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Chip and signature experiences abroad?

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elim
Senior Contributor

Re: Chip and signature experiences abroad?


@UncleB wrote:

@elim wrote:

All of my chip cards (even chip and pin) defaulted to chip and signature after inserting in chip readers.  I think it returns a U.S. bank/card and defaults to sig.  Kiosks at parking, tolls, train stations, etc... required our chip and pin cards to make the transaction.

 

If you are worried about it.. grab any USAA card(s) and request the card(s) to be issued as chip/pin. I think arrival+ is also chip/pin


All new USAA cards are being issued as chip/signature... only the lucky folks who have an older card got a chip/PIN, and once those expire they'll be replaced with chip/signature as well. 

 

It's really too bad, since it would have been an excellent selling point for an otherwise mediocre offering.

 

rip.gif


  My last USAA card was Chip n Sig.  I just called up and let them know I was travelling abroad and they asked I wanted a Chip n Pin card.  Try it. They will send you new cards.

Message 11 of 21
UncleB
Credit Mentor

Re: Chip and signature experiences abroad?


@elim wrote:

@UncleB wrote:

@elim wrote:

All of my chip cards (even chip and pin) defaulted to chip and signature after inserting in chip readers.  I think it returns a U.S. bank/card and defaults to sig.  Kiosks at parking, tolls, train stations, etc... required our chip and pin cards to make the transaction.

 

If you are worried about it.. grab any USAA card(s) and request the card(s) to be issued as chip/pin. I think arrival+ is also chip/pin


All new USAA cards are being issued as chip/signature... only the lucky folks who have an older card got a chip/PIN, and once those expire they'll be replaced with chip/signature as well. 

 

It's really too bad, since it would have been an excellent selling point for an otherwise mediocre offering.

 

rip.gif


  My last USAA card was Chip n Sig.  I just called up and let them know I was travelling abroad and they asked I wanted a Chip n Pin card.  Try it. They will send you new cards.


Ah, that's fantasticSmiley Happy

 

They should really spread the word that chip/PIN is an option for folks who travel... if you hadn't mentioned it here, I would have never known!

 

Yet another example of knowledge available on myFICO that's not readily available anywhere else... Smiley Very Happy

Message 12 of 21
lg8302ch
Senior Contributor

Re: Chip and signature experiences abroad?

I live in a "chip & pin" country and I am doing just fine with my chip and signature cards and was doing also just fine with old fashioned swipe method. All you had to know is where you insert the card as the merchants are not really any help as often  they have not seen cards to swipe for nearly a decade..Smiley Very Happy..  The reason why I hate chip and signature cards is only because I am very lazy and hate to sign these paper slips as in Europe it is not done electronically but you need to struggle with the paper slips.  Instead of thinking about chip & pin or chip & signature  you should make sure you get cards with no FTF and on a widely used network like Visa or Mastercard. In Germany you will  still find  many places accepting MAESTRO cards only  which is the equivalent to debit cards and still no credit cards.  The best way to get around the chip & signature is to simply use Apple Pay if you have an iPhone ... Visa, Mastercard and Amex work great here but I have not yet managed to use Discover through Apple Pay and constantly get error messages. But often when Diners is accepted also swipe or chip & signature worked.  Unattended terminals like grocery self check out or ticket vending machines worked with swipe & pin or chip & pin equally.  Only once I could not pay because it rejected the card but it was a terminal that did not take any foreign cards.

Message 13 of 21
lg8302ch
Senior Contributor

Re: Chip and signature experiences abroad?


@elim wrote:

All of my chip cards (even chip and pin) defaulted to chip and signature after inserting in chip readers.  I think it returns a U.S. bank/card and defaults to sig.  Kiosks at parking, tolls, train stations, etc... required our chip and pin cards to make the transaction.

 

If you are worried about it.. grab any USAA card(s) and request the card(s) to be issued as chip/pin. I think arrival+ is also chip/pin


I hate to say but the Arrival+ is the same as all other US cards and default is chip & signature with option to pin at unattended terminals  but that is the same way even with the old fashioned swipe cards I had. 

