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Andrews FCU chip & pin card

Has anyone had trouble using an Andrews FCU chip & pin credit card? Just back from France. The card worked fine in traditional swipe and sign machines, BUT did not work in automated machines. I tried it 4 times in different automated gas pumps, 3 times in AutoRoute toll booths and once in an automated parking lot. Each time the message indicated that the machine could not read the card. I contacted Andrews but they have not responded.

Posted by
9110 posts

Dumb bank. You don't swipe a C&P, you stick it in, leave it in, then enter the pin. My C&P, not from Andrews, works in France and everywhere else. Sort of related, one of my ATM cards wont' work, ever, in a BoS machine, but it works everywhere else. The other one works fine. If I could remember which was which life would be easier.

Posted by
9099 posts

Just food for thought, lots of places in Europe only accept chip & pin debit cards. Some merchants don't want credit cards be it magnetic strip or chip.

Posted by
119 posts

Last fall when were in France we had the same experience. We also contacted Andrews and they did not know why the our Chip and Pin would not work. They suggested we didn't swipe fast enough or some other similar problem. We have
since learned, perhaps from this board, that the Chip and Pin card used in France must be from a French bank.

Posted by
10123 posts

Our Andrews card worked everywhere: gas pumps, museum tickets, metro tickets, grocery stores, parking structures. We have a Liberte pass for the utoroutes, so didn't use it there. Never had a problem anywhere.

Posted by
922 posts

This is going to sound really stupid, and please don't take offense, but it's like calling an IT Help Desk and saying 'my printer won't work' and the first thing the support person asks is 'is it plugged in?' So, any chance you didn't insert the card correctly? Did you try it in a different ticket kiosk in the same station, etc.? Maybe those local readers were damaged, especially since the card worked sometimes but not other times.

Posted by
4137 posts

Bill , I think your problem stems from poor technique in using the card . If you go to AFCU website and look at the FAQ section for the card it reads : How it Works FAQ How do I use the chip part of the card? " If you are making a purchase at a retailer, simply follow the on-screen instructions or allow the cashier to walk you through the process. If you are using an unattended machine, insert your card and allow it to be returned to you once it is read. This can take a few moments. This portion of the transaction is key because if you try to take the card back too soon, it can invalidate your transaction ." The giveaway is also that Ed and Bets are experiencing no difficulty in using the cards . I hope this helps clarify the issue .

Posted by
10123 posts

It's not like a US sales point where you swipe the card's magnetic strip, even a gas station where you put the card in quickly and remove it quickly. With a chip, you it into the machine and leave it until the screen says to remove the card from the machine. Sometimes it asks you to enter the pin. Could that have been the problem?

Posted by
875 posts

I used mine at gas stations in Germany, Austria, and Slovenia and at toll booths also without any problems. Thought it strange that I never had to enter my PIN number.

Posted by
4137 posts

@ Janis , You see that right here in the States . When I buy gas down the street from my home ( swipe card ) I don't have to sign or enter a PIN . Another example is a food store that I use regularly . Under a certain amount ( $ 75 USD ) no signature is required , Over that , you must sign . The thresholds are set by the CC companies ,merchants and banks , or some combination thereof , and vary from place to place . Undoubtably it is the same with Chip and Pin cards , only the technology ( sign and swipe or Chip and Pin ) that differs. I also had no difficulty using the Chip and Pin function on my Andrews card .

Posted by
1005 posts

Mine worked everywhere I needed it in France--except at one gas station that wouldn't take ANY foreign credit cards, period.

Posted by
12040 posts

"We have
since learned, perhaps from this board, that the Chip and Pin card used in France must be from a French bank." Incorrect. If it accepts Visa IC cards ("Chip and Pin", strictly speaking, is a proprietory brand used in the UK and Ireland), it will accept them from anywhere. I have routinely used my IC-equipped cards from a Belgian bank in France without problems. Now, note that there are some card readers that will only accept things like Eurocard or Maestrocard, but the machines on the French Autoroutes all accept Visa.

Posted by
2916 posts

This Spring, over a 5 1/2 week period in France, my Andrews chip and PIN card worked at every machine except at autoroute tolls. I used it at gas station machines all over France, the Metro in Paris and Lyon,trams in Bordeaux, and several train station machines.

Posted by
202 posts

I had the worst experience trying to get one with them. If anyone is interested I would suggest applying 4 months out. Their customer service is horrible. They misplaced my application for 2 weeks then took another 2 weeks to email me the forms to sign and mail back. It then takes 3 weeks to make and mail you the card. I finally had to just say forget it as I'm leaving before it will arrive. Ugh!

Posted by
95 posts

I understand the need for Chip and Pin, but transaction fees are also an issue. We used EU ATMs with an affiliation with our bank (BoA) - no transaction fee (free). This was with the old swipe and sign card. A pin and chip card imposing fees is no use to me. What are the transaction fees with these cards?

Posted by
922 posts

The Andrews FCU Chip-and-Pin card has: - No balance transfer fees - No annual fees - No cash advance fees
- No International/Foreign Transaction fee http://www.andrewsfcu.org/credit_cards_and_loans/credit_cards/globetrek_rewards.html The suggestion to start the application process early is good advice. They are a relatively small credit union serving the Andrews Air Force base. I think they are a bit overwhelmed trying to process all the requests they're receiving.

Posted by
10123 posts

Rose is correct. They've been overwhelmed for over a year. It's also the CU card for State Dept. employees going overseas.

Posted by
2744 posts

I understand USAA has a chip ams pim card now. If you qualify they are great. My Diner's Club is chip and pin and has never been refused anyplace.

Posted by
1 posts

While there is no harm in getting the application done early if you know you have a trip later, people shouldn't think they are out of luck if they haven't planned months ahead of time. For me earlier this summer, it took less than 2 weeks from start to finish. You just have to be proactive to be sure your application is moving forward. Joining Andrews and setting up a basic savings account happens almost instantly online. This allows you to apply for the card, which is a little more involved but can be done quickly. I was completely approved in 3-4 days and spent most of the time waiting for the card in the mail.

Posted by
1194 posts

It took me less than a day to get approved for my Andrews chip and pin card. The secret? I did it all on line. (Thanks for the link Rose) First, I arranged for income verification with my employer. Mine provides it electronically, which I'm sure speeds up the process. Second, I applied to Andrews. I think the key issue is that if you apply online, the information goes directly into the bank computers. Andrews can act quickly on the info. If you apply by hand or by phone then the info needs to be hand entered by someone and that can end up in a stack of paperwork. But since people are already online in this forum they should be able to handle the electronic application process.

Posted by
2916 posts

One additional word of advice. I'm self-employed, and Andrews wanted 2 years of tax returns for income verification. But it took them a couple of weeks after my initial application to let me know that. When I tried to fax it to them, I could never get through, so I mailed it, but it apparently didn't get to the right person. Eventually they gave me an email address so I could scan and email the forms, and that worked. So the lesson is: keep on top of the application process.