My credit union is issuing chip-and-pin debit cards!

Anna -
I have accounts at BECU and 2 US-based commercial banks. I've had chips in the cards from the banks for more than 2 years and used them abroad. I had no trouble getting those cards before trips. If you do a quick search in this Forum you will see much discussion about financial institutions that have been offering chip cards for some time now. BECU is certainly not first in line in this process.

Our two credit cards are chip and signature but we never had a problem using them in France. If a PIN was requested, we entered a 4 digit number and they always worked. We did not try paying tolls with them, but we did buy gas, metro tickets from kiosk, etc. YMMV

Thanks for the feedback! I've had chips in all my credit cards for a couple of years now, too, but this is the first instance of getting a debit card with a chip and not needing to request a PIN. Unfortunately, in my experience, the couple of times I tried to use my chipped credit cards abroad with a PIN I'd requested previously, it didn't work for whatever reason. I'll have to try again this year, especially now that foreign transaction fees have been nixed.

Are they also issuing Chip 'n Pin credit cards? I think the consensus here is that you should not use debit cards overseas. Use cash from ATMs for most expenses and credit cards for purchases. Are Chip 'n Pin debit cards required in ATMs over there.

Why not use a debit card for purchases?

I must strongly disagree with Lee's statement about debit cards. I always use (and have done so for at least 15 years) my bank/credit union issued debit cards to withdraw cash from ATMs throughout Europe! It is by far the most efficient way to obtain cash. I also occasionally use my debit card to pay hotel bills or to make small purchases while in Europe. The only credit card I take with me is my American Express card (In truth, it is the only credit card I have!) so once in a while a hotel or shop will not accept it. Those time I dig into my money belt and get out my debit card. I have never experienced a problem with this practice.

The problem with using a debit card with any merchant transaction (hotel, shops, gas, etc.) is that they are typically tied to your CHECKING or SAVINGS account (real money, not a line of credit) and if there is a mistake, fraud, theft, etc., you are stuck without your real money until (if) it is resolved. If you can afford that or are willing to take the risk, go for it. I have done it myself a million times. However, as debit/credit card number loss/disclosure has become almost a daily occurrence, I now use credit cards for nearly everything. I work in an industry where I deal with privacy matters (disclosures of personal information) and my advice is keep your debit card in your pocket unless you're withdrawing money from an ATM.

The roll-out deadline for EMV (chip) debit cards is this October. So many banks are starting to issue new cards that have chips. But like credit cards, the process will take quite a bit longer than this October.

The old recommendation against using debit cards for purchases while traveling abroad was based primarily on the danger of having your card compromised and the account drained while away. Yes you have fraud protection for your account, but it would be a huge inconvenience for most people to deal with an empty checking account while on vacation, especially those with automatic debits.

However, with EMV debit cards, the risk of your card being copied and used fraudulently (when used with a chip reader and PIN) is almost nil. So I would think that old warning would not apply for those with an EMV debit card using them as chip & PIN in Europe.

Bank of America, Chase, Citibank, NFCU, UNFCU, MCU, Actors FCU, SECU, Pentagon FCU, Wells Fargo, PNC, Fifth Third, Astoria, etc.

I'm not sure that any of them have issued chip and PIN Debit cards, which is what the OP asked about. I have accounts at 2 of these institutions, and I know they don't issue C&P Debit cards.

My local bank issued chip and pin Debit cards about two years ago. I think they got tired of reissuing cards every time there was another major breach.
Agree with Lee. I only use my debit card for cash withdrawals from ATMs. Use a C&P Credit card for purchases.

To answer an earlier question in this post: BECU does indeed offer chip and pin credit cards (VISA), as well as the chip now being added to the ATM/debit card. There are no foreign transaction fees with the chip and pin BECU VISA. If you decide to get one, be aware that they offer multiple VISA options. I believe the ones with rewards have foreign transactions fees, so be sure to tell them you want the chip and pin card with no transactions fees. Also, this works the same as Andrews and other USA chip and pin cards - they will default to chip and signature when possible. When that is not possible they will work as a chip and pin card.

