Do I need a "chip" card in the Czech Republic? [duplicate]

I'm an American, and I'm traveling to the Czech Republic later this summer for a few weeks. I have a Visa debit card from a local credit union for use in ATMs and a Visa credit card from CapitalOne. Both of these cards have a magnetic strip only: no chip.

Are these cards sufficient for use in the Czech Republic? Do ATMs and retail locations use magnetic strip readers, or are chip cards required?

Best Answer

Most Chip and pin readers still have a mag stripe reader built into the unit. Some of the time it takes some finding (look for a slot running along the right side or the top). Those that don't will have a mag stripe reader built into the till itself.

The only issue you might find with the mag stripe cards is that some younger cashiers have never had to deal with them before and so will have no idea what to do with them (I had this issue when i moved back to the UK).