a forum on travel becomes contentious. There is no reason for that at any time. As far as the OP, without second guessing or disputing anybody else's thoughts on this, the answer is you probably don't absolutely need a chip and pin card in most places that see a lot of tourists as of now. The USA is slowly, ever so slowly , issuing cards with the chip which will alleviate a good deal of the problems. But pure chip and pin cards are not all that available in the USA and may never be. Rather the USA is pursuing a program of making the primary form of card verification chip and signature. The card networks are trying to ensure these cards will work virtually anywhere a chip and pin card will work. How this will finally shake out, nobody knows.

I hope that satisfies everybody because without getting highly technical, that's the best we or anybody can do as of today.

jacketwatch

Xyz123. Just hit the yellow triangle and report these posts to the mods. Some posters like to agitate. Report them.

dachimsk

We are in France right now and found that not one of our four cc's would work in toll booths, all unmanned, nor would they work at paid parking lots, all unmanned. All the newest "international" cards with chips AMX , 2 citi banks and a chase black card. Make sure you have change.

Trophywife007

Non of my previous ATM cards had a chip but I just received a replacement ATM card that has one... wondering if that would work in these situations?

chelseyd

We were in Italy last month. Our regular credit cards worked for shop purchases, restaurant food, admissions, hotels, etc. Our ATM card worked to withdraw cash. But when we bought train tickets from the automated machines, only our true chip and PIN credit card from USAA worked! We traveled on 16 trains and really used that PIN.

If you knew that you would never need to make a transaction at an un-maned machine, I think that you could get by perfectly well with your regular credit cards, but, because of the spontaneous way we travel, I would not have been happy without that PIN, and no matter what the bank rep says, a shiney little chip on the front of a card isn't reassuring to me.

xyz123

What's the difference between a "regular" credit card and another kind of credit card?

wesleymarsh

Just got back from France and between my sister and me, we used 2 different credit union Visa chip and pin cards to pay for most things. Some merchants thought we might get a pin request simply by the look of our cards, there is no account number on the front. They handed over their machine, but "signature" kept coming up on the screen. Every merchant was able to turn the transaction into one that required a signature on a receipt with no problem, and the receipt came from the same machine that read the card. We used our cards a lot, at hotels, restaurants, shopping, gas, etc. Not one merchant machine asked for a pin. I was actually glad, because I forgot my pin, and I accidentally stopped carrying the reminder that I created.

In a France toll booth near the Swiss border, I accidentally drove into a lane with a machine only. There were no signs of the man with the extended arm anywhere, so it was impossible to see which booth had a human being in it until you were right on top of it. Crazy. I was prepared to pay with cash, but I couldn't find any place on the machine to insert it. After awhile, I decided the machine had to be credit cards only. So my sister quickly handed me her Visa chip and pin, and I slid it into the credit card port. Within a second, the gate opened. I took the card and off we drove. No reciept, no digital readout, no pin, no signature, not a single piece of evidence to suggest that a charge took place and what was the amount of the charge. The only evidence we had was the gate opened.

After we got back, my sister checked her account online, and sure enough, the toll charge was there for the amount we expected. I know the French tolls are owned by different companies, so I wouldn't expect our recent experience to happen in every toll booth, but what happened to us was a surprise.

karrma

My daughter is in northern europe right now, and her magnetic credit card works in very few places in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands or Belgium. She will find out if it works in Great Britain and Ireland soon. Right now she is depleting her checking and savings accounts using the debit card in ATM machines. Just saying.

janisj

>>her magnetic credit card works in very few places in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands or Belgium.<<

I don't know about Scandinavia - but I used my mag stripe credit cards in countless places in Belgium and the Netherlands just two months ago. Probably 30 times and never once did they not work.

milaedg

Just got back from France and our Chase chip and signature card worked everywhere --restaurants, hotels, shops, including (to our surprise) unmanned toll booths and parking machines. We did not try to use it for purchasing train tickets from automated machines.

LarryJ

A chip and pin card is a must if you want to use Paris metro ticket machines or SNCF ticket machines. American chip and signature cards will not work in unattended machines. There are almost no American banks issuing chip and pin cards but you can get the"Barclayscard Arrival +" that functions as a chip and signature card in USA but in Europe it will also function as a chip and pin if need be. This card has an annual fee of $89 after first year free. There is also a "Barclayscard Arrival" card that has no annual fee but will not function as chip and pin as the + version. One poster above says his Chase card is chip and pin but that is not true. I bank with Chase and they have no chip and pin cards only chip and signature. Strangely Wal-Mart has a chip and pin card issued through Synchrony Financial also but if you apply for it Wal-Mart will determine whether to give you that card or their own Wal-Mart no chip and pin card. Then if you don't get the chip and pin card you wanted you will have the hassle of canceling the card. I am not interested in applying for something and not knowing what I will get.

MaineGG

Unless something has changed since my last trip, my American US Bank Visa chip and signature card has always worked fine in the unattended machines in the Métros in both Paris and Lyon, as well as Transilien machines, some parking garages, one unattended gas pump at a Leclerc in Gaillac, and some toll booths.

janisj

>>A chip and pin card is a must if you want to use Paris metro ticket machines or SNCF ticket machines. American chip and signature cards will not work in unattended machines.<<

Not true IME

LarryJ

Oh well, what do I know. I only live in Paris. Try your chip and signature card next time in Paris and let me know if a genie jumps out of the machine with a pen for you to sign.

xyz123

Larry...I have never had a problem using a US credit card with an emv chip at any metro machine. If the card is signature preferred, it completes the transaction without asking for any other verification. There were problems until recently in using the sncf (the abbreviation for the French National Railroad) machines at CDG and one was forced to use the personneled window but that has recently changed and now all American cards, at least those with an emv chip, will work. As of 01 July 2015, rejection of a chip card lacking a pin will be contrary to the credit card network regs.

BTW in answer to an above post, Barclaybank USA is now issuing the annual fee free arrival card with an emv chip and like its $89 cousin is signature preferred with pin capabilities. Finally, First Tech FCU is now offering a pin preferred card for those who feel they must have a pin preferred card. Go to their website for information.

Other than that, little has changed since the last posts on this subject.

janisj

>>Oh well, what do I know. I only live in Paris. Try your chip and signature card next time in Paris and let me know if a genie jumps out of the machine with a pen for you to sign.<<

Never saw a genie -- did get my tix though . . .

Michael

<i>A chip and pin card is a must if you want to use Paris metro ticket machines or SNCF ticket machines</i>

Unless the policy has changed, even non-chip cards have worked in some of the unattended ticket machines in the métro. Twice I purchased a <i>carnet</i> using such cards a couple of years ago.

McLisa

I got a chip/pin card (with 0% foreign transaction fee!) from B of America this past winter & used it abroad this summer in France & Switzerland. I had no troubles at all. Interestingly, I was never asked for my pin #. Sometimes it just took the card. Often they did ask me to sign, which surprised me. I used it most often in grocery stores & at 2 hotels, just a few restaurants.