Chip and signature card in France

PeteMc

French retailers have two options when you present them with a card.

1) Insert card into machine and you put in your PIN.

2) Slide card and you sign receipt.

From what I've seen, the OP's method would not work here.

There may be the occasional incompatibility with a UK card as French Chip & PIN has been in operation many years and some machines don't like UK Chip & PIN cards. This has become less and less though over the years I've been here.

If a machine just shows a CB symbol then there's a virtually 100% chance your card won't work. As Knightstyle has pointed out Petrol Stations are usually limited to Carte Bancaire but you'll also find older ticket machines on the Metro & RER in Paris won't take UK (or any other nationality except French) cards.

BernadetteN

KathrynPenguin wrote: »

It's not even always worth notifying them you'll be abroad. I was in NY a week ago and phoned Tesco before leaving to give them my dates there. From the very first transaction onwards this card refused. I then tried to call them on their "we will accept reverse charges" number about 6 times without getting through.

I then called them without trying to reverse charges and got through first time. I told the bloke he said its outside my normal spending pattern I said Yes thats why I phoned last week to tell you I'd be here. He told me that made no difference. I told him I would be forwarding the phone bill when I got back damned right I will too, I was in a hotel room and got charged $75 for that call!!!

Virtually every time we go abroad, we have Tesco contacting us about our spending overseas. Only a few times has the card been refused (last week for a £20 food bill for example) so we are always careful to have several alternative cards and our Nationwide Debit card is most often used.

We are about to apply for Nationwide and PO credit cards, thanks to information on this website about loading of charges on all other UK credit cards.

PS we work in France usually and wherever we see the CB sign, we know it's bad news for us using UK credit cards, most often at the fuel pumps. There's no way we will open a French account though just to get round this, as charges are even worse than in the UK.

SallyD

I have never had a problem with my Nationwide chip & pin in France,nor my Barclaycard but in Spain my Nationwide card failed to go through? luckily I had my trusty Barclaycard. In France I find they sometimes want to see my passport.

Altarf

Voyager2002 wrote: »

I managed to get ... a proper chip and signature credit card. However, it has failed to work in France ... Does the French system refuse signature cards? Is there some kind of technical incompatibility?

Chip & Signature does work in France, I have used my Chip & Signature cards there many times. However, in my experience if the assistant is not used to C&S cards, then they may just tell you that it has been refused when it is accepted but comes up with the different message on the machine.

The only times I have had problems is with automated machines (e.g. railway station ticket machines) where you obviously cannot sign. In the UK the machines work with you just inserting the card with no PIN, but overseas the machines cannot seem to cope without a PIN.

One odd situation I did come across with a C&S card, was when the machinery asked for a PIN in a shop in Lisbon. I entered the PIN (a C&S card still has a PIN for cash withdrawals at ATMs) and it was accepted. When I spoke to the bank on my return, I was told that the C&S flag can be suppressed by the retailer and they can insist on a PIN. No retailers do this in the UK (as far as they were aware) as they are too scared of the DDA, but a small number of overseas retailers do.

Oh and never tell anyone that it is a C&S card, just give it to them and let the machine deal with it. If you tell someone it is a C&S card, they will automatically say that they don't accept them.

A C&P card is a handy fallback just in case though.

Victors_Bruvver

alba37 wrote: »

I used my Post Office credit card in Spain. I got the choice of paying in euros or pounds. I picked Euros but kept a note of the charge in pounds. When it came off my bill it was £11 cheaper than paying with pounds there. (bill was £350) The reason I got the card was because it was recommended as one of the best to use when buying abroad.

Some cards will decline if you haven't notified them you are going to use it abroad, could that have been your problem?

There can be problems with using a Nationwide card for transactions in euros, I used it to purchase some italian railway tickets on the internet and it was refused. Funny thing was it was accepted when I bought tickets the same day for a connecting journey on French railways. NW told me it as because it was something to do with the Italian websites and that most card fraud is committed there. I got a little worried as I was obviously going away to Italy and I wanted to use my card there and did not want it refused but NW told me not to worry about notifying them - I still did though.

The NW card is the best and I hope everyone tells their friends and families about it as there ain't many of them around nowadays and the more customers sign up because of it, the more chances they will continue to offer it.

Also note that besides this pitfall where you are offered the charge in GBP (DON'T) which is called Dynamic Currency Conversion, is the other known fact that even buying euros over here in the UK from a bank or travel agent and using your cards involves another charge by your bank. IE Buy a £100 of groceries and no extra charge but buy £100 of euros and you get tapped up!

avqs43

I have a Nationwide Flexaccount and credit card that I use only for foreign travel. I go to the Canaries two or three times a year. As soon as I have passed through customs I make for the cash machine at the airport and draw some Euros on the Debit card (current account). When I come to settle bills, such as the hotel or other purchases, I use the credit card. I am however, plagued by retailers who do not offer a choice of currency, but rather just apply DCC despite my insisting in advance. They tend to act soft and say that the machine is set up to convert automatically. I know it can't be but I cannot find out how to override the instruction. It has happened at Lanzarote Golf club, (where I was charged a fee to cancel the transaction). I then paid in cash. It has happened in shops on Fuerteventura and I'm fed up with it. Nationwide has been very good and have usually refunded my fees when I have complained, but they have not given me the override code!! Does anyone out there know what to do when dealing with these cowboys?

Thanks

Victors_Bruvver

Have you tried refusing to pay the bill in anything other than euros? After all if you have a bill presented to you for goods, services or a meal which says the cost is xx euros and then refuse to sign or enter your pin, you are not doing anything illegal if it showing a currency conversion to which you have not agreed to beforehand.

Other than that, it may be be a case of avoiding those retailers and spread the word about them with your fellow holiday makers.

avqs43

Thanks.

I'll try that when I next go in October.

Feux_Verts

What about these Post Office VISA ELECTRON type cards - or the AMEX ones, has anyone had experience of using them in France? Personally I've had no problems with a Natwest MAESTRO card, but no joy ever in the 24-hour Card petrol pumps.