BootsnAll Travel Community

So this is actually a story that my mom told me she read, and I think it was focused in Europe, but the gist was that with credit card purchases made abroad, a personal identification number (PIN) is required in addition to your signature. I'm obviously used to the US where if I run my bank card as a debit, I enter my PIN; when I run it as credit, I simply sign for the purchase. My actual credit card is always signature only.

Anyone able to confirm or deny? It will be good to know, as I usually just file away my credit card pins without ever looking at them.

Thanks!

I've never run into this.

However, my Canadian cards lack a chip that's needed to use them in most automated machines overseas (as in, I can use them to pay an actual person, but I can't, for instance, buy underground tickets from a machine), so it may be that a pin is needed for those sorts of uses.

It's not a bad idea to know your credit card pins anyway. I keep each card in a separate location, the idea being that if I'll still have one if I get robbed or otherwise lose it. In that instance, I'd want to know the PIN so I could get a cash advance if needed.

I have never needed a PIN with my credit card overseas (or overland in Canada). For the debit at an ATM, yes, but not credit card transactions.

I believe in Belgium you do need a PIN code nowadays. I'm not sure because I don't have one myself, but I do know that when paying at restaurants etc. you need to take it through a machine instead of just signing like before.

It is my understanding that in many places in Europe they use credit cards with chips. These also need a pin. For US credit cards they need a separate swipe system. If it is a small establishment they may not maintain a dual system. So coming from the US, be prepared.

Well, it sounds like I should probably go dig up that paperwork to find my PINs. Better safe than sorry I suppose.

Thanks all!

quote:

Originally posted by BostonBill:
It is my understanding that in many places in Europe they use credit cards with chips. These also need a pin. For US credit cards they need a separate swipe system. If it is a small establishment they may not maintain a dual system. So coming from the US, be prepared.

I have three European-issued cards, but only one with a chip. I have never needed the PIN to use the chipped card, no matter what country.

If you are using a PIN, I'd be worried that the transaction would be treated as a cash advance...and you might pay through the nose for it.

That said, the UK launched a movement a while back called "Chip and Pin". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_and_PIN From the wikipage, it seems to be slowly gathering strength. Slowly.