The few signs I have seen said they were due to fraud so it would lead me to believe that it was only PIN cards that they would accept.

These have been family run places so perhaps it is just a company policy, I am sure the machines would take the chip and signature, but it was clear No PIN, No Service (that was how it was written on one machine!)

Next time I will ask and report back...

Just to make it clear and not to belabor the point. A customer presents a credit card with a chip; the merchant or cashier has no way of knowing whether it's chip and pin or chip and signature and wouldn't know until the transaction goes through (I don't think but I could be wrong that the pos terminal can be programmed not to accept chip and signature if it already accepts chip cards).

All the signs clearly said ONLY Chip and PIN cards accepted. It was clear to me a signature card was NOT going to be accepted. My guess is they would ask. I have found more and more merchants asking me if its a PIN card as they hand me the machine even though it has a chip...of course I have a North American accent so maybe they are checking for a PIN...

As far as US-issued credit cards go, it seems the Andrews FCU card is the only one reported on this forum to have performed reliably as a chip and PIN card in Europe.

Here's my recent experience in France with my US Bank Flexperks Visa with a chip:

Paris - RER & RATP ticket machines - Card accepted, no PIN requested.

Many retail stores - Card accepted, signature required.

and, surprise, surprise...

Leclerc Fuel Pump (Gaillac) - Card accepted, no PIN requested.
This was a first! It had never been accepted in a fuel
pump before.

We mostly use our Cap One card where we can, so don't always use the Visa with the chip.

As a small step toward what seems to be prevalent in other parts of the world, this US Bank card is now automatically issued with the EMV chip.

https://www.usbank.com/credit-cards/...ks-travel.html

It certainly isn't the best value with its annual fee, etc., but is handy to have when you need a card with a chip.

Now, if only more American card issuers could drop the signature requirement and offer true chip/PIN cards, it would make life easier for those of us who like to travel in those countries where chip/PIN is the norm.

Based on information in this string, I just got off the phone with USAA where I ordered a chip and pin card and AmEx where I ordered a chip and signature card (chip and pin not yet available). Hoping that with the two of them and my ATM card, I should be good.

I read a news article a few days ago that indicated that the US will finally make the switch to chip And pin in next year or so. Of course, I can't find it online now but will post back if I find the article or remember where I read it.