New Rules re Credit Cards
 

I have been reading from time to time comments from people re problems with using their credit cards and the need for PIN numbers.

I called 2 different companies this morning. MBNA and Chase to ask them about it. They both read to me the same notice that they have that was effective sometime in February. It begins in the UK and is followed by other European countries. The gist of it being that all citizens of the countries are required to have a PIN number. If you have a card from the US and the card is at first not accepted by their machine than you are to tell them to put it back into the machine and to follow the instructions..that will provide acceptance of your card. Well, I cannot believe that this is really going to work very well. I think it will be interesting to hear what our travelers are going to run into.

Further discussion with the two CC companies was that their PIN numbers were really used to obtain cash from ATMs that are then charged to the specific credit card with interest accruing from that date...not a good way to obtain cash!!

My next trip is not til Sept...will see what transpires between now and then. I have reserved lodging at 4 places that have my CC for reservation confirmation. They have not requested a PIN from me.

Joan

There was a dicussion of "chip and PIN" a while back. The upshot is - don't worry. US cards don't have the chip and they can be processed for purchases as they always have been.

(And one would NEVER give a PIN over the phone or e-mail - "chip & PIN" is for card reader terminals)

This may not be what you are talking about as the law has just gone into effect in the UK and will gradually go into effect in other European countries..or what the memo said that was read to me....
Joan

Let me put your mind totally at ease..

I was in the UK 2.5 weeks ago after the new rule went into effect...I used my visa card 27 times in a 5 day period and not once was there the slightest problem...the terminals recognize whether or not the card is a chip and pin card...if it is an technologically inferior magnetic stripe card (boy is the US technologically behind the times on many things but that's another story) it prints a receipt that asks for your signature...not once was there any problem with the clerk not understanding what to do...they swipe the card and the terminal tells them to get a signature. So don't worry about it.

No - I understood exactly what you are talking about.

They have been introducing Chip and PIN for a while and now they are "mandatory". Only they aren't - since there are still ways for cards w/o chips to be used. And there are other provisions for folks who can't enter a PIN (like some disabled)

You will find that few US-based bank and credit card customer service agents know what the actual situation is overseas.

BTW - US issued credit cards haven't been usable in automated machines (like at unmanned gas stations, train stations, etc) in France for quite a while due to not having the embedded chips. But one can always just go to a manned ticket window.

I did find the "chip and PIN" topic that you mentioned..sounds like the same thing that the CC companies read to me that was effective only last month..per their memo...

Sounds like my credit cards will work fine...some gas cash and some CC...tolls always use cash, anyway..dining CC and cash. I have never used an ATM in Europe. Might give it a try this fall..will see..cash and CCs have always done the job!!

Joan