Get a PIN code for credit card?

I didn't need it for CC; in cafes/restaurants they bring the machine to the table and the card is never out of sight-very smooth and easy.

There are a few chain stores in Holland and Belgium that require a pin in order to accept magnetic strip cards. But they are the exception.....the majority of merchants will just have you sign. Be aware that Dutch Rail doesn't accept magnetic strip cards at either the counter or at the machines so it will have to be cash only.

Ray, getting a PIN for an American credit card isn't enough. Don't bother. What you are referring to is getting a whole new card with a microchip in the center, as well as the horizontal magnetic strip you and I are used to. Only a very few banks and credit unions are issuing them in the US as yet. You will probably be able to get along by going to the bank with your ATM card and getting cash more often than you had hoped to. It depends on which countries you are going to. France still had good acceptance of American "swipe" credit cards this year. The Netherlands are the toughest, but Amsterdam is still OK.

It's worth knowing the PIN for at least one of your credit cards in case you ever need it to get a cash advance at an ATM. Of course debit cards are preferable at ATM's - but if your debit card(s) are lost or stolen or don't work for some reason, knowing the PIN for a credit card can save the day.

I completely agree with Tom - having your CC PIN will at least give you the option of using it as a backup for getting cash. Occasionally you'll be able to use it for CC purchases. I've used mine a few times but most tourist-oriented merchants still know how to make you sign the slip.

Hi, Apart from needing your PIN for the creidt card to withdraw money from a bank ATM in France and Germany, ie., a cash advance, you will not need a PIN to buy a ticket from a DB ticket machine. Those ticket machines accept US magnetic stripe credit cards...unlike in Holland and France...without asking for the PIN.

I go to Europe every summer for a month for the last ten years (soon to be 11) and I carry two debit cards tied to checking accounts from different financial institutions. That way I have a back up debit card if anything happens to the first one. I also take one credit card that I seldom use especially to get cash from an ATM as that is considered a cash advance by most financial institutions and carries a very high fee.