A new chip card for withdrawals at an ATM

I had not heard about the bank card, but many countries have moved on to the chip for credit cards. As recently as last year my good old magnetic stripe debit card was no trouble anywhere in Europe.

Chris,

I'm not sure the information provided by your Banker is entirely correct. I just returned from Europe a few days ago, and used a magnetic-strip MasterCard extensively for ATM withdrawals in France, Italy and Switzerland. The card worked without any problems. If you use a card which is affiliated with your financial institution (Cirrus, Plus, Maestro, etc.), the card should work.

One point to note is that you probably won't be able to use your normal card for "point of sale" (debit) transactions as you do at home - only ATM withdrawals.

I haven't been in the U.K. since late 2007, so can't comment on the current state of ATM machines there. I'd be very surprised if the ATM's there will ONLY accept chip cards, as there are still many tourists that haven't got a chip card yet.

I also have a new Visa card and this is equipped with both a "chip" as well as a magnetic strip. I didn't use that for ATM withdrawals though, as they would have been treated as a "cash advance" with horrendous interest rates! I did use it to pay a few Hotel bills and purchase rail tickets from a machine - no problems at all.

It would probably be a good idea to have at least one "chip card" if you have time before your trip, as these are becoming the most prevalent card in Europe. The days of the magnetic stip card are definitely limited!

One other point to note to note is that if you'll need rail tickets from SNCF machines in France, these will ONLY accept "chip cards". As of a few days ago, the ticket machines in Milan were still accepting magnetic strip cards.

Happy travels!

We have a chip card and a regular card. Over the past year in over 11 European countries (including the UK) I have never had a problem using a magnetic Visa debit card to withdrawal cash from an ATM.

The places I have problems using my magnetic debit card are in stores that only accept PIN/Maestro cards and train ticket machines. However, having a chip on my US debit card would not solve that problem because the Visa cards are on a different network than the Maestro debit cards (at least for the Netherlands).

Chris: You say "Banker" but that could mean anybody who works within the walls of a bank. I have had MUCH misinformation given to me over the years from people who THOUGHT they knew a lot, but actually knew less than me. The list mostly includes people from AAA, Bankers, and TAs.

We just got back from 2 weeks in Scotland. We had no problems getting cash from ATMs with our chip-less ATM (debit) card. Most merchants did not have a problem with our chip-less credit card. These merchants had both the chip-card reader and a swipe reader. There were a few instances where I had to tell the cashier that it was a swipe card. Finally, there were a few merchants that had only the chip-card reader, where we just paid cash. At the very end of our trip, we had a cashier who knew how to hand-enter our CC number into the chip-card reader, in order to make the charge go through. What that process is, I don't know, so I can't pass along that helpful hint. Bottom line, you should have very few problems, but have some extra cash on hand, just in case.

We experienced no problems at all within the last year using magnetic type credit and debit(ATM) cards in Spain and Portugal.

We did learn that 'chip' type cards were needed for self service machines in France but usually a cashier could handle the entry. The only problem being on a Sunday or a holiday when there would be no cashier.

Re: the UK, I suggest that you contact your hotel and ask them.

I, too, would be skeptical about your bank's advice that only chip cards will work, because not every EU country has finished the conversion to chip cards. For example, according to VISA, Germany and Spain will not complete the conversion until the end of 2010.

My situation is a bit unusual, in that I have two European bank accounts. I have a Citibank UK bank card that has a chip, but it also has a magnetic strip. No problems using it. But, I also have a Citibank Spain card that has no chip. It is a VISA Electron debit card -- very common in Europe. Never had any trouble with it, except that some merchants do not accept VISA Electron cards. Like, they wouldn't take it at the Amsterdam airport, for some reason.

Although the Citibank Spain card is a debit card, when using it for purchases in Europe, I have never been asked for my PIN. It works the same as most USA VISA debit cards -- you can pay by putting in your PIN, or you can pay without using the PIN by signing the credit receipt.

I just returned from over a month abroad in Europe and we went EVERYWHERE with zero problems using our "traditional" WAMu Debit cards (with Mastercard/STAR logo). However, we were told at a bakery shop in London that since our cards didn't have the new microchip that they would have to run it through "by hand" (i.e., swipe it the old fashioned way). It wasn't a big deal since they have the machine to do it but I could understand how this might be problematic if, over time, businesses start to get rid of their "swipe machines". But, our non-chip cards worked at all ATMS, all Metro ticket counters, and for all point-of-sale purchases even in places where microchip cards were accepted or preferred. Zero probelms.

Hope this helped and good luck!

There are absolutely no issues with using the Plus system and mag strip only ATM cards in Europe. Just did it again a few weeks ago - two CIBC cards, Plus only.

Pete

Thanks-you for all your replies. It's what I suspected. You can't convert all Visa cards and ATM withdrawal cards instantly overnight. Another case of a little information from my banker can sometimes be a dangerous thing.

I've got three cards, and one has a chip so I'm set.

I leave tomorrow for 10 weeks in Europe. See you in September.

Just back from a trip this month and there were only a couple of unattended machines that absolutely required a chip card with no way around. But, do get a pin for your credit card. Especially in Scandinavia, that seemed to make things much easier. I think there are ticket machines that you cannot use unless you have your pin.

I did notice that there were times where a chip card could have been scanned and mine had to be swiped and signed for the "old fashioned" way, but it wasn't a problem.

I am going to Spain next month, and I just got my new Convenience Card in the mail from CIBC. The new card now includes a chip just like my Visa card. I spoke to the bank and they advised me that the new chip in the Convenience Card is necessary to access cash at a ATM in Spain. Has anyone heard of this before?

The person you spoke to is mistaken. ATM machines in Spain and everywhere else will take all kinds of cards: chip and magnetic strip. With a chip in your card you will be able to use automatic vending machines at places like trains stations, and gas stations. Vending machines in Europe typically won't accept magnetic strip cards.

I understand that the change to the 'Convenience Card', to now include a chip is new. When were you in Spain last?

To add to my earlier reply, every "chip & PIN" card that I've seen also has the magnetic stripe, and therefore should work as usual for ATM withdrawals.

The "chip & PIN" method is typically used only at automated Kiosks (ie: the ticket machines at CDG) and for POS transactions.

I'll be back in Europe again shortly, so will certainly post another note if anything has changed in this regard.

Cheers!