Best NO FTF Chip and Pin card ?

mjccredit · ‎02-08-2014

I am going to be in Europe for about 6 weeks next year and want to garden until the fall and then app for a couple of good cards with no Foriegn transactions fees and I would prefer at least one be a chip and pin not just chip and signature - any suggestions ?

Ex 653 Eq 699 TU 677 Jan 2014
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Amex platinum NPSL1/14 ,Chase Freedom $5500 1/14,Lane Bryant $250Capital one ,quicksilver $3,5001/14, TR visa $13,100. 2/14 penfed Platinum Cash Rewards $25,000, 7/14 Amex Everday Preferred $34,500, 7/14 CSP $14,000, 11/14 ink Plus $35,000

longtimelurker · ‎02-08-2014

As time goes on, there will be more options, but currently chip&pin is still rare

Flyertalk maintains a list of EMV cards, classified by sig/pin and any FTF, see http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credit-card-programs/1304271-usa-emv-cards-available-today-chip-pin-c... The first post has a link to the spreadsheet, but read the wiki entry there too.

It says:

As of February 2014, no major USA-based card issuer offers Chip-and-PIN cards except Wells Fargo, and WF charges a 3% forex fee when you use the card outside the USA. Other major USA-based banks such as BofA, Chase, Citi, as well as others issue Chip-and-Signature cards which may work at many automated kiosks. However, bear in mind the word may is used above is a context where there is no absolute certainty of success for certain environments such as automated kiosks due to different natures of offline and online transactions.

So best bet might be one of the CUs, such as Penfed, Andrews FCU, SDFCU. These all offer cards that support chip&pin but default to chip&sig, which is annoying but not fatal.

wagsk1 · ‎02-08-2014

Marriotts Premier card has chip and pin with no FTF. I apped for it for the same reason along with the signup bonus.

longtimelurker · ‎02-08-2014

@wagsk1 wrote:
Marriotts Premier card has chip and pin with no FTF. I apped for it for the same reason along with the signup bonus.

That is Chip&Signature isn't it?

https://creditcards.chase.com/credit-cards/marriott-credit-cards.aspx

And enjoy global acceptance with Chip and Signature technology.

pizzadude · ‎02-08-2014

@mjccredit wrote:
I am going to be in Europe for about 6 weeks next year and want to garden until the fall and then app for a couple of good cards with no Foriegn transactions fees and I would prefer at least one be a chip and pin not just chip and signature - any suggestions ?

If you are interested in the travel perks then you could consider AMEX Plat charge card, it has no FTF. Also just recently AMEX announced no FTF on their Delta Revolver Cards ( Gold, Plat, Reserve...)

March2010 FICO® ~ 695 TU, 653 EQ, 697 EX

mikka1 · ‎02-08-2014

My answer is BofA Travel Rewards

IMO, one of the best cards out there.

Chip&Pin

No FTF

No AF

~1.5% cashback on all purchases

I doubt there are many cards that can beat it. Personally I rank it much better than CSP for those who are not heavy spenders...

EDIT: Read your initial post once again - I frankly don't remember if it is treated as Chip&Signature or Chip&Pin. I only remember that I had no issues ising in in Spain and France, even at automated booths (tolls, parking, tickets etc...).

In my wallet now: ~~Amex PRG NPSL~~, Amex BCE ~~$15k~~ $17k (thanks to recent CLI), Chase Freedom 11k, CSP $6k, Chase United ME $5k, Citi Dividend $5.6k, Discover It $4.5k and a handful of other cards...
TU Dec 2013 - 752~~Sep 2013 - 764 - new all time maximum~~
Obsolete data aboveCurrent TU - probably around ~810, only using a few Chase & BofA cards now, not applying for much until we buy a house

blondy250 · ‎02-08-2014

@pizzadude wrote:
@mjccredit wrote:
I am going to be in Europe for about 6 weeks next year and want to garden until the fall and then app for a couple of good cards with no Foriegn transactions fees and I would prefer at least one be a chip and pin not just chip and signature - any suggestions ?
If you are interested in the travel perks then you could consider AMEX Plat charge card, it has no FTF. Also just recently AMEX announced no FTF on their Delta Revolver Cards ( Gold, Plat, Reserve...)

The op is interested in a chip and pin card, the Amex plat is a chip and signature card.

Fico 8 12/9/17
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pizzadude · ‎02-08-2014

@blondy250 wrote:
@pizzadude wrote:
@mjccredit wrote:
I am going to be in Europe for about 6 weeks next year and want to garden until the fall and then app for a couple of good cards with no Foriegn transactions fees and I would prefer at least one be a chip and pin not just chip and signature - any suggestions ?
If you are interested in the travel perks then you could consider AMEX Plat charge card, it has no FTF. Also just recently AMEX announced no FTF on their Delta Revolver Cards ( Gold, Plat, Reserve...)
The op is interested in a chip and pin card, the Amex plat is a chip and signature card.

Ok thanks for clarifying ! I thought they made a chip & pin version but guess not....

March2010 FICO® ~ 695 TU, 653 EQ, 697 EX

lexrjSD · ‎02-08-2014

@mikka1 wrote:
My answer is BofA Travel Rewards

IMO, one of the best cards out there.
Chip&Pin
No FTF
No AF
~1.5% cashback on all purchases

I doubt there are many cards that can beat it. Personally I rank it much better than CSP for those who are not heavy spenders...

EDIT: Read your initial post once again - I frankly don't remember if it is treated as Chip&Signature or Chip&Pin. I only remember that I had no issues ising in in Spain and France, even at automated booths (tolls, parking, tickets etc...).

That's not chip and pin either, its chip and sig.

lexrjSD · ‎02-08-2014

@mjccredit wrote:
I am going to be in Europe for about 6 weeks next year and want to garden until the fall and then app for a couple of good cards with no Foriegn transactions fees and I would prefer at least one be a chip and pin not just chip and signature - any suggestions ?

Where are you going in Europe? I'm asking because you probably don't need one, I've been to europe a lot and only a very few times I had the need for a true chip and pin card.

Here is my experience w cards in europe and how to get the best exchange rate:

I was in Europe (London, Paris, Prague, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Budapest) in 2013, this is my experience:

First trip I used only the CSP(no EMV) and had no problems at all.

Second trip (northern Europe) used Barclay Arrival(no EMV) and was able to use the entire trip, however I did have to tell cashiers and merchants all the time that the card had no PIN in order to work, sometimes it took a little time for them figure out but it was never a problem.
On the 2nd trip I also took my CSP (this time with the EMV), I tried a few times only to test the EMV feature but since it's chip&signature and not chip&pin it's pretty much the same thing, worthless.

Here is my recommendation:

Get a no FTF card Visa or MC (stay away from AMEX and Discovery, they are poorly accepted) so you can get some rewards, but also open a Schwab High Yield Investor Checking account. It's 100% free and works just like any regular checking account. You can deposit the money on it and use the debit card, you can also withdraw money from any ATM from pretty much any bank. Schwab's reimburses all ATM fees when using the card and since it's actually a debit card with a PIN, it works flawless everywhere. On top of that you will get the best exchange rate if you need cash or swipe it, which is always good to have some just in case.

Travelex card has a horrible exchange rate, DO NOT get it.

Conclusion: EMV is only good if it's chip&pin, don't worry about getting a card unless it's true chip&pin card, which only a few credit unions offers in the whole US.