Ease of Use - Costco Citi Visa Chip and Signature in France, Germany, Switzerland and Italy?

U.S. cards, even if your have a PIN, require a signature (at least they did in Spain, Sicily, UK, and Belgium). I was unable to use mine at unmanned gas pumps in Wales. I had no problem using my cards (one being the Costco card) at restaurants, hotels, or grocery stores; they just required a signature. Surprisingly, and unrelated to your question, Costco in the UK still uses AmEx at its stores so I couldn’t get gas at Costco. Also, many small establishments in Germany including restaurants and stores, do not accept any credit cards, so have some cash handy.

The only time I couldn’t use my chip and signature card was in a grocery store in the UK in a grocery self check out lane. I had to move to a line with a check out clerk so I could sign.

The advice you got was correct. Your card will be widely accepted without a PIN. You indicate you’ll be on the BOE tour, so the issue of trying to buy fuel at an unmanned kiosk is moot. I just returned from Italy and used my Costco Visa with abandon, maybe a little too much...

Wonderful! Thanks for the replies. I plan to exercise my card the same way you did, @Alan. ;)

You should still get the pin number. In an emergency it can be used for a cash advance. It will be expensive but so are other alternatives. We have pins for all of our cards. Just encode it on the card so we don't forget it.

I used my Costco Visa for most of our expenses over 12 days in Scotland recently. However, I used it almost exclusively with contactless Apple Pay, which is accepted almost everywhere!! Seriously. No signature. No waiting for the transaction to process. Hold your phone to the reader for an instant and you’re done. It’s a shame this isn’t more prevalent in the US yet.

U.S. cards, even if your have a PIN, require a signature

MOST do - but some US credit card are true chip and PIN. They are the exception not the rule.

I used a Chase chip and signature card last month in Italy and it worked pretty much everywhere - used in a few machines too. No PIN required. When not used at a machine, I had to sign a receipt, as expected. I'm almost certain the Costco Citi Visa would work the same way.

A few machines in Europe may still require a PIN, though.

You do need a PIN if you are in Germany buying a ticket from the DB ticket machine.

If you don't enter the PIN when told to do so in that little screen, the transaction won't go through. I did this last May buying point to point tickets at DB machines.

Awesome! Thank you, everyone!!!

FYI, some people have reported success using their debit cards in machines that require a chip and PIN credit card. That might work in a pinch if you don't have enough cash or can't find a machine that takes cash.

Your card will work as well as any other card. There are some true chip and pin cards (few and far between in the US). The only advantage to using those over a chip and signature card is at automatic gas stations. Chip and signature has worked for me at toll booths and automated ticket machines.