Credit card PIN

Yes and No. You need a pin IF you use your credit card for cash advance at an ATM. (Not recommended except in a dire emergency.) Your chip and signature card works without a pin. Sometimes you chip and signature card MIGHT work in a stand-a-line credit terminal with a pin. The pin required for chip and pin cards is a different technology. I personally don't worry about a pin for a credit card. You standard US chipped credit card will work fine if there is a person running the credit card machine.

Just a note for Europe. All Europeans seem to have a chip and pin CC. Many machines in Europe won't take a chip and signature. Train ticket machines will, but some other types of machines may not. Just have some cash available in case.

My US chip and signature card has a PIN. The card DOES work in Europe (and Canada) where the CC machines only accept a PIN. I do NOT get charged for a cash advance. I never use it a an ATM. That is what a debit card is for.

There is no short answer for what is actually a vague question.

US credit cards are all chip and signature. Which means the user must sign to validate a purchase. Except most cards allow an automatic validation without signature for small amounts (say under $50). But even then, sometimes retailers require a signature.

In Europe, most transactions will revert to your signature validation. Like in the US, sometimes you won't need to sign and it will be approved automatically. And sometimes you have to prompt the person for a signature.

But in some automated machines, your card may not work without a PIN. Train stations, gas pumps or toll booths are typical examples. You just won't know until you try.

In the Netherlands, your card will not work at all even at the ticket booth. They require a PIN for all transactions.

But all that said, for most standard CC transactions, your US card will work. But always be prepared with a backup if needing to use a machine.