Credit Card PIN

All I can tell you was that when I was traveling through Belgium and Holland last June, several merchants needed me to enter the pin for my credit cards in order to complete the transaction. This is the first time I ever had to do this in over 15+ trips to Europe. So my guess is that this is a new trend spreading across the continent. I was amazed that I was able to remember the pin as it was assigned to me over five years ago, and I had no reason to use it before:)

Well, I guess I had better go dig them out since we are leaving Sunday.

I have just telephoned our card holder. They stated that the only time I would ever need a PIN number for the credit card would be to get cash off of it. Never to make a purchase. I guess if I'm asked for a PIN number for my credit card I will make another payment option or not make a purchase.

I've been asked to enter my credit card's PIN to make purchases in Sweden, but a couple of months ago we spent 3 weeks in Italy and I was never asked for a PIN.

A couple of times merchants asked if my card required a PIN and I said no and they let me make my purchase without it.

But goodness, why not learn your PIN just in case you need it? It's only 4 digits. You can forget them when you get back home.

I've had cases where my Debit/ATM card failed overseas for some reason and I HAD to get a credit card cash advance. It costs a little more, but it's not the end of the world. If you really need the cash, it sure beats nothing!

Lorri, I wouldn't worry about it. When the merchant needs the pin number you don't say it out loud or write it on a piece of paper, they have a special keypad next to the cash register where you enter it in private. The person you talked with on the phone is mistaken when she said one never has to enter a pin. Europeans have being doing this for years with their smart chip cards.

Steve, thank you for this information.

You're welcome Lorri.

Last October in Italy we never had to input a pin number for credit card purchases. As one other poster here commented, I, too, was under the impression that it was only necessary for European credit cards due to the "smart chip" and that all a merchant needed to do with ours was to swipe it.

Not all merchants have the hardware to read our magnetic strip cards and will only accept smart chip cards. As a general rule merchants that deal with lots of tourist will have the hardware, merchants that deal mostly with locals may or may not.

It is my understanding from my credit card companies and banks--never give your pin to anyone. Too much information for someone to use your account. In all our trips to Europe we have never been asked for our pin. Barbara

There's a few issues getting mixed up here:

There is no need, ever, to tell someone your PIN. If someone asks it's almost certainly a scam.

Some credit cards issued in Europe, Australasia and Canada have a smart chip in them. These cards do use a PIN to authorise sales, but again you don't tell someone the PIN. Instead of swiping the card at the till and then signing the receipt, the card is inserted into a secure reader and you type the PIN to authorise the transaction. You'll know if you have a chip card because the chip has visible contacts, a gold or silver square that looks a bit like a circuit board - also your bank will have sent you a ream of paper explaining the thing.

BTW this is not the same as the system you use in the state where you can run the card as debit with a PIN using the ATM network.

Peter, there are now merchants in Holland and Belgium, that have the hardware to swipe our magnetic strip cards yet still require a pin number to finalize the transaction, instead of singing a receipt. This happened to me several times while traveling though back in June, and others have reported the same thing. I'm assuming this a new procedure that has begun over there.

Thanks for the correction Michael, I'll edit my post.

It does strike me as odd though, I wonder what they do with the PIN once you've entered it? They must communicate it back to the issuing bank, unlike Chip and PIN cards - I may have a google sometime this weekend to see if I can find out some more details.

Just a theory on my part, but I believe they are starting to do this as kind of a "compromise" because US cards don't have smart chips. "We'll still take your old-fashioned cards but now we want your pin number instead of a useless signature"...or something like that:)

Could the requirement of the PIN make it a cash advance? We got caught last year coming out of Costa Rica when we put the exit fee on a Capital One credit card. I entered the pin when ask. Later found it as a cash advance on my Capital One credit card statement with a bunch of addition fees and interest. I protested to Capital One but they treated as a proper cash advance.

In my case it was a regular purchase transaction.