Using credit cards in Europe

[leebee]

Yesterday at BJ's, the cashier and I were talking about the new "chip" credit cards. She said they were told that in Europe, the chip cards are used with a PIN, and that's why they are so secure, but it was decided that Americans couldn't be bothered, so our chip cards don't have a PIN. My question is, what happens if you try to use a US-issued card in Europe? Is it refused because there is no PIN? DD is going to France in a few weeks, so this is a concern as she was planning on using her credit card a lot of the time. I have emailed Chase about this (it's a Disney VISA) but haven't heard back yet. Anyone have any experience with this?

 

[rastahomie]

My debit card has a chip, and I have to enter a PIN at some places but not others. As far as I know a debit card issued from a US bank, if it has a chip, should work just fine in Europe.

 

[sunshinehighway]

Yesterday at BJ's, the cashier and I were talking about the new "chip" credit cards. She said they were told that in Europe, the chip cards are used with a PIN, and that's why they are so secure, but it was decided that Americans couldn't be bothered, so our chip cards don't have a PIN. My question is, what happens if you try to use a US-issued card in Europe? Is it refused because there is no PIN? DD is going to France in a few weeks, so this is a concern as she was planning on using her credit card a lot of the time. I have emailed Chase about this (it's a Disney VISA) but haven't heard back yet. Anyone have any experience with this?

Your card should work fine in most places that a person at the register. Automated machines, like self checkouts, could be a problem so just use cash at those if you can or avoid them.
I was recently in the UK and the only place I had a problem was a grocery store. I was at the self checkout and upon paying a notice came up for an attendant. He came over and said the American cards without a pin don't work correctly at the self checkout. We just paid in cash instead.

 

[hopemax]

We just got back from London. The only place they really did not work was the vending machines in Heathrow. Most places, including the self-checkout at Tesco, they needed to print a receipt for us to sign. But after the first time, we just used the regular checkout lines. Still needed to sign, but at least we didn't have to wait for an attendant.

 

[AlohaNow]

We were wondering and researching these very things this time last year in preparation for a trip to Denmark and Iceland. If a venue is staffed (store, restaurant, etc.) they will understand that you want to use a credit card, but you are American, so you have a chip, but no PIN. Most all point-of-purchase systems have a way around using the PIN, which is typically them printing out a receipt and you providing signature. That is what we’re used to here, but in Europe the PIN is used, which does not require a receipt and signature. (Don’t get me started on how far behind the rest of the modern world our U.S. credit card issuers are when it comes to security with stuff like this!)

We had been informed that any unattended gas station may be an issue, as well as unattended kiosks for tickets and the like. We had our debit card with us too, and the one time we utilized an unattended gas station we used our debit card, because that has a Visa logo, a chip, as well as a PIN. We were of course charged a small foreign transaction fee on the purchase by our bank, but oh well, cost of doing business. We did make sure we only brought credit cards that did not charge any foreign transaction fees to use for everything else.

I hope she enjoys her trip to France!

 

[DopeyDame]

If you call your credit card company, they can provide you a PIN to use while in Europe if you want.
(You probably already did this, but you should tell them in advance that you're traveling anyway so that they don't deny any purchases for fraud concerns)

 

[SMD]

Last year I had to borrow my parents card because Chase (not Disney Visa) wouldn't send me one with a chip. About 6 weeks after I got back they called me and said that the card had been compromised and they'd be sending me one with a chip. I was pretty annoyed.

 

[kwelch10377]

I just got back from London and Dublin 2 days ago and I used 2 cards while there, both Visa debit, one with a chip and one without. For both cards I had to sign a receipt each time I used them and I was never asked for a PIN.

 

[AlohaNow]

If you call your credit card company, they can provide you a PIN to use while in Europe if you want.
(You probably already did this, but you should tell them in advance that you're traveling anyway so that they don't deny any purchases for fraud concerns)

That is bank dependent. We did this for one of our cards in advance of our trip. They mailed out a PIN, but it was made clear on the accompanying letter that the PIN was only for use in obtaining cash advances off the card, something we would never do because of the interest rate. I’m telling you, when we called issuers about the chip and PIN in Europe thing, they all sounded clueless and we figured it out on our own by Googling travel forums for people’s recent experiences and asking our Danish friends how it really works in country.

There are only a few U.S. issued credit cards that could be used abroad in a *true* chip and PIN scenario (meaning, just like Europeans enjoy) and as no referrals are allowed on the boards, I will refer you to Google up what they currently are! This time last year there were two, and now there seem to be a couple more.

Forgot to add - most restaurants will bring over a handheld payment device and the locals will just insert their credit card, punch in the PIN and they are done. Be prepared for the eye roll when you tell them your credit card does not have a PIN and that you will have to sign. Americans seem to think that this new chip technology protects them more, but U.S. issuers only went half way by including the chip but not the PIN! It is so backwards!

 

[CdnCarrie]

Canada uses chip and PIN

 

[AquamarineSteph]

We have never (yet) had an issue using a chip-only US credit card (including the Disney VISA) overseas; however, I have read that they may not always work at smaller, automated kiosks such as the ones you'd find to buy tickets at a station platform. We worked around that issue by finding a staffed ticket office for the train we wanted to take and purchased our tickets from a person behind a counter.

The last time we called Chase about a PIN (before our first European trek), they could not provide a PIN via email or over the phone and snail mailed the PIN to us. I'm not sure if that has changed, but it's highly likely that your daughter should be fine using her credit card in most larger stores and restaurants. She may want to take along some Euros for small purchases like coffee, snacks, etc., in places where credit cards may not be accepted.

 

[tvguy]

In Europe, pins can be no more than 4 digits. So that can be an issue if you have a longer pin with a U.S. Debit card.

DD went to school in the UK from August 2013 until June 2014 without a chip card. The chip readers all had swiping devices on them, and the only issue she had is some clerks didn't know to swipe a card, since all the locals have chip cards. But she did most of her purchases in cash. She would just stop at the bank every few weeks and get all the cash she needed.
Her classmate with a chip card had more issues, the chip readers just didn't like her card.

When we went over to bring her back home, we spent the day in Edinburgh and the pub we had lunch at had big signs that their chip reader was down, with an additional note that American credit cards would be swiped since their swiper was working fine. I guess European cards can't be swiped.

 

[goofyernmost]

I went to France, Italy and Spain in Nov. 2015, and had no problem anyplace at all. Just be sure to let you card issuer know you are going and the dates you will be there, otherwise they might get concerned if they see charges that are not from places you frequent and they cannot get in touch with you to verify. If they do, they will sometimes freeze your card until they can contact you, that can be more then messy. What I like best about using the card is that wherever you go, the exchange rate is automatically figured for you. That is a real perk.