I just opened a CapitalOne 360 checking account so we'd have a fee-free ATM card for an upcoming European trip. The debit card they sent has a chip.

(Interestingly, if off-topic, it also has no personalization on the face of the card - everything is printed on the back with no embossing)

Re the Capital 360 debit card: I just got one too, for the same reason. It does have a chip, but it is chip & signature (for purchases, still use a pin at the atm), not chip & pin.

The debit card from my small credit union issued chip cards some time ago. I would never use it for purchases abroad, but it's my go-to card for getting cash from ATMs. I've used in England, Scotland, Spain, and Costa Rica with no problem. And there is no foreign transaction fee.

Douglas,

"However, with EMV debit cards, the risk of your card being copied and used fraudulently (when used with a chip reader and PIN) is almost nil. "

I had one of my EMV (C&P) debit cards "compromised" last week, so the cards aren't completely safe. The card was with a credit union, and they can't (or won't) tell me where it was likely compromised. Several of the places I visit on a regular basis have POS terminals that are "unattached", so maybe one of the terminals was replaced by a scam version? I've looked at all the transactions prior to the card being cancelled and so far they were all legitimate so they didn't get any of my money. It would seem the credit union fraud department was "on the ball" as they caught the scam before any damage could be done. I now have a brand new card, and hopefully no problems with this one.

Coincidentally, I spoke with another person today who also had their credit union EMV card compromised last week (it was with a different credit union than mine). Very strange......

The side issue of using a debit card for purchases in a foreign country is the cost. Many debit cards charge a fee for each foreign currency transaction. Not all: Apparently Capitol One may be an exception. Don't assume that the fee-free card back home will be the same when abroad, either. For me, cash is the cheapest way to go. I pay one fee when I extract a large amount of currency from a bank-operated ATM and then just hand over money for day-to-day purchases. Fast, too. (By the way, Capitol One's Canadian cards are not such a bargain as the US versions.)

I'll be happy when my bank sends me a chip and pin debit card. Most places seem to be sending chip and signature credit cards but my debit still has only the magnetic stripe on the back.

My bank charges me a flat one percent (no added fee) for foreign transactions. If I had a chip, I'd use it all the time at merchants because it would cost the same as withdrawing cash from an ATM.

Ken - Not knowing any details, and it sounds like your bank cannot tell you any either, it is hard to say what happened. It is a reminder that EMV cards are not 100% safe from fraud and compromise. Online transactions, which don't utilize the chip, are still very susceptible to hacking. And your card data can be hacked and thieves can try and make a non-chip version of the card to use. Those are easier for your bank to detect but would still result in your card being cancelled and a new one sent. It sounds though, like the EMV system worked in that whomever did compromise your card was not able to actually use it without a chip. That is the point in my message, that an EMV debit card lowers the risk of someone draining your bank account to (almost) nil.

Douglas,

Thanks for your reply. The card that was affected was strictly a debit / ATM card, and could not be used for online purchases. It was an older card and didn't have the "tap" feature. That's what makes the incident so puzzling. It must have been compromised at a POS terminal where the PIN was entered, which I thought was difficult to do? Fortunately the credit union was able to provide me a new card on the spot (the new card has "tap").

I learned on the weekend that one of my relatives in this area who has an account with a different local credit union, also had his card compromised. Two credit union accounts in the same week seems to be quite a coincidence. Hopefully the data experts can find the criminal scumbags behind this, and the RCMP can bring them to justice!

It must have been compromised at a POS terminal where the PIN was entered, which I thought was difficult to do?

Ken - It's not too hard to steal PINs either with a skimmer added to a machine or from a hacker. But the key with EMV cards is that it is nearly impossible to use that PIN with a faked card. The chip provides a unique transaction code each time you use it, so the PIN alone isn't enough. They could potentially try and use just the PIN and card info for an online purchase or use a faked card in a machine without a chip reader (still very common in the US). Since your bank card doesn't allow for that, it would be easy to detect a fraudulent attempt.

