kerouac

If you have a card with the contactless function, the maximum amount for payment is 20 euros in France.

StuDudley

>>If you have a card with the contactless function, the maximum amount for payment is 20 euros in France.<<

What does "contactless" mean??

Stu Dudley

travelgourmet

<i>except for one machine in Amsterdam</i>

That is more likely due to the machine not actually accepting credit cards.

As to the OP, I've never had a problem using a chip and signature card. I usually just tell the clerk when I hand them the card as a courtesy.

Mara

According to the brochure I received with my new HSBC chip enabled MC..."it is very common during purchases in countries outside of the United States for retailers to request customers to provide their PIN. Because PIN verified transactions are so prevalent in countries outside of the United States, it is essential to know your PIN when traveling internationally."

When I received this chip card I asked them to mail me my PIN...upon receiving it I realized it was the same PIN that I was given years ago when I first got the card to access an ATM for cash...

So I called HSBC and was told they know the difference between a cash advance and a retail purchase....and not to worry about being charged for a CA.....

Sarastro

<i>We have a chip and pin card from USAA that now defaults to chip and signature if that option is available, but will accept the pin at un-manned ticket machines and gas stations. I wouldn't be so certain that a bank-issued PIN wouldn't work for machines, even if your card is chip and signature.</i>

The USAA cards are chip & signature with on line PINs, and yes I have one. (They are not chip & PIN but they used to be.) I should very much doubt that you would ever be able to purchase gas with one at any pay-at-the-pump location. Few if any pay-at-the-pump points in France have on line capability.

If you want to purchase gas at unattended locations, you will need an off line card such as those issued by Andrews FCU or PenFed.


<i>What does "contactless" mean??</i>

It´s called RFID or Radio Frequency IDentification. The card is read when in proximity to point of sale meaning you no longer need to enter your card into machine when making a purchase. I personally have not seen many of these in Paris but a good number of these are in use outside of Paris.

I don´t know how widespread the issuance of these cards is in the US but my French bank card has the contactless feature.


<i>So I called HSBC and was told they know the difference between a cash advance and a retail purchase....and not to worry about being charged for a CA.....</i>

In much the same way that a debit card can be used to obtain cash from an ATM machine or make a purchase from a merchant.

kerouac

In Paris, I have noticed that most of the supermarkets and chain stores are equipped with contactless readers, as are the candy and drink machines in the train stations (but not the metro stations). I was quite hesitant at first, but I have waved my card at Franprix, Monoprix, Carrefour, FNAC, Hema and H&M so far.

xyz123

sarastro...come on. Never say never. Yes the prevailing philosophy of European chip and pin is offline pin and we need not get into a whole discussion here of the subtle yet tangible difference. I would dare say the vat majority of French gas pumps I have dealt with in the last year or two took chip and signature cards with the no cvm model but will agree if one was to look for the most likely place a chip card lacking a pin might not work, it's at a self service petrol station. That does not make it a wide spread problem. As I've said, if worried about this happening, go call First Tech FCU or UNFCU(yoou can google them) and apply for a card as a back up just in case. It's never a wise idea when travelling to rely exclusively on one card. Stuff happens. The chip gets damaged; your bank's communication with the network is ost, your pattern of charges becomes suspicious even though it's legit and you've followed all the advice (notifying your issuer of your plans for example). When that happens to me every so often (although lesser in the past few years), just reach for another card and when you get back to the hotel at ight, call your cc company to find out what's going on. Probem solved.

Sarastro

<i> I would dare say the vat majority of French gas pumps I have dealt with in the last year or two took chip and signature cards with the no cvm model</i>

I would say that every pay-at-the-pump station I have used for the last several years has accepted my chip & signature, offline PIN card, regardless of CVM. I have never had luck using an online card for pay-at-the-pump purchases. With everyone here using chip & PIN cards, why would any station pay to connect their pumps to accept on line authentication?

However, next time I fill up, I´ll try my USAA chip & signature card with an on-line PIN and see what happens. Whether or not this is a problem would probably be determined by how badly one needed gas.

fuzzbucket

Really...how many people reading these forums will need to buy gas or pay tolls??? Probably a small percentage.

The important thing to remember is to give your bank your travel dates, then call a day or two before you leave to confirm that they will authorize purchases during your trip.

Remember that a merchant can refuse a sale if it is under "his" minimum purchase amount, which can vary considerably.

Many taxis are still not accepting credit cards - though it is illegal for them to do so. Ask before getting in.

