I've been hearing that American credit cards that do not have a chip in them may or may not work in terminals, etc. I've been asking around to see if there is a way to get a credit card that contains the chip that European companies require but have had no luck. Any recent experiences to report? Thanks in advance.
Posted by
point pleasant beach, nj, usa
646 posts
Just returned from Italy: Rome, Tuscany and Sicily. Had not problem using my credit card anywhere. However, did not try in terminals, etc.
Posted by
Clarksville, TN, USA
959 posts
How do you know if there's a chip in your card? Well, assuming I don't have a chip in my USAA bank account's card, I used it in ATM's, at train stations, major hotels, occasional restaurants and shops, etc (Czech, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia) and never had a problem. And that was this month. Then again, we tried to pay cash as often as possible... So ATM's were really the most important thing, and we never had a problem...
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9110 posts
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33779 posts
Thanks Michael for that photo. The thing to the left in the card in the picture is the contact pad for the chip. Instead of swiping the magnetic strip on the back and asking for your signature, the card goes head first into the reader (often just far enough to contact the contact pad) and the customer punches in a 4 digit pin number. No signature required.
Posted by
Copenhagen, Denmark
265 posts
Cards without chip do not work at most automated kiosks that require a PIN. (Examples are train station ticket machines and automated gas pumps), as these usually require a chip. However, they work with all attended transactions (where you deal with a cashier), at least in theory, but a few places (very few) have been known to decline non-chip cards, and here it's not a technical issue but because the merchant is unwilling to comply with merchant agreements. They also work in ATM's.
Posted by
OP
Ventura, CA, USA
96 posts
Thank you everyone for your input. Although I'd prefer to have a card with a chip, I'll just make sure to either deal with a cashier or have enough currency to handle the train tickets.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32349 posts
Lois, I've just returned from Europe so have some "recent experiences" to report. If you're planning to buy tickets in Amsterdam using a credit card (even at attended ticket offices), it must be a Chip & PIN card. When I was at Amsterdam Central a few weeks ago, ALL of the ticket windows had a large sign stating that they ONLY accept Chip cards! I have a Chip card but without that you should be prepared to pay cash. I didn't have any problems with credit cards in any other cities in Europe. I used an older magnetic strip card to buy tickets in Lucca (and other locations) with no problems. Happy travels!