Chip and Pin credit cards

Most ticket machines require chip & pin. ATMs and most merchants who deal with tourists will still accept our old-fashioned magnetic strip cards. Was in France and Holland last month, used by magnetic strip card over thirty times for purchases and was not refused by anyone.

There are quite a few threads on this topic if you use the search feature.

The quick summary is that the only places where one is likely to run into trouble without a true chip and pin card are automated machines such as a ticket machine in a train station or a gas pump.

Standard swipe is still accepted most places.
Generally, anything that is an unattended machine, like a gas pump, toll booth, train ticket vending machine, require Pin & Chip.
ATM machines take magnetic strip cards.

We now have all chip cards, debit and credit. They are only chip and signature which is all we are going to have from US banks. The only problem we have had so far in buying underground tickets from a machine in London. Had to buy them from the ticket booth.

The old fashioned magnetic strip cards generally still work at attended locations (hotels, restaurants, etc.), but there are a few exceptions. For example, if buying rail tickets from attended counters at Amsterdam Central, you MUST have Chip & PIN cards or use cash. Many automated sale points require Chip & PIN, which includes the ticket Kiosks at CDG, automated fuel pumps, etc.

Will Chip and Signature cards work the same?

No. Because there is no human to accept your signature. Therefore no human, must have PIN, is the general rule.
Sometimes, for small transactions, there is no PIN required. The individual vending machine has this limit preset by the owner. So you may be able to buy a 5 euro train ticket without a PIN. But a 30 euro train ticket will probably require a PIN.

Will Chip and Signature cards work the same?

"Maybe" is the correct answer.

Some US chip & signature cards will have a PIN as a secondary validation, in which case it will work in automated machines. Many will not or you will need to request the PIN. And some will issue PINs only for cash withdrawls. And many will work for small transactions without either signature or PIN.

Best advice is to always have your PIN, even if it is just for cash withdrawls (a good emergency cash backup). You can always try a machine but can never count on it working.

It is my understanding there are no pin numbers attached to the new Visa, Mastercards with the chips that work the way a European chip and pin card works. Yes when you go to an ATM with a debit/credit card you can withdraw money like you do here with your pin number. But I am sure if you try and use you "visa" card for purchases it will not take a pin number for a charge.

Judy, you are correct. i called Visa and asked them about this. She told me that if you absolutely have to put in a PIN number, that you can put in zeros. Now...I don't know about that, but she said it.