Credit card mystery

[Roz]

Thanks for that clarification, flennie. I know the Andrews chip and PIN works at kiosks that do not allow signature transactions, since it has worked for me to buy gas, for example. I can't think of any time when it hasn't worked, except on some French toll roads, which (I learned the hard way!) will not take anything except a French debit card. But most of the time it does default to signature, even when most Europeans would be inputting a PIN. I hadn't realized that you could change the default option.

So if you set your default to PIN, what would happen in the US, where I've never known a credit card machine to ask for a PIN? Would it actually let you input one? And of course, a lot of vendors still don't have the chip-enabled machines. I guess it would work in those, but I'd want to be sure before I changed the default.

 

[flennie]

People enter PIN for debit cards at stores so I would think that's possible for credit cards as well. I will report back my experience when I receive the card and had a chance to use it. In any case, I will likely use Andrews FCU cc in Europe only as I prefer to use my Chase cc for all my credit purchases.

 

[Sojourner]

So there you go, if you have them enable it to default to Chip and Pin when you travel, you will have no problems.

The reality is that I can't remember the last time I was ever asked to sign for a purchase anywhere in the world in the last 15 YEARS or so, other than in the USA.

Regarding use in the USA, I have been used true Chip and Pin cards when travelling in the USA for those same 15 years and never a problem. The problem only seems to exist as a 'one way street.'

Flennie, I can understand why someone might want to use one card vs. another but my view is that I should give ALL my business to the financial institution that serves ME best, not themselves.

In the UK, the Nationwide Building Society was the first to offer zero loading on exchange when their cards were used for travel. Given that some UK banks charge as much as 4.5% on exchange loading, that was significant.

As you might imagine, as travellers discovered this, many got Nationwide cards to use when travelling but then did not use them day to day at home. In the end, Nationwide found that 70% of the cards they issued were only being used when travelling. This meant that those doing that were not playing 'win/win' with Nationwide, they were playing 'I win/you lose' with them. Nationwide stopped their no exchange loading on their cards as a result. Obviously, those that were abusing what they were getting ruined it for everyone who wasn't.

Why support a bank that does not give you the kind of card you want? Vote with your feet as they say.

 

[flennie]

So if you set your default to PIN, what would happen in the US, where I've never known a credit card machine to ask for a PIN? Would it actually let you input one?

I used my Andrews FCU chip and pin cc at Target and at a local supermarket. Target didn't ask for signature or PIN. Maybe the amount was too small. At the supermarket, the card reader asked me to enter my PIN. It worked.