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Credit Card accepatance in Europe?


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Retailers and restaurants, generally yes. I've had no problems.

 

Automated machines, generally no. For instance, I've had to buy Heathrow Express tickets from the ticket booth as the automated machines didn't like my card.

 

All of the cards I'm taking on my next trip have chips, and I have PINs activated for them. We'll see how it works. Last trip in March, even with chip & PIN supposedly active, I ended up signing for everything.

 

This was London and Brussels, FYI.

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Are retailers accepting cards with chip & signature & no pin? On my roll call a number of threads say you need both.

 

I'm in London right now and having no problem with a chip card. Now it just so happens both are use-in-Europe cards and both have pin numbers. However no one ( e.g. Selfridge, Pret a Manger, lunch at Hampton Court , Antidote Wine Bar) has once asked me to key in my Pin.

 

The electronic handshake and approval process is slower than using my old swipe cards. But if the question is can you use a chip card without the answer is YES AS LONG AS A PERSON IS PROCESSING THE CHARGE. You'll need a pin for unmanned charge stations ( e.g. toll booths, self service gas stations. )

Edited by Pet Nit Noy
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Thank you both, I really don`t want pin as its the same as cash with all the fraud now its dangerous, also there are charges involved.

 

Chip & PIN purchases are NOT the same as cash. They are actually considered much more secure than swipe and signature, which is why they are being implemented even in the US. Yes, you can do a cash advance on your card with a PIN, but that's not what happens at a point-of-sale terminal. The only additional charges are any foreign transaction fees.

 

As long as you safeguard your PIN, you're fine. I've never heard of a skimmer at a POS terminal like you hear of at ATMs.

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I watched a TV programme last year showing the various ways the scum rip off credit cards. They were clear that they loved Americans with swipe cards as they were far easier to clone than C&P.

 

Not that C&P gave them that much trouble as they used all kinds of subterfuge to discover the PIN before stealing the card. Tiny cameras at the top of the ATM were favourite, so keep the pad well covered when you key the PIN in.

 

One piece of advice I give everyone is to make sure that, as a couple, you have at least two separate sources of credit. This way if you lose one and get it stopped, the other will still work.

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There has been more than one retail outlet in Scotland skimming cards at POS, mainly in service stations. We haven't seen any lately but tend to use cash abroad in small outlets as a result. I am looking forward to more secure ways of paying for small transactions than cards.

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Thank you both, I really don`t want pin as its the same as cash with all the fraud now its dangerous, also there are charges involved.

 

As others have been quick to point out, chip&pin is very very much safer. It's the US non-pin cards that are as good as cash.

 

If my chip&pin card is lost or stolen it's no use to anyone else without them knowing my 4-digit code. Except when I was in the USA, where a miscreant can just use it pretty-well anywhere they choose. The signature was no safeguard - not required at plenty of places & nobody never compared against the sig on the card when I did have to sign. The only safeguard I saw was at some gas pumps which required a zip-code - in those places I used the card at the checkout counter.

 

The US of A leads the world in many respects.

On the matter of card security it's way behind.

 

JB :)

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OP, Fear not...."Just signature" credit cards are still being taken in Europe. Certainly retailers, hotels and restaurants aren't going to turn away all the tourists while waiting for the US banks to make the switch ;)

The only time we couldn't use our credit card is at automated machines for tickets for transportation. So we always carry local currency for occasions like that. We prefer to use cash for most smaller purchases and restaurants. And make use of the plentiful ATM machines for currency exchanges. ( no fee atm card)

Edited by eandj
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Two of my four credit cards have reissued new cards to me with a chip and pin. It appears that it will eventually become standard in the US.

 

We have had no problem using credit cards in Europe. One thing, in Scandinavia, be sure to mention to the teller in advance that you want to pay via signature.

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I really don`t want pin as its the same as cash with all the fraud now its dangerous, also there are charges involved.

 

I'm sorry. you have it exactly backwards. Chip and pin cards are much safer than swipe and signature cards, and they are credit cards, not debit cards.

Edited by Langoustine
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As others have been quick to point out, chip&pin is very very much safer. It's the US non-pin cards that are as good as cash.

 

If my chip&pin card is lost or stolen it's no use to anyone else without them knowing my 4-digit code. Except when I was in the USA, where a miscreant can just use it pretty-well anywhere they choose. The signature was no safeguard - not required at plenty of places & nobody never compared against the sig on the card when I did have to sign. The only safeguard I saw was at some gas pumps which required a zip-code - in those places I used the card at the checkout counter.

 

The US of A leads the world in many respects.

On the matter of card security it's way behind.

 

JB :)

 

I have quicksilver Capital One card & called them, they informed me it`s a cash advance with charges & that I didn`t need it in Europe.

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Two of my four credit cards have reissued new cards to me with a chip and pin. It appears that it will eventually become standard in the US.

 

We have had no problem using credit cards in Europe. One thing, in Scandinavia, be sure to mention to the teller in advance that you want to pay via signature.

 

All of our CC companies have issued the chip card, including Amex.

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I have quicksilver Capital One card & called them, they informed me it`s a cash advance with charges & that I didn`t need it in Europe.

 

That makes no sense whatsoever.

 

Again, you're fine with swipe and sign (or better, chip and sign) as long as there's a person in the loop, but Capital One should offer the option of a cash advance or a credit charge at a POS terminal for chip and PIN, which, again, is far more secure than a signature! I find it very difficult to believe that they treat a chip and PIN purchase at a POS terminal, versus an ATM, as a cash advance, and inconceivable and unforgivable if they do!

