have you used BofA Travel Rewards card in Europe as chip-and-pin?

Bill, when I call any customer assistance line and the person with whom I am speaking obviously either does not know the answer or doesn't understand the question, I always ask to speak to a supervisor. Dealing with a bank here in the States last week, I had to go "up the ladder" three times before my problem was solved. Usually you'll find someone who knows the answer and doesn't just read a script.

If I understand your question correctly, you won't actually get an answer because different machines can have different verification systems. For example, people here report that on French toll roads, a CC with PIN sometimes works in one toll plaza but not on another one down the road. That's because different toll plazas are run by different vendors and some have systems that work with US PINs and some don't. And as you note, some machines are set to accept low value transactions with no verification (PIN or signature).

In general, a PIN backup for transactions will work most of the time that a signature is not possible.

I used my BofA Travel Visa credit card extensively in Europe over the past 2 years and it has worked everywhere I used it. I bought a lot of train tickets in Italy at unattended kiosks with it using the PIN when requested. I bought lots of Oyster top off in London but was never asked for a PIN. Paid for multiple fast food meals and sit down meals. Anything under about €30 did not require a PIN on my last trip. Sometimes on the larger transactions, like my Paris hotel, I got a receipt to sign.

History on the CHIP & PIN cards: They were meant to be all offline when created. The various credit card companies wanted to expand acceptance of their cards into the newly opened eastern European countries, but the telephone infrastructure was marginal so no constant online connection for authorizations. Losses were too high using manual authorizations because merchants didn't want to take the time and effort to do it correctly. So the CHIP & PIN process was invented where the CHIP basically self authorizes offline based on the PIN entered. Worked great - until the US decided to jump onboard but with completely different rules.

And I agree that the help desk people are clueless. They are trained to follow a script and answer only how the script tells them. They are punished if they deviate in the least from the script. You would think the scripts for Travel Cards would allow a bit more flexibility when it comes to questions about travel! All of the answers you get seem to be as the question relates to travel within the US and they will flat out lie to you about what it takes to get a PIN and what the PIN is used for. And they really know nothing about online/offline differences. To them, everything is online because you put your chip card into the electronic reader device and it works, therefore it must be online!

Mark et al, thanks for the replies. I'm glad to know someone was able to use the card with a PIN.

I did call BofA to ask. The people manning the phones have no clue.

I'm shocked!! At a bank no less.

I used my BOA Travel Rewards chip card in France last month at a gas station machine. I had been using my Andrews card exclusively (which always worked with a PIN at machines), but I had lost it, and decided to try the BOA card. I didn't have a PIN for it (or if I did have one, I didn't know it), so I wasn't sure it would work. But when I inserted it, the machine said that the transaction was approved; no request for a PIN.