Are chip and PIN cc's required now in Italian train ticket kiosks?

I can't provide a definitive answer on whether all Kiosks in Italy will require Chip & PIN cards. I suspect there's still a mixture of old and new technology being used in the Kiosks, but I think it's inevitable that at some point that Kiosks will eventually only accept C&P.

A few comments based on experience and observations.....

• About a year ago, I assisted a young couple from the U.S. buying tickets from a Kiosk at Firenze SMN using a magnetic stripe card. On that occasion it worked fine.
• On my last trip, I noticed that only Kiosks that were close to ticket offices (or in other busy locations) would accept cash. Unattended Kiosks in small stations would ONLY accept credit cards.
• On my most recent trip in September, ALL of my credit card transactions in Kiosks were processed using C&P.

Of course, if you're planning to use high speed trains and can commit to a specific departure, you can also buy your tickets online in advance, and that way you won't have to bother using the Kiosks. I'd suggest using www.captaintrain.com as it's a very easy site to use. If you'll be using Regionale trains, you can use the Kiosks that accept cash (but DON'T forget to validate your tickets prior to boarding the train on the day of travel).

Thank you, Ken. I really appreciate your thoughtful advice here (and your thoughtful advice all over this Forum!) We do plan to purchase all of our city to city tickets well ahead of time (Roma - Firenze; Firenze - Venezia; Verona - Orvieto; Orvieto - Venezia) using CaptainTrain or Trenitalia - wherever I can get the better prices, checking 120 days out. However, we will likely want to do some daytripping, perhaps from Florence, perhaps from Venezia, so I am trying to get my ducks in order well ahead of time. Sounds like contacting my credit card company and asking for one of those new-fangled fancy PIN numbers to go with my new-fangled fancy Chip card would be the thing to do! (I also understand that I'll need the PIN to go with the Chip when trying to buy fuel for the rental car along the way...)

This past fall, I used cash to buy tickets at kiosks in Rome Termini (a busy location, as Ken said, and the other big cities are probably the same). In Monterosso, I used a magnetic strip credit card at a kiosk that did not take cash. I also think there's a good chance that you can buy tickets from a staffed ticket window in Orvieto without much of a line.

jm,

"Sounds like contacting my credit card company and asking for one of those new-fangled fancy PIN numbers to go with my new-fangled fancy Chip card would be the thing to do!"

That's certainly a possibility, but you'll have to first determine if your credit card company offers "true" Chip & PIN (EMV) cards or only Chip & Signature.

As Ken said, all credit cards can have PINs (even those with no chips, just magnetic stripes). However, many of them are only for cash advances, and do not work with the PIN, so they will not work when true chip and PIN is required. It never hurts to have a PIN, but you can't count on it working, or working all the time (there are reports of failure even with true chip and PIN cards in some machines in Europe, for various reasons).

To get a true chip and PIN card you'll most likely need to sign up with a new credit union (or bank) because your current bank will say they're giving you chip and PIN and you'll really be getting chip and sign. For instance, Andrews FCU is one of the go-tos for chip and PIN. Do some Google for a list of current providers.

I have not yet had a problem using a chip/signature card with a PIN at a ticket kiosk, but I prefer to use cash - not all machines accept cash, that info will be posted on the kiosk.

Thanks Phred. Here's a list of the few Chip and PINs w/o a FX fee http://milecards.com/6084/3-full-chip-pin-credit-cards-with-no-fees/
Another approach is to get a checking account (conto corrente) at an Italian bank with a Bancomat card (Italian debit card). It will be expensive due to service fees and taxes, but if you have other banking needs it could make sense.

I can't speak to your specific question, but when we were in Italy in December, every credit card transaction was chip and pin, or at least chip. They seem to be ahead of the US in adopting C&P. I strongly suggest you have at least one chip card.

I was in Italy last summer. Bought tickets from kiosks at several train stations using my Bank of America Travel Visa which is Chip and Signature. Worked fine most everywhere. I did have to use a PIN at most places (I used the cash advance PIN issued to me by the bank for that card and the transactions were NOT treated as cash advances). Others did not request a PIN. I did notice that the card would not work in train ticket kiosks that also took cash. But there were card only kiosks located next to those and they always worked.

If you don't have a PIN for your credit cards you want to use in Europe, chip or not, just request the PIN from your card issuers and remember that if you use the card at an ATM to get cash you will pay the cash advance fees which can be extreme depending on the specific card.

DougMac,

"They seem to be ahead of the US in adopting C&P."

I think everyone is ahead of the U.S. in adopting C&P! Hopefully U.S. banks will "get with the program" sooner rather than later.

It was my experience (last October) that a true Chip & Pin card was required (@ Venice, Padua, Vicenza, Florence and Rome Trenitalia kiosks). Neither of my debit cards would work in the Kiosks. My Chip & Sign card would not work and the ticket agent had to swipe it and print the receipt for a signature (made him grumpy). However, my true Chip & Pin card worked just fine. Just make sure you know your PIN before you leave.

Chip and PIN will not be prevalent in the US anytime in the foreseeable future according to most reports. Chip and Signature takes care of most of the fraud, and retailers can't handle the equipment and procedural changes needed for Chip and PIN..