Douglas,

I'll have to ponder that for awhile. I'm not sure how a skimmer would be used when the card is communicating with the POS terminal only via the electrical connection with the chip. The only possibility I could think of was a modified terminal that would allow a "man-in-the-middle" scenario, where the transaction is intercepted between the POS Terminal (after the authentication is done) and the data network. That's probably more likely with older POS machines, as I've been told that the newer ones "lock out" if they're unplugged and disconnected from the data network, and there's indication to the staff that the machine has been tampered with. The system has to be reset by a technician if a POS terminal is unplugged.

Ken - I think a skimmer that attaches to the terminal - you insert your card into that slot - would still be able to "read" the PIN that you manually enter. They are still very "popular" in Europe.

Wow, this topic really blew up!

To clear things up -- I was excited about chip-and-pin debit cards being issued (actually got mine yesterday!), because in the past, I had tried to use my chipped credit card in Europe with a PIN and it didn't work. I agree with those who say that using a credit card for transactions is a better idea, and as someone mentioned, neither Alaska nor BECU have foreign transaction fees now, which is nice! I just need to contact Bank of America and BECU to get PINs for credit cards I have with them and hopefully get some reassurance that they will work abroad this time :)

In case they don't work, however, it is nice to have a chip-and-pin card I know will work if one is needed. Thanks again for all of you for participating in the discussion!

late reply to this topic - but USAA is sending me a 'real' chip-and-PIN debit card this week. Would have been nice to have it this summer, as using it to get cash from ATMs was a bit hit and miss. Some ATMs required a chip or they wouldn't even recognize my card, others didn't care. Anyway, add USAA to the true chip-and-PIN list as of this week.

Nelly,

Do you deal with USAA instead of Canadian banks (your profile indicates "Calgary")? All financial institutions here started issuing Chip & PIN cards at least five years ago, so you should have had one by now.

Good to hear more U.S. financial institutions are converting to chip-and-pin. Honestly, I kind of saw it as an inevitable move even several years ago when they were balking at the cost of converting to chip-and-pin. It was a "penny wise, pound foolish" stance, IMO, so I'm glad they've finally realized it and American travelers have one less headache to worry about when traveling.

Relatedly, I was excited to find that Bank of America let me set up a PIN and set a travel alert for my Alaska card online instead of having to go in person or call them. For all my gripes about BoA, they're doing some things right.

I was recently in London and I was one of the few Americans with a chip-and-pin credit card (most US credit cards are chip-and-signature). What is odd is that even though my card is chip-and-pin, when vendors used it, a receipt still came up. I never was prompted to put my pin in anywhere. It was odd to say the least.

I guess my only guess could be that the point of sale units recognized that the credit card was issued in the US and just automatically defaults to signature regardless.

Chase now issues chip debit cards. I wish our CC cards with chip would go to the pin world.

Chase now issues chip debit cards.

When used overseas for purchases, Chase chip debit cards go into "chip & signature" mode, so you need to sign for all purchases...just like with with a credit card.

thanks Michael. good to know

To the last few posters: US banks do not issue chip and PIN credit cards - they issue chip and signature. Some do issue a PIN as a secondary verification that can be used in automated machines. That is why if you use your card in Europe, most times it will require you to sign the form and not enter a PIN.

The thread topic, which is debit cards, are now being issued with chips in the US. October 2016 is the next self-imposed industry deadline for banks to issue debit cards with chips (which like the 2015 credit card deadline, will not be met). They should work as debit cards always have, by entering your PIN rather than a signature.

They should work as debit cards always have, by entering your PIN
rather than a signature.

Not so, when used overseas for purchases debit card (be it magnetic strip or chip)transactions go through as credit transactions and have to be signed for, just like a chip and signature card. The only time a pin will work is at the ATM machine.

I was just notified today by USAA that they're sending me a new debit card with a chip.

It's nice to get this in time for my September trip.

True. Regarding using a chip and signature credit card or the magnetic stripe credit card, I use both in Europe. The common features are that I always have to sign and never have to give a PIN.