Smart Card (smart chip) Visa?

The term is not "smart card," the term for what you want is "chip and PIN." Search the boards under "chip and PIN" - there are many recent threads on this.

"The term is not "smart card," the term for what you want is "chip and PIN."" Technically, "chip and PIN" is a proprietary term for a brand name in the UK and Ireland. The more proper term on the continent is "IC (integrated circuit) card".

Sharon, Other users here have been able to obtain "Chip & PIN" credit cards from Andrews Credit Union. Have a look at This Thread for one discussion on the subject: www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm/rurl/topic/83404/chip-and-pin-atm-cards The cards are available from a few Banks also, but usually with a hefty annual fee. Good luck!

Thanks everyone,
No wonder I couldn't find any recent info - I didn't know the right lingo! I spoke w/ AMEX BLUE earlier today and their "chip" card (which I have) doesn't work in Europe (WTF!!) Thanks for the advice about the Andrews FCU card. I will see if I can get one before we leave (it's gonna be tight, tho!). I think that we'll try to get one, even if it can't get to us in time for this trip. I'm sure we can use it next time.

I posted elsewhere about this. I just got back from a month in France and had gotten an Andrews FCU card before leaving. Definitely worth it for the situations you mention. It took about a month from the time I joined Andrews to the time I got the card, but it can be speeded up if you keep on top of it with follow-ups.

andrews is the best deal.. You first need to join the american consumer council (no charge) then fill out the info for Andrews.online.then they want you to fill out a signature page and send in ID but you can apply for the globe trek card as soon as you join and all they ask for is to fax a pay stub.. I just did all of that and I am leaving in less than two weeks and asked if it could be speeded up and so they are trying to do that for me and said it should go out to me MOnday or Tuesday so once you send them all the documents you should get the card fairly quickly I will let you all know-- I have 13 days till we leave!!

On a recent trip to the UK - early April - I encountered two places that would not accept a 'swipe' card. One was a gas station (pay inside not at the pump), the other was a restaurant. Neither of their wireless card readers, which looked rather new, had a 'swipe' slot. I had enough cash to cover both purchases so it wasn't a problem. It makes me wonder, though if this is the way of the future. Before my next trip I am getting the Andrews card just to be safe.

If you make sure to keep on top of the application process with Andrews, I'm sure you can speed things up. It took me a month, but I had the time, and if I hadn't I would have been more diligent. For example, I had to fax 2 years tax returns because I'm self-employed, but there were problems with their fax line. So I just mailed them and waited, and that cost me a week because they didn't get to the right person. Then I emailed them as a PDF and approval came immediately.

As I mentioned before, I got an Andrews card before my recent trip to France, and I'm glad I did. I mainly used it for unattended gas station and rail kiosks, but one time at a winery the woman said her card machine didn't have a swipe slot. I didn't examine it to see if maybe she didn't realize it did (the slot can be pretty well-hidden), but just used my Andrews card. So maybe there is a trend that way.

@Robert, "So maybe there is a trend that way." I suspect that a "magnetic stripe slot" has been left on POS Terminals during the transition to "Chip & PIN" cards, but these will probably be gradually phased out. Hotels and retail stores will probably retain swipe-capability for awhile but as many have reported here, many automated ticket machines and fuel pumps are now "Chip & PIN" only. Also, when I was in Amsterdam last year, the staffed ticket windows at Amsterdam Central would ONLY accept "Chip & PIN" cards for ticket purchases. The inexorable march to the new technology continues......

on AFCU credit card..... exactly 2 weeks after I started the process I have now received the card and the pin. After submitting my online application, I had to call several times to check on the status to be certain that I was keeping things moving forward.
I'll post again later this summer after returning from Europe and seeing how it works!