chip and pin ATM cards?

All ATMs in Europe will accept our old-fashioned magnetic strip debit cards. Just let you bank know about your travel plans before you depart so it doesn't get blocked and you shouldn't have any problems.

James, As the previous reply mentioned, you should have no problems using an older magnetic stripe credit card at ATM's. Note that your travel funds must usually be in a chequing account with a four-number PIN. I would highly recommend packing along a "backup" ATM card, in case of any problems with your primary card. The "Chip & PIN" system is used not only on credit cards, but also debit / ATM cards these days. If you're planning to use any automated ticket Kiosks or Fuel Pumps, you may have problems with a non-Chip card. Which countries will you be travelling in? If you'll be in the Netherlands, you'll likely have problems buying rail tickets with a non-Chip credit card. When I bought tickets at Amsterdam Central last year, there were signs on each ticket window stating that they ONLY accept "Chip" cards. If you'll be there, be sure to have some cash on hand. Happy travels!

We'll be (in this order) in Paris, Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, and Amsterdam. We'll travel by train from one to the other and then fly home from Amsterdam. (We will take a day trip by train from Amsterdam to Haarlem and to the Alkmaar cheese market.) Thanks for the tip about the Amsterdam train station ticket kiosks.

James, Just to clarify, I wasn't referring to automated Kiosks in Amsterdam Central, I was referring to the staffed ticket windows. As I recall, there are two different ticket offices there, one for local trains and one for long distance trains. I don't know if both offices only accept "Chip" cards, but I suspect that to be the case. There's often a fairly lengthy queue at the long distance office. It's necessary to "take a number" and wait to be called. While I was waiting, I observed several travellers from the U.S. who had waited awhile for their turn, only to be turned away when they tried to pay with a non-Chip credit card. They had to lose their place in the queue, and return with cash. I've found that the Benelux countries seem to be somewhat further ahead with the conversion to "Chip & PIN" cards than some of the other European countries. If you think this could be an issue for your trip, you may be able to obtain a "chip" card. Some of the U.S. HelpLine members have reported success in obtaining these (I'd have to do some searching to find them - check other Threads on the HelpLine). At least some of the U.S. Banks are starting to "get with the program". Cheers!

I did have the problem at the ticket counter in Amsterdam Centraal where the woman refused to take our non-chip Visa debit cards. Honestly, I think she could have just swiped them if she wanted, but we had to go to the ATM and get cash. Along with all the other Americans in line. The moral of this story: use your ATM card to withdraw your money and pay for most things in cash.

I have a new chip & signature card. Wondering what the difficultieswillbe with that...especially in those instances where there is no human attendant.

Janis: What's a "chip & signature" card? All my chip cards do not require a signature, just a PIN number, which is an essential part of this new system to make the cards more secure.

Janis, Do a search on flyertalk.com on "chip and signature". There have been several reports there on how they work. Southam, the issue is that most of the U.S. issuers haven't fully implemented the technology. The chip and signature cards are a step to chip and pin. The chip and signature cards have the EMV chip embedded so the reader pulls the card info off the chip rather than via a swipe, but don't require a PIN.
My understanding is that when you use the card where there is person, the person will get a message to request a signature from you and then you will sign. Last time I read about this on flyertalk, the reports of using at unmanned kiosks were mixed. Some people reported they worked without entry of a PIN and others reported issues.

Janis, you should be able to also get a PIN for your "chip & signature" card so that it can be used with or without a human.

While you get a PIN for your "chip and signature" card that still doesn't make it work the same way a true "chip and pin" card works. Here is an article on chip and signature. It seems to be a step in the right direction, but not all the way there yet. http://www.americanbanker.com/issues/176_105/emv-pin-cards-1038333-1.html?zkPrintable=1&nopagination=1 Again, there is an extremely long thread on flyertalk where people have reported their experiences with chip and signature. In some cases, people have reported that they worked fine at unmanned booths and in other cases they have not.

Here's what I've found out talking to a Visa person I know. Chip-and-signature work for online transactions even at automated machines. They should work at the Paris Metro or the London Tube machines. They may not work at offline machines, such as a gas pump in rural France or a locker at a train station in Belgium. Of course, in any of these settings, you need to know your PIN number. For a true chip-and-PIN card that will work in ALL situations, Andrews Credit Union's GlobeTrek card is still the way to go (www.andrewsfcu.org).

I'm usually on the side that says, "You don't need an IC (chip and pin) card." It may sometimes make payment more convenient, but not having one will rarely be a deal-breaker for a traveler... different story if you live here, though, hence, I have one. That being said, I had a recent experience that would have proven quite difficult without my IC card, and this WOULD also affect travelers from North America. Copenhagen Airport- if you arrive after the manned ticket booths for the trains and metro close, your only option is to use the automats. These only accept coins or IC cards. To make the matter more difficult, I did not see a single ATM at the airport, only money exchangers. So, if you arrive at Copenhagen late without an IC card, your only option for arranging further transit may be paying the mark-up at the money exchange, then buying stuff at the various shops to accumulate enough change to cover the cost of your ticket.

I used an Andrews FCU chip and pin during our recent trip to France, and it was very handy, particularly at unattended gas stations, which seem to be taking over in France. Also useful at train and Metro kiosks. As to ATM cards, I've never had a problem in France with my 6-digit PIN number even though I occasionally read comments about problems with anything other than 4 digits.

Coincidentally, about a week ago I got a notification from my Chase/British Airways card that offered to send me a new card with a smart chip in 3-5 business days. I got it about 10 days before I leave for my trip to England. However, as others have said, our American cards are sufficient for ATM machines and most other purposes. But I do have the new one, just in case.

I think of you all as my friends just because you are so willing to share helpful advice. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.