Help finding true Chip & pin Credit Card

I called my favorite 2X cash back Credit Card with a chip. Explained I wanted a pin to use for Chip & Pin overseas. I was told the pin only worked with ATM withdrawals?

That I could just use Chip and sign. Problem: Many purchases do NOT have an attendant to print paper to sign, such as gas stations, Train, Bus, and Metro ticket machines and City Share Bikes. Also some museums have ticket machines that require Chip & pin.

Any suggestions for a good Chip & pin with 0 foreign transaction fees & Cash back rewards?

Thank for all the help

MSEm

google chip & pin credit cards

We got a Barclay's Chip & Pin card for our trip to Australia where it is required. Our other card from Capitol One is only a chip and sign.

The Barclay's card offers 2X rewards and no foreign transaction fees. I found this on our CC roll call for that cruise - very helpful info. Also has 120 days to redeem rewards for travel.

If you live near a major metro area or major banking center (NYC, Boston, Chicago, Atl, DFW, LA, SF, etc), one can simply walk into the US offices of an international bank, such as Deutsches Bank and open up a minimum account. You can choose to have the account in US dollars or Euros. Then apply for a credit card specifying a chip and Pin (which is all they offer I believe). Very simple, totally legal, and often used by many frequent travelers ,business and pleasure, abroad.

USAA has a true chip & PIN card. We obtained one a couple of years ago for exactly the reasons you cite.

AndrewsFCU has a true chip and pin, no charge, no foreign transaction fee but, you do have to join and open a savings account but, only a $5 minimum to open. Also PentagonFCU as I understand does the same. Already said, USAA Bank. Right now USAA is a Master Card with Foreign Transaction Fee but, was told they are changing all accounts to Visa so they can eliminate the Foreign Fee by April this year.

I just got my Andrews card today and most run around I've ever had with a card and I churn cards almost for a living but, now in my wallet and ready to go later this year.

I called my favorite 2X cash back Credit Card with a chip. Explained I wanted a pin to use for Chip & Pin overseas. I was told the pin only worked with ATM withdrawals?

That I could just use Chip and sign. Problem: Many purchases do NOT have an attendant to print paper to sign, such as gas stations, Train, Bus, and Metro ticket machines and City Share Bikes. Also some museums have ticket machines that require Chip & pin.

 

Any suggestions for a good Chip & pin with 0 foreign transaction fees & Cash back rewards?

Thank for all the help

MSEm

I know the conventional wisdom is telling everyone to get a Chip and PIN credit card for purchases at kiosks with no attendant. Two-three years ago, I would have wrung my hands right along with you and cheered on your efforts to find a true Chip and PIN card. But a funny happened getting from then to now. The US banks exerted so much pushback about PIN numbers that Europeans have bowed to US opposition. US credit cards do not trigger a request for a PIN except in rare circumstances. In London, I was able to add money to our Oyster card at a kiosk -- no attendant -- without ever being asked for my PIN. (In fact, I actually have a proper Chip and PIN credit card. This came in handy for avoiding the ticket line at the VASA Museum in Stockholm. I was able to use the ticket machine which did require a PIN. But that was it! We ate at a restaurant in Belgium that had a big sign in its window reading, "We only accept credit cards with PINs." We ate there and I gleefully looked forward to paying the bill since during our full week in London I was never asked for my PIN. So much for the sign! The hand held device swiped my card, out came a printed receipt, and I was asked to sign it. It could have been 1995 not 2015 given the way my credit card functioned.)

Now, one person's experience can't cover every circumstance. If you are getting out into the countryside where few tourists venture, the un-tended toll booths and gas stations may require a PIN. But with the devices are programmed to default to swipe and sign for US cards, I'm not even sure you'll need a PIN in remote areas. For travelers who will be staying in typical tourist destinations, the chance that you'll need a PIN is smaller than expected and may be zero.

You might want to bear in mind that non-chip and pin cards are *NOT* secure. I have had these cards "compromised" (or so they say) at least five or six times, as recently as two weeks ago in Maui. I'm pretty sure it happened at a Shell gas pump.