The only benefit I see for the contactless system is the lack of a receipt and possibly making the person behind you wait a few seconds less.

bilboburgler

Contactless now in most large shops in the UK, you just wave it over the unit.


There are some dangers with this.

kerouac

I haven't used it all that much because I often spend more than 20 euros in such stores.

As for the lower end purchase limit in the big shops, it was lowered to 1 euro when the euro was implemented. Since people were afraid of the new banknotes and coins, they were afraid that people would stop spending money if they had to pay cash. Of course most people prefer to make small purchases in cash anyway, because it takes longer to use the card if you have to sign or use a PIN. Small shops still often display a minimum purchase of 15 or even 20 euros for using a card. My local G20/Paris Store supermarket decided on a minimum of 7 euros for some reason. In any case, if there is a minimum required, it is always clearly indicated next to the cash register.

Just about every gas pump that I use displays the message "maximum 130 euros" on it when I enter my PIN which would indeed indicate that the pumps are offline and are only willing to risk a certain amount.

travelgourmet

<I>I don´t know how widespread the issuance of these cards is in the US but my French bank card has the contactless feature.</I>

Contactless has been a standard feature on US Amex cards for at least five years.

rtwin80days

Leaving for Paris in a week. My strategy is:
1. Withdraw some euros, maybe 200, from Paris ATM from my Citi / Chase debite card.
2. Use my chase sapphire reserve card everywhere cards are accepted. Hoping for no glitches. have few more back up cards across visa / master card / amex and across banks.
3. Withdraw more cash from an ATM within Florence airport or later from an ATM within a bank branch, if needed, once I reach Italy, as many small businesses do prefer cash.

xyz123

If you use your cards for most everything, everywhere they are taken, you will find your need for cash is non existant. Perhaps at sidewalk vendors for ice cream at attractions, for example. Be aware that citi/chase on their debit cards add 3% foreign transaction fees on most plus additional fee. Depending on which and where your French and Italian ATM's are, you may have to put up with a fee from those banks although usually not.

Depending on country, I can go easly on two week and four week holidays in most European countries and not have to spend local cash and hit ATM's as needed with ATM/debit cardss that have at most a 1% ftf, charge the proper fee for accessing my cash which they hold next to interest free (0) and rebate any fees charged by some although not most foreign aTM's. Such cards do exist. As far as which credit card to use the most importaant things to look for when travelling outside your home country at no annual fees, no interest charges on the billing statement first issued after a purchase, no ftf. Whether the card is chip and pin or chip and signature is totally irrelevant. What I would prefer which is a godsend in the USA is no cvm for small purchases (the equivalent of $25 or $50) which is rare in Europe although permitted by merchant agreements. Signatures are, of course, useless for security.

rtwin80days

xyz123, citigold does not have ftf for withdrawals afaik. They even reimburse charges by non-citi atm for withdrawing money if you maintain a certain balance in citigold accounts. Will confirm with the banker for sure.

SkipHudgins

Been in France for 2 weeks. My Visa card has worked everywhere including different autoroute machines. Followed advice of some here and on RS forum and called bank to ask about whether my chip and sign card had a pin. They immediately sent me a new card with a pin for use in Europe. BB &T bank.
No foreign transaction fees and free ATM withdrawals.

xyz123

At personneled merchants, did they ask for a pin or a signatue. If a pin we can add your bank to the small listof banks that offer pin preferred cards.

xyz123

roundtheworldin80days...you're right about premium accounts with large minimum bank requirements but they would be the exceptions for banks such as Citibank and Chase. Still they would be an alternative, quite true. Most people though who do business with behemoths lke Citi or Chase pay...and pay...and pay...

Heimdall

None of my US debit or credit cards has the contactless logo, so I doubt that feature is enabled. Do a Google Images search to see what the logo looks like. No problem if you have an iPhone 6 or newer, because you can use Apple Pay. I live in England but still use my US cards.

I was annoyed when my USAA chip & pin card was replaced with chip & signature, but now I don't even have to take the credit card out of my wallet anymore, as long as the POS makes contactless transactions (not all do). Just hold the iPhone near the terminal, and use your fingerprint to authorise the transaction, which in the UK is completed with that one step.

Apple pay works on the London underground too!

xyz123

Skip...I followed up on your post just for edification. Your bank, BB&T, has a restricted service area. In addition, its faq indicates it is a signature preferred card and has a 3% ftf. Are we talking about their credit card or their debit card?