chip and pin

If your ATM card has a "Plus" or "Cirrus" network logo on its back it'll work fine in Europe. You can get gas with a non-chip-and-pin card, as long as the station has a human attendant. But your non-chip-and-pin card won't work at a self-service pump. In Europe, you'll run into totally unmanned stations, especially on Sundays and after 10 PM.

I'm not sure how much you read here, because almost every thread on the topic notes that chip and pin are not typically necessary and the issue is overblown. But to answer your specific questions: 1. Your ATM should work just fine. It doesn't have to be a debit card with a Visa or MC. I have a plain old ATM that works just fine. Occasionally your card won't work in an ATM for some reason. If that happens, just move on to another machine. It seemed to me that certain banks were the problem. 2. Unmanned gas stations can be an issue for credit cards. So look for attended stations and try to avoid filling up on Sundays when many stations might not have attendents. If you will be on a toll road, be sure to have plenty of change with you to pay tolls. 3. While there are some chip and pins slowly becoming available in the US, they come with fees and are not convenient for the 2 week vacationer. There are some other options, like a pre-paid Travelex card if you will be doing lots of driving, but those come with high fees and shouldn't be used for other things.

I used the Travelex cash passport chip and pin card for my last trip to France. It worked fine, though the exchange rate is lousy. I don't have any experience with gas stations in Europe. I use it for unattended train station tickets. We had one hotel that couldn't read my regular Chase VISA so we used the travelex card there too.

Douglas is right on the mark. Just make sure you have sufficient Euros on hand to pay for rental car gasoline if your card doesn't work. The Chase chipped credit card is available, but it comes at a high yearly fee. You should put the car rental on a credit card, especially one that gives you some coverage on rental cars. CDW is required on Italian rental cars, however. You cannot have too much coverage. One thing you want to make sure about is that your ATM password is numbers and 4 digits. That's the best place to get cash. And, make sure you know your password code on any credit card, in case you have to use it to get cash. I have not used my credit card password in so long that I don't remember it. And, be sure to call your credit card company and your bank to tell them you're going out of the country. Sometimes they'll reject transactions outside the U.S.

Barbara, I obtained a chip n pin card awhile ago from Chase. Here's the link to my post about it:
http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm?topic=79076 I listed the phone number of my contact at Chase if you want to call them to apply for your card. It took one phone call to Chase and I received the card in about 4 days. You can decide if it is worth it to you to obtain one. I like knowing I have the chip n pin card, after friends detailed their woes of traveling without one in France this past winter. Italy may be different, of course. Deb

thanks deb we will be traveling both in France and Italy but I thought I understood that it was mostly an issue with the gas stations and we are only renting a car 3 days in tuscany--I will check he other post for comments thanks all

Best chip-and-PIN card in the US is offered by the Andrews Federal Credit Union in Maryland. You don't have to be a resident of Maryland to join. No annual fees, low interest rate if you don't pay off the card, and a chip that works everywhere in Europe. It's called the GlobeTrek Visa card, see http://www.andrewsfcu.org/page.php?page=553

that looks like a pretty good deal... anyone else ever heard of them?

"...Best chip-and-PIN card in the US is offered by the Andrews Federal Credit Union in Maryland. You don't have to be a resident of Maryland to join..." This card isn't available to the general public. In order to become a member of Andrews FCU, you have to a work at Andrews/McGuire AFB or a member of one of these organizations: http://www.andrewsfcu.org/media/doc/SEGlistPrePDFWebsite_1211.pdf

You can get a chip card from JPMorgan, the other part of JPMorganChase. The card doesn't come with a PIN, but just call the "800" number they provide and you can generate your own PIN. It does carry an annual fee, but there are no foreign transaction fees. So it should be good for use just about anywhere you travel. I'll post more about the card after we return from our 3 week trip through Europe in May. As for the ATM, we had no problems in most of Europe with our ATM card that had both Cirrus and Plus access. We did have problems with regular cards at some gas stations and all toll booths in France. Do have some Euros as backup for such situations.

" This card isn't available to the general public. In order to become a member of Andrews FCU, you have to a work at Andrews/McGuire AFB or a member of one of these organizations:" Apparently anyone can become a member of Andrews FCU by joining the American Consumer Council, which is free. http://www.andrewsfcu.org/page.php?page=330

Exactly. You can join the American Consumer Council during the application process for membership in the credit union. It's a seamless process that's free and easy. And this is a TRUE chip-and-PIN card that will work in off-line machines in Europe. Unfortunately, the Chase/Bank of America/JP Morgan chip cards won't work in off-line transactions. They'll work in the Paris Metro but may not work at a gas pump in Brittany on a Sunday afternoon when there's no attendant.

Just applied what great info thanks so much!!

Here's a blog post with step-by-step instructions and screenshots for getting a chip-and-pin card with Andrews Federal Credit Union. http://victoria-hawkins.com/archives/744