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Do I Need A Credit Card PIN For Europe Travel?
Do I need a credit card PIN in Europe?
I read online that you sometimes need a PIN for credit card purchases in Europe for security reasons.
It seems like chip technology is replacing this, but PINs are still used in some places.
I haven’t set up a PIN for my cards because I don’t plan to use them for cash advances.
Can any frequent travelers to Europe or residents share their recent experiences with this?
Also, how important is it to have cash while traveling to places like London, Paris, Rome, Athens, Granada, Morocco, Santander, and Amsterdam?
I plan to bring an Amex, Visa, and Mastercard, all with no transaction fees, and we have Schwab and Fidelity debit/ATM cards.
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6 Replies
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Yes, it’s useful to have a PIN on at least one card.
Bank of America cards are easy to set up with one.
I’ve needed it for buying train tickets.
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I’ve successfully used “0000” on credit cards when I’ve been asked for a PIN and didn’t have one set up.
Has that worked for anyone else?
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The majority of US cards are set to Chip+Signature as their default.
There are a few like The Barclays Aviator that is Chip+Pin but they’re rare.
When a Chip+Pin card is inserted into a US Card reader it defaults past Chip+Pin to Chip+Signature.
Similarly, when a US Chip+Signature card is inserted into a Chip+Pin system in the rest of the world it goes to the Chip+Signature default and prints out a slip to be signed.
With the increased use of tap-to-pay tech in card readers and cards themselves this is less and less of an issue these days unless it is a large transaction.
There are a few places where this can still be an issue if there isn’t a tap-to-pay option available and those are parking garages, unmanned train/metro kiosks & the pumps at gas stations but paying inside works.
If you set up a pin for a Chip+Signature card it will not work like a true Chip+Pin card as the system uses the pin for a cash advance function, not purchase.
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You can use a debit card if you don’t have a credit card with a pin.
Subway tickets are sold from kiosks, you can’t use them without a pin.
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The best advice is to set up Apple Pay or Google Android Pay on your phone then you can tap everywhere and that overrides any need for a PIN or having to sign a receipt.
The only time I have ever had to enter a PIN was at Amsterdam Airport for the train tickets.
I think I just used my Charles Schwab debit card, but now they probably allow Tap To Pay, so no need for PIN.
I also think Capital One lets you add a PIN online.
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Yes, it’s a good idea to have a PIN for your credit card when travelling in Europe.
While some places might accept signatures, many will require a PIN, especially at automated machines like train ticket kiosks or gas stations.
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