Getting a chip-&-pin credit card for unattended train stations

As of now this is the only chip&pin card available to the general public in the US: http://creditcards.chase.com/credit-cards/jp-morgan-select-card.aspx

The easiest is to make sure you always have some coins as well as small bills to use in the ticket machines. I know it is different from being in the US where you can use a credit card everywhere, but you get used to it quickly.

Jo - the unattended machines don't take bills. That's part of the problem. I've purchased tickets for tourists with my chip & pin card and had them give me cash. The machines usually take coins, but it can be very difficult to save up a huge amount of coins (especially if you're a family and need to buy 4 or 5 tix) yet alone carry that around. H.S. - you might want to check in to the Travelex prepaid card. I don't know much about it, but if you search the Helpline, you'll find lots of posts about it.

I just got a J P Morgan card. Unlike what the original web site indicated, IT IS NOT A CHIP AND PIN, IT IS A CHIP AND SIGNATURE. I called their customer service line and asked specifically about the train station type of circumstance and they said it would work. The reader can read the chip and will do the transaction without a PIN just like self serve gas pumps do without a signature in this country. I am very skeptical about that answer and am keeping my fingers crossed.

Please post back your experience, Irv. I'd be curious to know if it works. I am also curious if the card makes up for not having a transaction fees by charging interest even if you pay off your balance every month.

Irv, Why do you think it's chip & signature??? If you use a chip&pin card in the US, you still need to sign for everything because the magnetic strip is still being used. But in Europe the reader will not read the strip but rather the chip and should just require a pin.

Thank you all for your replies--they are super helpful!

After reading a post about unattended gas stations, I purchased a prepaid Travel Ex chip and pin car and put 200 Euros on it. Not a great exchange rate, but we'll only use it as a last resort if cash or credit cards don't work. You can easily add more funds to the card later on line. Be sure to use an ATM not a credit card to load, otherwisse your'll pay a cash advance fee to your credit card company.

It seems the Travelex prepaid card might be the best option for me. Has anyone used this for French rail tickets? It seems most people on the hotline have used it for driving expenses.

I'm curious about the travelex card: if you don't use all the money on it do you get it back?

"...I'm curious about the travelex card: if you don't use all the money on it do you get it back..." For a fee Travelex will refund money leftover on the card, but you can easily get around that by simply spending the money on the card for everyday purchases, like at the supermarket, when you get back home. It's accepted at any merchant that handles MC/Visa.

Thanks Michael. I can spend it at home even if it's been loaded with Euros?

Yeah, it doesn't matter that the card is in Euros...it will simply be converted. Not much different that a European using a regular debit card in the US tied to a bank account with funds in Euros.

Ah, got it, thanks!

I was travelling through Oberammergau Germany this spring. Their "train station" was an open front shed containing a bench and ticket machines. One of these machines would not accept my AmEx (magnetic strip) credit card. The other machine did with no problems. Also in this town I went to a bank to use an ATM to obtain some Euros. They had several machines in their lobby - only one of which would accept my mag strip MC.

Have you checked with Wells Fargo and Chase? I think I read something about them issuing chip&pin cards, but it was too close to our time of departure to help us. I do think they charge for these, but it sounds like you go regularly. We had a similar issue trying to buy RER tickets where the machine would only take euro coins ( didn't have 18 euros worth of small change!) and the line for the tickets was long.

Thank you Patty. That's a good idea, since I bank with Chase I'll ask them. Yes, we had that issue on RER too the last time we were flying out of Paris. It was quite early in the morning and we were roaming around trying to find a ticket window with an attendant. We were almost late for our flight!