At least twice Visa has blocked my card without telling me while I was travelling. Very aggravating when the card you used this morning is suddenly blocked without notice. Visa will deny they do this, but it happens.

In Canada we have been using the chip and pin cards for at least five years, and I haven't had the same problem. I'm not saying the C&P cards are totally secure, but based on my own experience they are a lot better than the old ones.

Time for the US to join the modern world.

You might want to bear in mind that non-chip and pin cards are *NOT* secure. I have had these cards "compromised" (or so they say) at least five or six times, as recently as two weeks ago in Maui. I'm pretty sure it happened at a Shell gas pump.

I'm not disagreeing about the benefits of chip and PIN cards. I'm trying to clarify that the worry that swept this and the Ports of Call boards a couple of years ago -- and is expressed by the OP's recent post -- has not materialized.

The US banks believe that American consumers will not accept cards requiring a PIN and they have basically refused to introduce them. Faced with the reality that the overwhelming majority of US tourists would arrive in Europe with useless PIN-less credit cards, the Europeans basically gave up. International card readers can recognize a US credit card and these get handled the way they have for years -- swipe and sign.

You'll notice that I'm talking about PIN numbers. The US credit card companies are converting to Chip cards so we consumers are getting some benefit.

At least twice Visa has blocked my card without telling me while I was travelling. Very aggravating when the card you used this morning is suddenly blocked without notice. Visa will deny they do this, but it happens.

Just curious. Do you call your credit card companies before you travel and give them your itinerary? If you do that, it minimizes the chance that your card will get blocked by the credit card company.

I can't imagine why Visa is denying they block credit cards. Why bother? Most consumers know credit card companies do this; most consumers have dealt with this brief irritation. Where's the benefit to the credit card company in denying what everyone knows to be true? (Not expecting an answer!!!)

In Canada we have been using the chip and pin cards for at least five years, and I haven't had the same problem. I'm not saying the C&P cards are totally secure, but based on my own experience they are a lot better than the old ones.

 

Time for the US to join the modern world.

At least US consumers are getting a modest upgrade in card security. Most of us have received Chip versions of our existing credit cards. However, October 1, 2015, all merchants were supposed to have converted their technology to read Chip cards. That date passed with minimal compliance. In the four months since the deadline the number of stores with the newest required technology has increased slightly, but there seems to be little commitment to complying with the new regulation.

The US model seems to be that the banks are more willing to deal with the costs of credit card fraud than to spend the money to prevent fraud in the first place. Sad.

Actually post 10/1/15 the merchant without the proper chip reading equipment is responsible for any fraud from customers using even a chip card so the banks are off the hook until the merchant gets the new card reader.

And, while it is nice to have a chip card, that doesn't really do anything to protect the consumer as long as there is that d^&*n magnetic strip on the back of your card. The strip is the major cause of stealing the data on the card. Not to say it is impossible with the chip but, much more difficult. So, until the strip is removed from your card, remain just as wary as you would be without the strip.

And, based on how slow the companies in the US are putting in the new equipment, expect it to be years before we are safer and by then the crooks will have the chips figured out and new technology will again put the US far behind the rest of the world in credit card protection.

Just wanted to say we use the Barclay World Elite Arrival Plus and it's worked everywhere we've been (S. America, Australia, etc.) and YES we have ran into some terminals where we HAD to use our chip (such as taxis and train ticket kiosks). It's a great card for travel.

The US banks believe that American consumers will not accept cards requiring a PIN and they have basically refused to introduce them.

The reality is that the CC companies and merchants are resisting the change because of the cost involved. Nothing to do with the consumer. Remember, their customers are the merchants, not the consumers.

Just curious. Do you call your credit card companies before you travel and give them your itinerary? If you do that, it minimizes the chance that your card will get blocked by the credit card company.

