Test run...Arrival+ Chip/Pin usage in Europe

Dw4250 · ‎09-09-2014

Hey everyone- Checking in from my hotel room in Paris. I wanted to give a quick update on how the chip/pin has worked so far.

I have only used it once using the pin feature (Metro station kiosk) and it worked fine. However whenever I buy something from a cashier, it still prints out a receipt for me to sign (just like home). Oh well...

We're driving tomorrow to Normandy and I will bring enough Euros with me in case I run into any issues at gas stations. But so far so good. Frankly, I'm so pumped to be in France, I'm not really focused on how my cards are working (as long as they work!).

A couple of other random observations...

1. AMEX is accepted a lot more than I thought it would be (at least in Paris; may be different in other places)

2. Don't bother bringing your DIscover card! NO ONE accepts it (except some American chain hotels like Marriott or Hilton)

trumpet-205 · ‎09-09-2014

@Dw4250 wrote:
2. Don't bother bringing your DIscover card! NO ONE accepts it (except some American chain hotels like Marriott or Hilton)

Discover is more useful in Asia than in Europe.

dilettante · ‎09-09-2014

Thanks so much for the info. Always appreciate user experience field reports! Good to know about the Metro kiosks since I'm planning a trip to Pairs in a few months. Have fun in France.

ccuser · ‎09-09-2014

I had a very similar experience in Canada. All terminals I've seen there are chip-enabled, so I always used chip. Usually I had to sign the receipt, but I successfully used PIN several times at gas stations and parking meters.

Anonymous · ‎09-09-2014

Thank for the info, now I know what to take for my next month trip.

dilettante · ‎09-09-2014

@ccuser wrote:
I had a very similar experience in Canada. All terminals I've seen there are chip-enabled, so I always used chip. Usually I had to sign the receipt, but I successfully used PIN several times at gas stations and parking meters.

Thanks for the info. Perfect timing cause I was thinking about taking a trip to Quebec sometime next spring.