Chip and Pin Customer Service

Nearly every CREDIT card issued in the US is unattached to other accounts unless it is a secured type of card. It is usually only DEBIT cards that are connected to an account you pay from at the same bank. I have several credit cards from several banks that I pay from a completely different bank having no relation to the credit card issuer.

I have the Barclay World Elite MasterCard. It calls itself "PIN Primary with signature secondary". However, in most places in Europe I used it where there was an employee to run the card through the machine I had to sign. Only at unattended kiosks was the PIN used. They are very easy to deal with for any questions or concerns. I don't have any experience with the others you noted.

You don't mention CapOne, but I have always found their customer service excellent. They have a card that gives you 1.5% cashback, that you can apply to your account whenever you want, without having to wait to hit a predetermined total. They have no foreign transaction fee. And they allow you to pay your bill by direct transfer from any external bank account you wish.

Have a number of cards and all allow one to pay with an external bank account. The main thing to look for, in my opinion, is one that has no foreign transaction fee.

I am also very satisfied with Capital One.
I have a CitiBank card that I take along just as a back-up but I don't think I've ever used it abroad.

Thanks for all your comments. All the cards I mentioned have no foreign transaction fees. I guess I mainly want to know about customer service for the different cards and the ease of obtaining (as all but 1 are through credit unions). I have an American Express which I've never had any issues with but need a second card since it is not widely accepted. I'll have to take a closer look at Capital One.

We've had numerous occasions to contact USAA regarding a number of things including credit cards. For my money their customer service can't be beaten.

Another vote for USAA. I have been a USAA member for 50 years.