I used to call them. The last time I did they told me it wasn't necessary because of the "improvements" to their security. I think the problem is that I have several credit cards, all but one are C&P, for which you don't need to call any more. The only one that isn't C&P is a US$ credit card issued by a Canadian bank. I guess I still need to call for this one, because by their own admission, it is less secure.

I can't imagine why Visa is denying they block credit cards. Why bother? Most consumers know credit card companies do this; most consumers have dealt with this brief irritation. Where's the benefit to the credit card company in denying what everyone knows to be true? (Not expecting an answer!!!)

They don't, of course, deny blocking cards. What they deny is blocking cards without telling you. What actually happens is that they have an algorithm that picks up what they deem to be "suspicious" activity based on their past experience and your past spending habits. The algorithm often gets it wrong, but when a card is flagged in this way they instantly shut it down until they can verify the transactions. This is done based on "suspicion", without necessarily having any hard evidence of fraud. In my experience they don't always call you, and if they do and don't connect they shut it down anyway and leave you hung out to dry when you try to check into a hotel using a bad card.

The US model seems to be that the banks are more willing to deal with the costs of credit card fraud than to spend the money to prevent fraud in the first place. Sad

That's because they can pass the cost of fraud onto the consumer through higher fees. Again, they look after themselves first and the customer second.

... What they deny is blocking cards without telling you. What actually happens is that they have an algorithm that picks up what they deem to be "suspicious" activity based on their past experience and your past sending habits. The algorithm often gets it wrong, but when a card is flagged in this way they instantly shut it down until they can verify the transactions. This is done based on "suspicion", without necessarily having any hard evidence of fraud. In my experience they don't always call you, and if they do and don't connect they shut it down anyway and leave you hung out to dry when you try to check into a hotel using a bad card.

I've had my card shut down in exactly the way you've described, but I've been able to clear up the problem within seconds of realizing I had a problem. Purchasing something at the cosmetics counter in a store in San Francisco on a trip when we hadn't indicated domestic travel, I phoned the customer service number immediately and got connected to the fraud department. Two minutes of conversation and my problem was solved. As a humorous aside, the credit card company was phoning my husband's cell phone at the same time I was calling the cc company and he also gave a similar all-clear reply.

Once, shopping in several stores in my local mall -- all stores with which I'd done business for years -- my husband got a fraud phone call about my shopping. When he pointed out the fact that the stores were all ones I'd patronized before and asked why we'd been called, he was told that the purchases were coming too fast. He just burst out laughing and said, "When my wife is on a mission, she doesn't need much time."

And in the spirit of you post which is citing an international situation, we had an blocked card for a purchase in a store in Madrid. On the back of our credit card, there was an international phone number that accepts collect calls. Somewhat dubious, we placed the call and were pleased when the number worked as claimed. Problem cleared up in minutes.

As long as the credit card companies take customer phone calls and clear up a problem in real time, I don't get upset. I don't need for the company to call me; I'm just as capable of calling them when there's a problem.

I believe that USAA stopped issuing the true chip and PIN card after originally doing so.

The OP is correct, there are many places that require a true chip and PIN card in Europe. They are typically unmanned kiosk. Two great examples:

1. Unattended gas stations. If one doesn't have a c&P then they must find a gas station with an attendant. They are easy to find along most all of the Autobahns and major highways. However, if you are in a smaller town or village, you may only find unattended filling stations, so pre-plan.

2. Don't consider getting on a toll road without either a true c&P or lots of small change. In France, many of the toll booths don't give back change. So if you have a toll of 7 Euros and you only have a $20 Euro bill, you just donated 13 Euros to the system. Same as if the toll is 7. 25 and you only have 8, the rest is a donation.

3. Most all of the train and subway stations require c&P to buy tickets.

None of the above work with a c&s card. Some restaurants with the "credit card with PIN only" might let one get by with a chip and sign. I have also watched customers be sent to the nearest ATM to bring back cash that didn't have a c&P. Don't believe that since you are American the rules don't apply to you! :rolleyes:

I find it strange that your visa/bank card isn't a chip and pin. In the UK all credit and debit cards are chip and pin. Hubby also has Apple Pay with his IPhone, I don't have an iPhone but my bank debit card has a 'contactless' function meaning I can just hold my card over the card reader and don't have to punch in my PIN number but transactions have got to be £30 or less.

