Any first-hand information on American "chip and no PIN" cards in the U.K.?
I just got a credit card from Chase with a chip -- American banks are starting to offer them. I'd like to know if anyone has used such a card in the U.K. recently and how that all worked out.
According to the guy at Chase, the deal with this card is that the chip helps it be compatible with U.K. point-of-sale systems, but the system will prompt the merchant for a signature (whereas their U.K. cards prompt for a PIN).
He also said that in some train stations this card won't work at an automated ticket kiosk because there's no PIN and the kiosk doesn't have a signature pad.
OK, great. So that's the bank's story.
I'm looking for up-to-date first-hand information from anyone who has used this type of card in the U.K. -- where it worked, where it didn't, any other useful information.
Best Answer
I have had a chip-and-no-PIN MasterCard, Visa card and American Express card issued by Malaysian financial institutions for ages and throughout my travels to London, Paris, Rome/Venice, Sydney/Melbourne, Hong Kong, Tokyo/Osaka - none of my transactions have been declined by merchants. What I observed while queuing up to pay was that the locals have to key in their PIN, but I have to sign my signature on the transaction slip.
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Do U.S. chip cards work in Europe?
Yes, Norbert, for most charges in Europe, you'll be fine with a chip-and-signature credit card\u2014meaning, a card that has an EMV smart chip in it and that requires you to sign a credit-card slip.When did chip and pin start in UK?
Chip and PIN was first introduced in the UK in 2004 in an effort to prevent card fraud and replace the magnetic swipe method where shoppers had to physically swipe a card through the machine and then sign the receipt to complete a transaction.When did they start putting chips in debit cards?
We're coming up on the anniversary of the EMV microchip credit card \u2014 the official adoption day for the cards was October 1, 2015. Since then, pretty much everyone in the U.S. has become aware of the shift to EMV (so called because of the original collaborative effort between EuroPay, MasterCard and Visa).Can you use an American debit card in Europe?
Debit cards from any major US bank will work in any standard European bank's ATM (ideally, use a debit card with a Visa or MasterCard logo). As for credit cards, Visa and MasterCard are universal, American Express is less common, and Discover is unknown in Europe.How to find forgotten Pin Code
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Answer 2
I'm from Ireland (which is similar to UK in this regard). Here many many point-of-sale or ATMs will be chip and pin. I overheard some Americans recently in my local supermarket unable to use their swipe credit card.
However I've never heard of these chip cards without a pin. Here "Chip 'n PIN" is what it's called at. You may have to explain to people about the lack of PIN. I'd be slightly surprised if it were to work without the PIN.
You could always use your card in a bank to get cash and just spend cash there. Or to be on the total safe side, get a proper chip & pin card.
Answer 3
If there's no pin on the card, there's no pin to enter. Just plug-in & confirm transaction.
I expect, like any other smartcard (the kind of thing the chip is), the system will just skip the pin checking phase. (if there's a pin it needs to be done to communicate with the card)
However, if you are unable to use the chip for whatever reason, you can not use the magnetic stripe with any machine that has a slot for chip cards. (whether the card has a chip or not is encoded in the magnetic stripe)
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