Problems Using Credit Cards in Norway

A new tread in some parts of Europe is that some merchants require the customer to enter the credit card's pin number to finalize the transaction instead a signature. I'm not aware of any other security code other than the regular PIN. If you've forgotten your CC's PIN, call your bank for a new one.

Andrea, the issue here is that most terminals and kiosks in Europe are programmed for chip-embedded credit cards. Most US-based credit cards do not have chips.

So your Visa won't work, for example, at a gas station pay-at-the-pump or an automated toll booth. But if you hand it to a attendant, you'll be fine.

Tom, an increasing number of merchants are requiring holders of US magnetic strip credit cards to enter a PIN number, regardless of wheter it is at a machine or at the register.

Mike - if I were a merchant in a tourist area in Europe, the last thing I would do would be to start refusing American credit cards because the customer didn't know their credit card PIN. My sales to Americans would go into the tank. So I doubt this practice will become too widespread!

I'm not making it up, it's happened to me. Specifically in central Brussels and Amsterdam. One notable example is the train station at Schipol Airport. PINs are required at both the machines and at the ticket counter for both chip and magnetic strip cards.

Yikes. Now I have to memorize PINs for my debit card, my Visa, my Mastercard,my Amex,...

What a world we live in.

Scandinavia is PIN oriented. I had no problem using a signature option, but I could see where some places would only have a PIN option. Automated machines require a card with a chip and US cards won't work. It can also be difficult to use your US card for online transactions (you may have to call to make the transaction).

ATMs work fine with your ATM card.

In the UK, you need to make sure you have a four-digit PIN that consists only of the digits 1-9. Zeroes and letters won't work. Credit and ATM cards.

Anyone know if the same applies in Norway and elsewhere in Europe?

No restriction on zeros in PINs in the UK. (Or anywhere else in Europe AFAIK.)

There used to be the idea going round the message boards (here, fodors etc.) that PINs couldn't start with a zero but it was always something someone had heard... Certainly I've never seen this restriction from a UK bank.

I think I know what you mean but PINs can never have letters (the N stands for Number). It is unusual outside the USA/Canada to see auxiliary letters on the numberic keypad so make sure you learn your number not a mnemonic.