New European credit cards

[FTLcruisers]

My husband saw Rick Steves on some travel show talking about the new European credit cards and how American credit cards may no longer be accepted at some places. We're going to Europe in May and just wondered if we should be concerned about being able to use our cards. Does anyone have more information or recent experiences??

 

Marianne

[CruiserBruce]

This has been discussed extensively. Most of Europe will accept US credit cards. The Scandanavian countries seem to be the least accepting. However, anywhere where you deal with a machine, not a human- self serve gas stations, train station automated ticket machines, etc, that is your biggest headache, as they won't accept US credit cards.

 

There is a small number of US banks now issuing "pin and chip" European style cards.

[jocap]

Chip and pin cards have been around for several years now, but you should be able to swipe and sign- if the shop assistant knows how. If they're younger, they may not have heard of swipe cards, so ask for the manager, who should be able to help. Small shops don't always take Amex, because of the charges, but larger places should be fine.....we have one which cannot be used anywhere in our village, but is OK in larger towns.

Jo.

[FTLcruisers]

Thanks to both of you -- my husband was especially concerned about the train station in Oslo since you swipe a credit card.

 

I did find those chip and pin cards on-line that you mentioned and I think that is the way we'll go...especially for Oslo...just to be on the safe side.

 

Marianne

[SadieN]

Had a problem in Rome last week. The ATM said my card wasn't good. Turns out the machine was 'lazy' and couldn't get a connection to my bank. Thought it was weird because I had used that same ATM twice already. Went to a different ATM, problem solved.

[cruisemom42]

Had a problem in Rome last week. The ATM said my card wasn't good. Turns out the machine was 'lazy' and couldn't get a connection to my bank. Thought it was weird because I had used that same ATM twice already. Went to a different ATM, problem solved.

 

It's not ATM cards that are the problem. It's the regular credit cards. Europe is moving toward a chip and pin system that isn't very available in the US.

[Underwatr]

Best-laid plans: I was in England in October, stopped along the Motorway to gas up the car. At the pumps there was a sign "Chip & PIN Cards only." No problem, there's an ATM right outside the building so I gas up the car and head over to the ATM to withdraw 60 pounds to pay for the gas. The ATM tried to dispense the cash but the door never opened so I never got cash.

 

I went inside and explained to the clerk and he asked to see my passport, after which he scanned the magnetic stripe on my US Credit card and I was able to pay for the gas.

 

I called the number on the non-functioning ATM and they could see that something had gone wrong with the transaction, so when I got home I was able to deal with the issue with my banks & get my money back (by the time the ATM tries to dipense money it's already been taken out of the bank account).

 

The moral of the story is to have cash in hand before pumping...

[sail7seas]

You must have had a few nervous moments about how you would pay for the gas when the ATM malfunctioned. :eek:

 

Happy it worked out okay for you. :)

 

[PennyAgain]

Train stations in the UK and in Europe are a major problem for most of the US credit cards. You need the chip and pin cards.

 

I tried to get one recently from Chase, but although it had a chip, it wasn't set up to work in Europe!!!!

 

In any case, when you travel do not forget to notify your bank and your credit card companies that you are going to be traveling or nothing may work at all.

[cruisemom42]

Train stations in the UK and in Europe are a major problem for most of the US credit cards. You need the chip and pin cards.

 

I tried to get one recently from Chase, but although it had a chip, it wasn't set up to work in Europe!!!!

 

 

Oh no....please tell me it isn't so. I've just spent most of the last couple of days contacting banks to find out where I can get a chip and pin card. The only one that was readily available to me was the Chase JP Morgan card -- is that the one you have?

[navybankerteacher]

Oh no....please tell me it isn't so. I've just spent most of the last couple of days contacting banks to find out where I can get a chip and pin card. The only one that was readily available to me was the Chase JP Morgan card -- is that the one you have?

 

The Chase "Check Card" which accesses a Chase checking a/c as a debit card is also a Visa credit card - it has an embedded chip and works in unmanned terminals in Europe both as a debit and as a credit card.

[Goldiedog]

We have used chip and pin cards in the UK for some time now, I can't remember the last time I had to sign for anything, when we were in Canada last year we also had to use pin number with no signature, when we went to US we only needed signature. If you can, I would try and get a credit card with chip in it just to e on the safeside.

[cuagrad90]

Wells Fargo has the chip and pin cards but according to an article I read yesterday in USA Today (I think it was yesterday) they are only giving them to certain customers. You would think with all the international travel these days the other US banks would be getting pressure from their customers to move on this issue. It is more secure.

[riffatsea]

The only times that difficulties have been reported with the old fashioned USA cards that ALL of us have here are with automated machines on tollways, gas stations etc.

Restaurants , hotels, shops have been just fine!

Some of the Chase visa cards with chips are just for these new automated machines here in the USA that will read your card if you wave it in front of it but few places have them!

It will be interesting to see if any of the banks here start using the same chip/pin system as in Europe any time soon!!!

In Italy especially, there are lots of small restaurants/stores that don't really take ANY credit cards so having euros with you is not a bad idea!

[sstepson]

Just to clarify...standard US-style debit cards (the ones that in the US you can choose "debit or credit") will work in ATM's in Europe, correct?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bbwex]

Someone has already mentioned the primary problem -- if your are using a self-service kiosk to buy train tickets, etc., American cards won't work. I tried a couple of times, couldn't figure out the problem, went up to the counter (and a human), and there was no problem.

 

We never had a problem with an ATM, though my recollection is uncertain whether I tried in Sweden. I know I used ATMs in Finland, the U.K., Belgium, and I think in Denmark. We never had any problems using U.S. credit or debit cards at any merchant. It was only the self-service kiosk for the train into London from Heathrow.

 

There is also some small measure of a problem with the chip cards in that people try to steal the data as you get near them. That is why they sell wallets that prevent RFID readers from stealing your information. Not needed with U.S. cards, though new American passports do have embedded chips (there is a chip logo in gold on the front if there is one).

[SwissDave]

The RFID cards are not the same as 'chip and pin' in Europe. C&P have a visible chip that is read when the card is inserted. Usually the machines that use the chip are the ones at train stations, toll boths etc. or any other machine where the card is not taken all the way in. I have not yet come across a shop that is not able to process a card that does not have a chip.

 

Some card suppliers have started issuing cards with RFID as well as with a chip for paying small amounts, such as for coffee or newspapers. Above a certain amount you have to use the card as normal and enter your PIN.

 

ATM machines use the chip, if the card has one, or the magnetic strip. Virtually all cards with a megnetic strip will work in ATMs.

[FTLcruisers]

We found something on-line called a Travelex card which has the chip & pin feature - you actually load it with the amount of foreign currency you want. Available at a lot of airports and at some store locations. Any unused funds can be refunded.

 

Marianne