Message 14 of 21
elim
Senior Contributor

Re: Chip and signature experiences abroad?

Is Samsung Pay exploding over there also?

Message 15 of 21
lg8302ch
Senior Contributor

Re: Chip and signature experiences abroad?


@elim wrote:

Is Samsung Pay exploding over there also?


Really not sure.  in Switzerland it is like 80% Apple mobile phones but there is not a single card issuer here ready for  Apple Pay. But the wonderful part is that 99% of the terminals are contactless ready and like this you can combine the best of the two worlds Smiley Happy   The US has the cards and Europe the terminals and it works great.

Message 16 of 21
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Chip and signature experiences abroad?

Greetings,

 

     I just came back from Greece this past Chritmas and all my cards have the chip technology embedded into the card.  I absolutley had NO problems whatsoever.  When I made a purchase I told them that the chip is in the card and when they ran the card it was approved.  They were impressed with this and wanted to know how to get that on their credit cards.  The only time I was asked for a pitcher I.D. was when the girl was confused and simply showed it to her and she accepted it.  I know for a fact that it works for Visa's, AMEX, and MasterCard.  I even was able to purchase some merchandise with my AMEX when I was flying on British Airways over the Atlantic Ocean on the return trip. I basically had no problems with Chip and signature experience abroad.  Hope this helps.  Enjoy what remains of your day.

Message 17 of 21
longtimelurker
Epic Contributor

Re: Chip and signature experiences abroad?


@Anonymous wrote:

Greetings,

 

     I just came back from Greece this past Chritmas and all my cards have the chip technology embedded into the card.  I absolutley had NO problems whatsoever.  When I made a purchase I told them that the chip is in the card and when they ran the card it was approved.  They were impressed with this and wanted to know how to get that on their credit cards.  The only time I was asked for a pitcher I.D. was when the girl was confused and simply showed it to her and she accepted it.  I know for a fact that it works for Visa's, AMEX, and MasterCard.  I even was able to purchase some merchandise with my AMEX when I was flying on British Airways over the Atlantic Ocean on the return trip. I basically had no problems with Chip and signature experience abroad.  Hope this helps.  Enjoy what remains of your day.


Right, but this is where chip&pin isn't established, and then you expect things to work (as swipe if nothing else).   The problem elsewhere is where chip&pin is the norm, and US cards don't perform as expected.

Message 18 of 21
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Chip and signature experiences abroad?


@longtimelurker wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

Greetings,

 

     I just came back from Greece this past Chritmas and all my cards have the chip technology embedded into the card.  I absolutley had NO problems whatsoever.  When I made a purchase I told them that the chip is in the card and when they ran the card it was approved.  They were impressed with this and wanted to know how to get that on their credit cards.  The only time I was asked for a pitcher I.D. was when the girl was confused and simply showed it to her and she accepted it.  I know for a fact that it works for Visa's, AMEX, and MasterCard.  I even was able to purchase some merchandise with my AMEX when I was flying on British Airways over the Atlantic Ocean on the return trip. I basically had no problems with Chip and signature experience abroad.  Hope this helps.  Enjoy what remains of your day.


Right, but this is where chip&pin isn't established, and then you expect things to work (as swipe if nothing else).   The problem elsewhere is where chip&pin is the norm, and US cards don't perform as expected.


Also I'm pretty sure chip is prevalent in Greece, seeing as it's in Europe. I'm surprised at the level of Visa/MC acceptance in some of the European countries though--I remember hearing that a fair number of places in southern Europe were local debit card/cash only before.

Message 19 of 21
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Chip and signature experiences abroad?

Was in Iceland for Christmas. Chip+signature cards were accepted everywhere. I used my Venture card mostly because of the no foreign transaction fees. Even the gas stations accepted the pin I setup for cash advances. Only at one place did I have to get my Barclay's chip+pin card and eat the FTF when it denied my cap one chip+signature cards.
Message 20 of 21
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