I have been to Europe a number of times but am beginning to get confused about Chip Credit Cards. I have my USA credit card (Master Card), then bank debit cards which have always worked at ATM machines. I've heard that credit cards now require "chips" in Europe (were going to France). Whats the full story on what will work and will not in train stations and ATM machines.
Posted by
San Francisco, California, USA
446 posts
Virtually all cards issued by US banks (except American Express) do not have the chip.
Your card should always work to withdraw cash from an ATM. But, some ticket and other machines in Europe, and some merchants, such as stores and restaurants, will only accept chip cards. VISA says that merchants are not supposed to refuse your card because it doesn't have a chip, because there are other ways to accept the card. But, some still refuse them, or just don't know how to accept the card.
The situation varies with the country. For example, Germany and Spain do not yet use chip cards, so you won't have any trouble there, while France and the UK have fully converted to chip cards.
Even some people from different countries in Europe who do have chip cards report that their cards do not work in certain machines in other countries, such as at gas stations. So, it's not entirely a USA problem.
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
Some stores will only accept credit cards with chips. In a recent 12-day visit to Scotland I only had one store tell me that they could not accept my "swipey" card. And for that store a walked a little further and found a better option! I've not run into any problem with ATMs.
Pam
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32228 posts
Jim,
The "chip" credit cards are being implemented throughout Europe, but some countries are further ahead with this than others. France is well along with the implementation and some of the automated ticket machines will now accept ONLY the "chip" style of credit cards. It's only a matter of time until this conversion will be completed.
From what I've seen, there are still a few "bugs" to work out of the system with the "chip" credit cards. The first ticket machine I tried at CDG wouldn't function with my "chip" VISA card, however the second one worked just fine.
The older "magnetic strip" debit / ATM cards should still work normally in ATM machines in France (and elsewhere). Magnetic strip credit cards should still function at Hotels and most stores.
It sounds like you're taking at least two ATM cards, which is a good idea! Always prudent to have a "backup" card (as I found out when I was in France in June, as my primary card wouldn't work due to some kind of "coding" issue between the Banks). It was eventually sorted, but my secondary card worked fine.
Happy travels!