2. Don't consider getting on a toll road without either a true c&P or lots of small change. In France, many of the toll booths don't give back change. So if you have a toll of 7 Euros and you only have a $20 Euro bill, you just donated 13 Euros to the system. Same as if the toll is 7. 25 and you only have 8, the rest is a donation.

Not even a true C&P from the US will work in the French toll stations. They check for country of origin and only accept French (or European). Our Barclay Arrival+ is true C&P but didn't work.

The USA is a different part of the world & still not up to date with Chip & Pin & now WAVE capable credit cards

We have had C & P in Canada for many years & the WAVE technology for about 4+ yrs

Boggles the mind how the USA is so behind the times :eek:

The USA is a different part of the world & still not up to date with Chip & Pin & now WAVE capable credit cards

 

We have had C & P in Canada for many years & the WAVE technology for about 4+ yrs

 

Boggles the mind how the USA is so behind the times :eek:

Actually, the U.S. is ahead of the times and realizes how "compromised" these "Chip & Pin" cards are. Rather than join in with the crowd, we are waiting for a safer alternative:eek: Additionally, we have not had an issue using our non- "C&P" cards in Europe, South America and Africa.

Speaking of "boggling the mind" :rolleyes:

I am not an employee of Cruise Critic and I don't speak for Cruise Critic. All opinions are mine alone. Also, I'm only a Host on the various River forums -- everywhere else I'm "just plain Jazz."

Then why do you continuously post your personal opinions while signed on as a Moderator? :confused:

I'm assured that there would be no objection to your signing on as a member for that purpose.

Then why do you continuously post your personal opinions while signed on as a Moderator? :confused:

 

I'm assured that there would be no objection to your signing on as a member for that purpose.

From the FAQ: "Many of our Hosts contribute to various discussions. They are free to contribute, or not contribute, as they see fit."

USAA has a true chip & PIN card. We obtained one a couple of years ago for exactly the reasons you cite.

We also have the chip and pin MasterCard from USAA. If you are able to get that you should. We have used this card in both Munich and Prague and never had any problems. Used at ATMs as well as restaurants, shops, tours, etc. My parents also had one through Bank of America and never encountered an issue with it on our two week vacation and they used this just the we did with the USAA card. I don't believe they get cash back though

We also have the chip and pin MasterCard from USAA. If you are able to get that you should. We have used this card in both Munich and Prague and never had any problems. Used at ATMs as well as restaurants, shops, tours, etc. My parents also had one through Bank of America and never encountered an issue with it on our two week vacation and they used this just the we did with the USAA card. I don't believe they get cash back though

The problem with the "USAA Master Card" is that it includes a foreign transaction fee. To solve that USAA has recently made a change to Visa which allows them to not charge the Foreign Transaction Fee. Both DW and I each had separate USAA Master Cards, DW recently was sent replacement Visa cards which work identically but, don't have the foreign transaction fee. I am still waiting for my replacement Visa cards.

I called my favorite 2X cash back Credit Card with a chip. Explained I wanted a pin to use for Chip & Pin overseas. I was told the pin only worked with ATM withdrawals?

That I could just use Chip and sign. Problem: Many purchases do NOT have an attendant to print paper to sign, such as gas stations, Train, Bus, and Metro ticket machines and City Share Bikes. Also some museums have ticket machines that require Chip & pin.

 

Any suggestions for a good Chip & pin with 0 foreign transaction fees & Cash back rewards?

Thank for all the help

MSEm

I used my carnival credit card - not only was it good for chip/pin - it had 0% international fees and I earned points for my carnival cruises

I have a Visa card with chase bank that has a chip and pin #. No foreign transaction fees. Our card earns miles but I am sure that you could get the cash back option.

Either way, have fun on your trip! :D