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I have had a Capital One CC for about 8 years. My present card doesn't expire until Dec. 2017. So I called customer service and explained that I was going to Europe in 2 months and I wanted a new card (same old number) issued to me with a chip. I was told that they don't issue new cards merely because a customers request it. They will issue a new card at the expiration date! I explained I wanted a chip for safety and ease of use. No Dice!

 

THIS IS CUSTOMER SERVICE???:rolleyes:

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I have had a Capital One CC for about 8 years. My present card doesn't expire until Dec. 2017. So I called customer service and explained that I was going to Europe in 2 months and I wanted a new card (same old number) issued to me with a chip. I was told that they don't issue new cards merely because a customers request it. They will issue a new card at the expiration date! I explained I wanted a chip for safety and ease of use. No Dice!

 

THIS IS CUSTOMER SERVICE???:rolleyes:

 

Just call them back and tell them the card's delaminating and cracking at the top because you've been using it so much. And, BTW, can they replace it with chip card!

 

AMEX at least used to replace your card on request. At one time, they also changed the number, but they don't appear to do that anymore unless you request it.

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I have quicksilver Capital One card & called them, they informed me it`s a cash advance with charges & that I didn`t need it in Europe.

 

I think you may be confused about this. Are you talking about getting money out of an ATM with your credit card? Yes, that is a cash advance, and there are going to be fees. But making a purchase with a chip and pin credit card is not a cash advance, any more than making a purchase with a swipe and sign card would be. The only extra fees (for any card) would be a foreign exchange fee, but I don't think Capital One charges them anyway. As to not needing a chip & pin card in Europe, that's just nonsense if you have to make a purchase at a gas station, train ticket kiosk, or toll booth, when there's no human being around to run the charges.

Edited by Langoustine
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I'm in London right now and having no problem with a chip card. Now it just so happens both are use-in-Europe cards and both have pin numbers. However no one ( e.g. Selfridge, Pret a Manger, lunch at Hampton Court , Antidote Wine Bar) has once asked me to key in my Pin.

 

The electronic handshake and approval process is slower than using my old swipe cards. But if the question is can you use a chip card without the answer is YES AS LONG AS A PERSON IS PROCESSING THE CHARGE. You'll need a pin for unmanned charge stations ( e.g. toll booths, self service gas stations. )

 

I was just writing a reply on another thread and I had a sudden realization. The self service machines in the Green Park station where we topped off our Oster cards were unmanned yet I was not asked my Pin number. Now if you read the other post in the Hampton Court thread you'll note that the TfL employee was actually pushing the screen . Perhaps she used a code to eliminate the need for a PIN but the fact remains we weren't asked for our PIN. I don't know what lessons we can learn from this one experience, only that it contradicts the information everyone, including me, has written.

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I have a Barclay's World Travel Elite credit card that is C & P. Prior to our flight, I called Barclay's to verify the procedure about using the card abroad at kiosks, etc. As the directions that come with the card state, use it once for a small purchase that requires a signature, and it will activate the PIN use.

 

When we arrived at LHR, we got in line for Heathrow Express tickets when a customer service rep asked for those who only want the rail tickets to step aside [we didn't need Oyster Cards as we already had them from a prior trip]. The CS rep took me to a kiosk, asked if this was a US card, and then entered a code to override the need for a PIN, and issued the tickets. When we arrived at Paddington, I made a small purchase and signed for it - the next time I used the card was at Kensington Palace gift shop and the sales woman said, "Oh, an American with a real PIN card." After that, I did not have to sign when using the card.

 

I also have a Capital One card - and find their CS people rather clueless. When I called to notify them of foreign travel plans, the CS rep asked me if the United Kingdom was near the Ukraine! Maybe alphabetically.......

 

 

Darcy

Edited by WatchHill
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From what I understand if I use my Barclay chip card with a pin in the US it will be considered a cash advance; however, when abroad and I use the pin, it will be recognized as a charge and I'll be billed accordingly. I've noticed many local retailers are installing cc terminals that will take a chip card, as well as swipe & signs, but so far my chip does not compute with these machines.

 

FWIW, we didn't yet have our Barclay C&P cards this past May, but were able to use our ol' swipe & sign cards at restaurants, hotel, shops and inside attended petrol stations. We made sure to have coins for the Paris Metro, toll booths, etc.

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I have a Barclay's World Travel Elite credit card that is C & P. Prior to our flight, I called Barclay's to verify the procedure about using the card abroad at kiosks, etc. As the directions that come with the card state, use it once for a small purchase that requires a signature, and it will activate the PIN

 

 

Darcy

 

I think you've got it. We were given the PIN for one of our cards and were allowed to set our PIN for the other. For the one where we set our PIN we were told to make a signature required purchase --no mention of the size of the purchase but it was breakfast at Pret a Manger so it was, in fact, a small purchase. As I've written we've been charging all over London without issue. (I did hold my breath charging dinner last night. Anniversary dinner at a Michelin starred place and quite atypical for most of our other purchases to date. Happily no issues.)

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I think you may be confused about this. Are you talking about getting money out of an ATM with your credit card? Yes, that is a cash advance, and there are going to be fees. But making a purchase with a chip and pin credit card is not a cash advance, any more than making a purchase with a swipe and sign card would be. The only extra fees (for any card) would be a foreign exchange fee, but I don't think Capital One charges them anyway. As to not needing a chip & pin card in Europe, that's just nonsense if you have to make a purchase at a gas station, train ticket kiosk, or toll booth, when there's no human being around to run the charges.

 

Thanks, that may explain it, the person I spoke to didn`t explain it as such.

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