Chip & Pin - Widely Used in the US?

cheersthanksbye

Got my Nationwide card through the post on Tuesday. Going on Holiday tomorrow (to New York) but Nationwide have not yet sent me my pin!

Thus what I want to know is, in the US is cip and pin widely used and if so, will I have any problems in using signature rather than pin number?

Any help would be very much appreciated - thanks!

frugglewump

Chip & pin is widely used in the US (they've had it for ages), but I believe you should be able to ask to sign instead.

jonesMUFCforever

This is not what I found in Orlando Florida in Feb. this year. I think 90% of the time I signed a slip even though I had chip and pin cards with me.
Eric

HGLTsuperstar

Last summer in California, had to give pin even thouhg my Nationwide c/c was not at the time a chip & pin. Suggest you call Credit Card customer services in on 08457 99 88 99

cheersthanksbye

Cheers for all your replies guys. My trustworthy neighbour is looking after my post while im away so I have asked her to look for a pin number type envalope and text me the code (for me to change asap).

Hoping I will still be able to sign for stuff though. Best get to bed, flight is at half 5. Cheers again guys.

M_Thomson

frugglewump wrote:

Chip & pin is widely used in the US (they've had it for ages), but I believe you should be able to ask to sign instead.

No, Chip and Pin isn't used at all in America. They have had machines by tills in certain stores for ages, but these are not enabled for a chip. What they have is 2 options. Swipe and Pin where the card is swiped through the terminal and you are asked to enter your pin. This is for American cards only. Or they have an option where you swipe your card through a terminal and you sign as normal. I think the reason they have terminals where you can swipe your card is to speed up the shopping process as you can swipe your card even before the cashier has finished scanning your stuff. America has not made the decision on wether to adopt chip and Pin yet. This is along with some other countries as well. This is the reason why even on Chip and Pin cards here they will have to still have the magnetic stripe on the back for some time to come so when we travel overseas to a country which is not chip and pin we can still use the card.

urbanfrit

M_Thomson wrote:

No, Chip and Pin isn't used at all in America. They have had machines by tills in certain stores for ages, but these are not enabled for a chip. What they have is 2 options. Swipe and Pin where the card is swiped through the terminal and you are asked to enter your pin. This is for American cards only. Or they have an option where you swipe your card through a terminal and you sign as normal. I think the reason they have terminals where you can swipe your card is to speed up the shopping process as you can swipe your card even before the cashier has finished scanning your stuff. America has not made the decision on wether to adopt chip and Pin yet. This is along with some other countries as well. This is the reason why even on Chip and Pin cards here they will have to still have the magnetic stripe on the back for some time to come so when we travel overseas to a country which is not chip and pin we can still use the card.

It's also so that visiting Americans and people from other countries without chip and pin can continue to purchase goods in this country.

James

Because magstrips are remaining on ALL cards for the foreseeable future, UK cardholders are bearing the brunt of the huge increase in fraud at ATMs, up 82% from 2003 to 2004.

How long will it be (if it's not already happened) that false Pin Entry Devices in shops, pubs or restaruants will start appearing in the same way mini-cameras and false fronts are being used to fool ATM users?

By the way Aussie Banks won't be chipping their credit cards (yet) because of the expense!

Niteflyer

I lived in Long Island (NY) and Canada for a total of 4 years and I cam back to UK nearly 5 years ago and they were using Chip&Pin over there even when I was there, I remember thinking, "what the hell's this"?

I seem to remember that it was only really in major supermarkets though.

But it works for them

M_Thomson

Niteflyer wrote:

I lived in Long Island (NY) and Canada for a total of 4 years and I cam back to UK nearly 5 years ago and they were using Chip&Pin over there even when I was there, I remember thinking, "what the hell's this"?

I seem to remember that it was only really in major supermarkets though.

But it works for them

Scroll up to my last post. What they use in the US is NOT chip and pin.

Niteflyer

Yeah that's true, they don't have a chip, they are used the same way as an ATM, you swipe the card in the little box and enter your PIN.

This is pretty much the same as system used when I opened my bank account, instead of issuing you a card and then a PIN about 7 days later, in the Bank Of New York, you go in to the branch (pretty much the same as here) open an account, show them ID, they then go out the back, print your card for you there and then, bring it out to you, take you to a little room with a swipe machine in it, you swipe your card and enter your preffered PIN and you are ready to go

Sorry M Thompson, didn't see your post