Chip and Pin cards don't work at automated kiosks in southern France

Thanks for reporting. We'd be interested to hear if others are having the same experience with cards that they know to be chip & PIN.

Our chip & PIN Schwab card did not work at most toll booths in France, including in the south. The solution, as noted above, was to carry lots of coins and small bills. A couple of the booths did not even take cash, so we had to speak to someone on a sort of intercom, explain our situation, then put the toll in a collection box a little way past the toll machine. As I have mentioned elsewhere, when we got to a toll booth we put on the emergency flashers to warn drivers behind us of a possible delay.

I was in Provence in May and my Andrews Federal Credit Union chip-and-pin card DID work in the toll booths near Avignon. However, you can never count on any credit card working at ALL autoroute toll booths because sections of the autoroute are run by different companies and they may have different standards. I always use the cash lanes with the green arrows--the machines usually have a slot for credit cards as well as for cash. I give the card a try, and always have cash on hand as a fallback,

In the Dordogne now. Chip and pin bank of america credit card was rejected at a gas station yesterday. No issues at shops.

I would bet that a BofA card is NOT chip and PIN. But that's just me.

BoA doesn't have chip and pin -- or if it does I'd like to hear about it because we haven't been able to get beyond Chip and Sig with any of our US banks.

Well, they sent us a paper that said something like "this is your pin". And it was followed by a 4 digit number.

Matt, I have the chip card from BoA. I thought the same thing when I got it, it's got a pin so it's chip and pin. It is actually chip and sign. The pin is for cash advances only. I called BoA to confirm.
Mine worked at all the tolls from Lille to Dijon except the final one. My daughter has used it in train ticket machines in Liile. It did not work at the gas stations in the Dijon area.

Adding to the frustration today, we were at a totally automated parking garage in Grasse. We knew our chip and pin card wouldn't work so we went to the cash machine to pay before exiting. Unfortunately, the woman using the machine before us jammed the machine with her parking ticket and could not retrieve said ticket thus leaving the cash machine unusable. We were trapped in the parking garage. After pushing a few buttons on the cash machine, we realized that there was a button for cancellation (annulation). It spit out the woman's parking ticket and we were able to proceed, insert our ticket, pay our fare and exit the garage. Our only other option was to stand at the exit and beg someone to use their credit card and reimburse them for helping us out which I'm sure someone would have done as the French are truly kind people.

Thanks for clarifying Susan. I suspected as much.

Matt

Chip and Pin cards--it's a crap shoot on where it will work. I never even tried it at a toll booth. Works at 1% of the gas stations. Just don't count on it. Was in France last month for 4 weeks.

US banks have consciously chosen to remain obsolete and out of touch with the rest of the western (and heck eastern) world. So they are not introducing Chip and Pin but the out of date Chip and Signature as they make the conversion to chip technology. I think it is sad how few Americans realize how far behind we are getting in so many areas e.g. availability of fiber optics in communities, high speed internet, banking technology etc. etc.

It is frustrating for travelers but it also means we continue to fall behind where we could be economically.

My cards are chip and signature for purchases but it is easier and safer to go to an ATM and have cash as Rick Steves suggests.

I use the TTP ie. Post Office window to change cash I have with me from the U.S. Why bother agonizing over the chip/pin/signature
debate and glitches.

Also why use a car with its tolls & gas. Public transport is cheaper, more interesting and more relaxing.

I totally agree that public transport is cheaper and more relaxing than renting a car. But if you are exploring the countryside or you are in a country with limited/convenient public transport, a car is necessary.

I guess I feel strongly about credit cards and cars vs. public transport....so here goes how I manage the dilemma:

In the U.S. I garage a car way out on the train line outside of NYC for when necessity dictates. Having in the past lived in Los Angeles I understand necessity.
Luckily, living in NYC, I do not need one and if I were to be without a car the "zip cars" work well.

In Europe I have my home base in a city and use the TI for the villages, leaving the worry and driving to reasonable local tours or
trains/buses for village touring. This is easily done from eg. Paris, Nice, Lyon, La Rochelle, Bordeaux, Perpignan or Barcelona etc.

Re bank cards: For me it is just easier to budget & bring cash from the U.S. The Post Offices are the cheapest place to change it. I also do not have to think about the exchange rate (bank rate or retail rate + fees or if you are lucky, no fees. But my time is valuable. Factor in the agida .)
I do also use ATMs and carry 3 cards, but only for cash. I do not wish to pay the interest on a "cash advance."

This is only the way I do it and everyone I am sure has given much thought to the best way to manage their own needs.
You all have been most patient listening to my opinion. But hey, it is the Fourth of July.

We just got back from almost a month in France. Our Chase Sapphire Preferred chip/pin card only worked with signature in restaurants or stores. The very first time I used it on a toll road from Avignon to Cassis it worked, and then it AND all our other credit cards would not work for tolls, train tickets, etc. It was a little frustrating, and as others discovered, it was better to have cash on hand. We spent a week in Paris, a week in Saillans on a Drome hiking trip, 3 days in Avignon, 1 in Cassis, 4 in Provence, 2 in Annecy, 2 in Lyon, and 1 back in Paris near CDG airport. The Chase card required a signature if it was accepted at all.

I also have the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. It is chip and signature, though the ads suggest that it's chip and pin. Based on those ads, I thought I was getting a chip and pin card, but called and confirmed that it's chip and signature. I also own a BofA card, also chip and signature. There is a lot of misinformation out there about US chip cards, even from the card reps. Nearly all US chip cards are signature.

I just got back from 2.5 weeks in France. As mccartm2 says, the Chase chip and signature card worked nearly everywhere, though it always spit out a receipt requiring a signature. There was one rural (and much lower priced) gas station for which none of my cards worked, so I ended up not buying gas there. I went onto the toll road, and bought gas for an additional 15 cents per liter, using the Chase chip and signature card. As is normal everywhere, you pay more for the extra convenience. But that's the only instance in which I had a problem with a chip card. However, I always paid tolls in cash.

I've had an Andrews FCU chip and PIN for several years. It has never failed to work at unmanned gas stations in France during 3 long trips. It also worked at a parking garage machine in Besancon in May (I think that's the only time I tried it at a parking lot), and at SNCF and Paris Metro machines. However, I've pretty much given up on trying to use it at toll booths, as it only worked once and then failed several times after that.

Robert,

Our Andrews chip and pin worked at the unmanned gas station yesterday (Sunday). Otherwise we wouldn't have been able to get gas. The pump did require a pin.

We just got back from France and were able to use our Barclaycard (with a chip) on the toll roads. Everywhere we went it spit out a request for signature except at the Louvre, a machine to rent an audioguide did request a PIN and it worked. I was pleasantly surprised it worked at the toll booths ... and agree with the recommendation to have cash ready.

I just found out that USAA is now issuing Chip and PIN cards! I have both a banking card and a credit card through them. I was able to call them for the Chip and PIN card and they sent it to me in about a week for the credit card. The papers with the card provide instructions/information:
1. "Insert your card chip first into the chip-enabled terminal"
2. "You may be required to sign or enter your PIN to complete the transaction."