My question: I was able to get buy in Paris a few years ago without even a chip. I now have two Chip + Signature cards, but neither have the ability to have Chip + PIN yet. Is it worth going through the hassle of tracking down one of the few Chip + PIN cards? Anyone with recent experience in London that can relate what you cannot do with Chip + Signature?
I think the Barclays arrival plus is probably one of the most widely available cards in the US that is chip and pin technology. 40K signup bonus now and essentially 2.2 points per dollar spent which can be redeemed against travel as a statement credit and no foreign transaction fees.
No hassle to track it down, go online, apply and set the pin when the card comes.
It is worth the trouble to track down a chip and PIN card. In 2012, we arrived Lyon airport, picked up our rent car and started to our destination with our any Euros. Much to my surprise, I could not use my credit card at the toll booth (none were manned) on the highway. Had to have a chip and PIN card. Same thing at unmanned petrol stations when we needed to fill up. Had to look for stations that had an attendant. Kiosks for the funicular up to La Fouviere likewise. There will only be more and more places that will require a chip and PIN card and unfortunately most card issuers in the U.S. are not planning to issue them any time soon. I have a true chip and PIN card from USAA but it is the only one I have at this time.
I got the USAA MC chip and pin offering a while back and it’s worked flawlessly in Europe in numerous situations where my regular VISA card wouldn’t cut it.
After speaking with customer service reps at several issuers, what concerns me is that with the exception of USAA, they have all told me that the use of a PIN in the U.S. or abroad automatically classifies the transaction as a “Cash Withdrawal”. That is certainly not acceptable to me.
What I don’t know is if the customer service reps know what they are talking about but I have been unable to get beyond them to someone who might be able to confirm or deny.
I would be very careful using some of these cards without verifying how the transaction will be categorized. I spoke with BofA, Chase, Capital One, and USAA. USAA was the only once to state the use of PIN abroad did not turn the transaction into a cash withdrawal.
UNFCU’s Visa Elite has chip/pin and purchase transactions are treated as purchases; not as cash advances. I’ve used it extensively throughout Europe in places where I can’t use signature or chip/signature cards without any problems.
That is the problem. Only a few issuers are issuing a true chip and PIN card. Unfortunately, I don’t qualify for the UNFCU and neither do most people. We need a broad spectrum issuer to step up. USAA’s card works the same as the UNFCU card but USAA has a somewhat restricted membership although it does cover a much larger potential population than the UNFCU.
I forgot to report back about the success with my Andrews Federal Credit Union chip and pin card. It defaults to a signature card, even in Europe, but it also works via chip and pin when there’s no attendant at a gas station, at an SNCF kiosk, buying Metro tickets at a machine, or at the toll booths on the Autoroute. The application process was a little longer than what I’m used to for credit cards, but to become a member of Andrews FCU, all I had to do was open a $5.00 savings account and claim that I had a friend or relative in the DC area. It was worth it for me since I always rent a car when in France, and I always take a train and the Metro somewhere too. If you’re just going to hotels and restaurants, probably not worth the slight hassle at first.
Thanks for the head’s up. I didn’t read deep enough. Looked at the qualifiers and ran away. You have done us all a service. These cards are so hard to find.
You got me started on the process. Joined the Foundation. Filled out the application, copied the required documentation. A bit of a hassle but worth it. Goes out in tomorrow’s mail. If accepted says I need to deposit at least $50 in the CU within 60 days.
Maybe I’m missing something, but unless you’re a student it looks like the cheapest membership is the $25 introductory one? Still seems like a pretty good deal.
I just went to this site http://www.unfoundation.org/, clicked on the Join Us (envelope) tab and signed up. Received an email saying Thanks so much for joining. Printed that letter, filled out he UNFCU application, made copies of my passport and a utility bill and it was ready to go. You have to include the Thank you for joining email in the application packet. No donation required.
Yeah, I took your advice upthread, and my Barclays is on the way. But after reading about some issues with the Barclays (frequent holds, generally poor customer service) I’m wondering whether it’s worth having another C+P as a backup.
I’ve had it for a while now and haven’t had any issues.
One little secret, wineries often register as travel charges with this card for some reason so they are eligible to be offset with the miles you earn. Ceritas most recently showed up eligible for redemption, used 70K miles to offset that purchase!
I haven’t used it myself in Europe but plan to when I am there in May. I followed the flyertalk thread on this card for sometime and haven’t heard of any issues. All pin transactions at self serve kiosks will be treated ad point of sale, ATM cash advances and POS pin transactions code differently.
When the card arrives you can set up a pin when activating or online after your online access is set up.
One thing to note, if you add an authorized user with this card, their card number will be different than the primary cardholders number but the pin you set is the same across both cards.