Two days before my trip to Ireland and I just learned I need pins for my credit cards. All I planned to use are geared toward travel an have no foreign transaction fees. My cards are chip (no visible mag strip) but I have never needed a pin number here so I have never set one up. The card company says they will send me a pin in 7-10 days. What to do?
Posted by
Chattanooga, TN USA
589 posts
We spent 4 weeks in Ireland in 2019, and I don’t ever remember needing a pin. Many places used tap (pubs, grocery stores, gas pumps) and restaurants had portable card machines that read the chip.
Posted by
1585 posts
You are unlikely to need a PIN number during your trip. The only times you might need one is when you are buying something at a kiosk or similar place where there is no attendant. Even then, the only time when you might need to enter a PIN is if the purchase is for more than a nominal amount.
Posted by
Colorado Springs
2980 posts
Concur with the other posters. In numerous trips to Ireland we've never needed a pin for our credit cards.
Posted by
OP
Athens, GA USA
11 posts
Great! Thanks for the replies. I was in near panic mode. I thought I had everything covered and was ready to go when I read about possibly needing pin numbers. My backup would be getting and using lots of cash........rather not do that with the virus and all....
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7146 posts
Only once in Europe have I needed a PIN. Usually it’s chip and signature for U.S. branded cards.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
8055 posts
Likely, for the cards you have, you can get a PIN, but it would only be for cash advances at an ATM. If you card were some version of Chip and Pin, you would have been issued, or asked to set up, a PIN. There are mixed reports of whether you are asked for a PIN, that the cash advance PIN will work, seems very hit or miss.
Your card will work fine as a Chip and Signature, a slip will print out for you to sign, just like in the US.
In Italy at least, Tap to Pay (need a card with the little wi-fi like symbol on it) has really taken off with Covid, as a form of contactless pay. The advantage is that for lower dollar transactions ($25-50) only a tap is needed, no signature, no PIN.
Posted by
Seattle
138 posts
As a backup, you might want to enable Apple Pay or Google Pay on your smartphone. Many countries in Europe put chips in their credit cards and have contactless readers for purchases--even gas stations. These readers usually work for Apple Pay and Google Pay as well, and don't require a PIN.
Posted by
2 posts
We just returned from Ireland, Scotland and England for almost a month. Never needed a PIN for our credit cards.
Posted by
Hudson Valley
2267 posts
OP is gone (and maybe home) by now, but by far the easiest transactions are contactless—with phones or newer cards. My credit cards have all been upgraded to it at this point, and I use it for most card transactions here in the States, too.