Barclay's Chip & Pin Card in Netherlands

This has been discussed a lot, but thought I'd post a brief message about my first experience with a Barclay's Chip & Pin credit card. We spent a week in the Netherlands and the card worked great.

Interestingly it functioned as a Chip & Signature card in almost every case. The exceptions was in buying train tickets. I was able to use the ticket machines in train stations using the Chip & Pin functionality. This allowed me to buy tickets at the machines and not stand in line at the ticket counter.

This is exactly how I expected the card to behave, but I wanted to share my experience since this is something that gets brought up a lot.

FuelScience

Thanks for the update. I got a Barclays Arrival+ card several years ago for this express purpose [it's also a good deal in other ways], and it almost always worked for me in Europe but only in Signature mode. We didn't try it at a train station, and wondered if it would activate the PIN mode. One place it didn't work was French toll machines -- I have heard that they are programmed not to take non-European cards no matter PIN or not.

Yes we mostly found that our Aussie chip and pin cards worked with a signature in Europe. Haven't signed here for years but not a problem. No payWave though.

The merchant, at least in Ireland, can determine whether the transaction runs in $ or €. (£ too?). I wonder if they can override the pin/sig process, or if it is built into the chip?

I just got an email from USAA that they are inverting all their Mastercards to Visa "pin" cards and there will not be a foreign transaction fee on them.

We have had the same experience with our Barclay card in Italy and France. Chip and sign in most places, chip and pin at train and metro stations.

We needed a pin and got it online while we traveled. No problem

The merchant, at least in Ireland, can determine whether the transaction runs in $ or €. (£ too?). I wonder if they can override the pin/sig process, or if it is built into the chip?

 

I just got an email from USAA that they are inverting all their Mastercards to Visa "pin" cards and there will not be a foreign transaction fee on them.

Are you saying that merchants in Ireland do not ask the customer first if they want the purchase charged in their country's currency (Dynamic Conversion)? I thought only unscrupulous merchants did this. I've been asked, but not often, if I wanted a purchase charged in USD-since it's never to my advantage the answer is always no. I'd be very unhappy if a merchant did this without my permission.

Are you saying that merchants in Ireland do not ask the customer first if they want the purchase charged in their country's currency (Dynamic Conversion)? I thought only unscrupulous merchants did this. I've been asked, but not often, if I wanted a purchase charged in USD-since it's never to my advantage the answer is always no. I'd be very unhappy if a merchant did this without my permission.

Well no. What I am saying is that two merchants (out of many more) ran my charge in dollars with out asking while we were in Ireland. I have not had that experience anywhere else in Europe (a dozen or so other countries). It probably could have happened anywhere, it just happened to be there. Traveler's just need to be alert to the possibility . . . the Euro amount showed on the screen, but the dollar amount was on the receipt.

Are you saying that merchants in Ireland do not ask the customer first if they want the purchase charged in their country's currency (Dynamic Conversion)?

It happened to me in Ireland. I and others posted on this subject in the active thread --> Our 1st river cruise...as it's happening.

on this forum so I won't repeat here

Well no. What I am saying is that two merchants (out of many more) ran my charge in dollars with out asking while we were in Ireland. I have not had that experience anywhere else in Europe (a dozen or so other countries). It probably could have happened anywhere, it just happened to be there. Traveler's just need to be alert to the possibility . . . the Euro amount showed on the screen, but the dollar amount was on the receipt.

Thanks for the heads up. I guess all of us need to make sure that we are charged correctly when making credit card purchases in a foreign country. Not sure just how to do that if the charge shows in Euros but receipt is in USD. Might be difficult to get the merchant to redo it correctly. It just seems odd that it happened twice to you in Ireland and it others say it also happened to them in Ireland. I imagine that there are others who also were charged this way without their knowledge and just didn't realize it. I just went over all my receipts from a recent trip to Italy and in each case, the charge was in Euros. On that trip I was asked only once if I wanted the charge in USD and when I declined the merchant said she was obligated by the bank to ask.

It happened to me in Ireland. I and others posted on this subject in the active thread --> Our 1st river cruise...as it's happening.

 

on this forum so I won't repeat here

Thanks for posting. I haven't read that thread yet but plan to do so.

Not sure just how to do that if the charge shows in Euros but receipt is in USD. Might be difficult to get the merchant to redo it correctly.

Nio, the reciept will be in whichever currency the transaction is.

Just check the terminal before entering your PIN/swiping your card

Should have noproblem if the terminal is given you with the sum in your currency as ultimately you can refuse to buy the goods. Problem is when you'e already had the goods -- e.g meal or accommodation -- and they claim its impossible to change.

Nio, the reciept will be in whichever currency the transaction is.

 

Just check the terminal before entering your PIN/swiping your card

 

Should have noproblem if the terminal is given you with the sum in your currency as ultimately you can refuse to buy the goods. Problem is when you'e already had the goods -- e.g meal or accommodation -- and they claim its impossible to change.

Yes, if you see that the screen is in USD you can request it be changed to the currency of the country. Maybe I misunderstood CPT Trips but I think that post said the amount on the screen was in In Euros but the receipt was in USD.

Restaurants can also be a problem if they don't run your card in front of you. I guess we just need to be vigilant and make sure the merchant understands beforehand that you don't want the charge run in USD. On another forum someone reported that their hotel bill was calculated in USD without their concent and it made quite a difference in the total. The desk clerk refused to cancel and rerun the charge.

Yes, if you see that the screen is in USD you can request it be changed to the currency of the country. Maybe I misunderstood CPT Trips but I think that post said the amount on the screen was in In Euros but the receipt was in USD.

 

Restaurants can also be a problem if they don't run your card in front of you. I guess we just need to be vigilant and make sure the merchant understands beforehand that you don't want the charge run in USD. On another forum someone reported that their hotel bill was calculated in USD without their concent and it made quite a difference in the total. The desk clerk refused to cancel and rerun the charge.

In euro is how I recall it, but it's possible I didn't notice it was dollars until I had the receipt to sign and realized the amount was too high. I guess that's the problem when the US bank card doesn't default to requiring a pin. Restaurants typically bring the machine to the table; we typically tell them the amount we are paying in local currency including tip.