Credit card PIN

It should. In general, just shrug and say "no PIN" if you're in a store or restaurant and they ask you for a PIN. They're used to it, especially in places with lots of U.S. visitors.

Im concerned about being able to purchase train tickets at some small unattended station.

Here is my experience in Scandinavia in June/July 2017.
In unmanned ticket kiosks for trains in a village in Sweden and at the train station in Copenhagen, my chip credit cards would not work. In preparation for this trip I opened a capital one 360 account with a debit card. It has a chip and a PIN. This card worked perfectly at both kiosks. I did not try my regular bank ATM card, but I feel pretty sure that it would also work. It is a US Bank card that can be used as a debit card or a VISA (funds directly removed from account but no PIN needed) as well as ATM.

I would not count on your chip and signature card working at unmanned kiosks or gas stations.

Some people say their chip and signature cards (no PIN) work at the Trenitalia ticket machines in Italy. Last May, my chip and signature card (major bank but not Chase) DID NOT work at those machines, even though I used it all over the place otherwise. (I did not see an option for purchase without a PIN. FYI, not every Trenitalia machine is the same.) I had to use my chip and PIN card instead (no rewards so I use it as a last resort). I have used my chip and signature cards in other machines with no PIN but some machines (like the Trenitalia machines) would not accept them.

So you can try your card at the machines and see if it works. If not...use cash or buy a ticket from an agent (pretty sure they can process chip and signature cards there). If you have an Android phone, you can install Trenitalia's "Trenit" app (Apple users claim this app is not in their US app store). I used that to buy some of my train tickets last May - also handy for checking platform info and real-time train delays.

If you really want a chip and PIN card for Europe (unless you are leaving right away, too late to do this now), one option is the Andrews Federal Credit Union visa card - no foreign transaction fees, no annual fee, and a PIN that works at machines (still a signature if people are involved in the transaction). I used to have one (I don't live in Maryland where they are located, never visited a branch, don't need to.) You may need to sign up for the American Consumer Council (ACC) to be eligible to join - a $5 one-time fee. You can also get a no-fee no-currency-conversion-fee ATM card at Andrews. None of this is worth doing for a one-time trip to Europe, though, but it makes sense if you plan to go overseas regularly.

Yes, every bank in the US will tell you your credit card PIN is only good for cash advances -- they lie!

Get the PIN (it will be mailed to you, they can't do it any other way). Don't tell them what it is for. If they ask, tell them you might need to do a cash advance when you travel.

My personal experience was in Italy buying train tickets from a kiosk. My chip card would not work without a PIN. It is not a PIN primary card. Entering the PIN allowed the purchase to complete. I was never charged as a cash advance for any of those transactions. As far as if the PIN will do you any good, your mileage may vary as they say.

I have not been it Italy (yet). I tried what Mark is suggesting in Sweden and Denmark. It didn't work.

My personal experience was in Italy buying train tickets from a kiosk. My chip card would not work without a PIN. It is not a PIN primary card. Entering the PIN allowed the purchase to complete. I was never charged as a cash advance for any of those transactions.

This is good to know.

I recently requested and received a PIN for our Capital One Venture card. The documentation that accompanied the card makes no mention of cash advances and states the PIN is for added safety when using electronic terminals, so it sounds like it should work anywhere. I've yet to test it.

Im concerned about being able to purchase train tickets at some small unattended station.

...from the Chase FAQs for Cardholders regarding your chip-enabled credit card

Thank you all for this information. I have a debit card to a small account that I put money in for the trip. It is not attached to any of my other accounts for security reasons. It does have a chip and pin so I can use that. I will keep my cc for purchases only.

If you’re taking a smartmart phone or tablet, you can always download the TrenItalia app or go to their website and purchase tickets. You’ll get an email or receipt that the conductor can scan. The iPad app is available in US App Store, iPhone app is available in the Italian store so you’d have to wait till you’re in Italy to download it.

The iPad app is available in US App Store, iPhone app is available in the Italian store so you’d have to wait till you’re in Italy to download it.

Actually...you can download other apps from the other stores (e.g UK, ITaly App store) from the US.

You just need to create another iTunes account and set your location to the UK (or another country).
This also goes for UK/Italy customers wanting to download US apps.