jamesteroh

I agree, even without the EMV, no FTF is still a nice benefit. For people that have a Delta Platinum or Reserve, makes it easier to meet the minimum spend requirements if they can use it overseas with no FTF. While I get a lot more value out of other reward cards and only use my two Delta Platinum cards for my first $100K in spend a year to get the 40K bonus miles and switch cards for all my other purchases, for those people that get a lot of value out of Skymiles, it's nice they can now earn them overseas with their Delta card. I like being able to use my Hilton Reserve card outside the US to get the bonus points at Hilton now with now FTF (I actually used my Hyatt card before the Hilton reserve card came out at Hiltons to avoid FTF).

Even with having to do a signature I find the EMV to be helpful. The cashier/server just inserts the card in the terminal and it either spits out a receipt or gives them instructions on how to process the transaction, you don't have to waste time explaining to the employee that the card is valid even without the chip and it explains hassles if you are in a country where English isn't the primary language.

I've never had problems with the signature only other than having to be forced to wait in a line a at a couple train stations. Fortunately you don't need a pin to refill an Oyster card at the London underground station kiosks (not sure if a card without the chip will work without the smart chip). I never rent a car overseas, but know a couple people that have gotten hit with some heavy refueling fees because they weren't able to find a petro station that didn't require a pin to refuel their rental.

richardinmotion

Without the kind help of total strangers in France, we would have been without fuel on several occasions. It was difficult to find stations manned by people in the countryside. Without fail, 100% of the locals I talked to with my mangled French at the pumps offered to swipe their card in return for euros. Very pleasant.

bennos

Simple answer: How will you set/change/manage your PIN on your Amex? (The PIN is encoded on the chip, not on a remote server.)

I find it varies by country. Almost no kiosks in Spain or Japan worked, but I had no problem using my Chip+Sig card in Switzerland in kiosks where a mag stripe card failed to work, or London on the Underground. (Entering a PIN of 0000 is sometimes required.)

gooselee

The same way you set/manage your PIN on any other card that supports Chip+PIN? (Admittedly, I don't know how this works in other countries - I assume you can perhaps do this at a physical bank location.)

On my PenFed card, I was asked to select a PIN before the card was issued, and was clearly told that should I ever need to change my PIN, I would be waiting for a new card to come in the mail.

brocklee9000

Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I didn't think about it from a business traveler's perspective, since I'm just a leisure traveler. Someone who is going on business is probably more likely to make more purchases at locations where humans are present (hotels, restaurants, renting a car, filling the car up, etc) whereas leisure travelers probably have already bought a package deal and have cash on hand to exchange to buy food, sightsee, purchase train tickets and whatnot.

technole

I use my Chip+Sig card in Canada all the time. Gas stations there are easy but once you go to places in Europe like France you'll need to see somebody and that can be a hassle. Leisure travelers that don't leave the states often really don't know what it's like out there outside our US bubble that we are a bit behind in credit card technology.

Probably the most annoying in Amsterdam when you can't use them in train kiosks. You just want to leave Schiphol as fast as possible but have to see an agent to swipe or sign. Those lines generally have tourists who ask for directions or are completely lost by the system.

The convenience of Chip+PIN cannot be understated for the world traveler.

bennos

Yes, you change your PIN at a branch or an ATM, which Amex has basically none of. Furthermore, almost no US bank is set up to change a PIN on an EMV card at their existing ATMs. So basically Chip+Sig is way cheaper/easier than Chip+PIN.

gooselee

Fair enough. But I still have a US-based chip+PIN card, so someone has found a way to make it work. I'll grant that Amex has a larger fish to fry than even a large nationwide credit union, of course.

As others have said, though, chip+sig is still better than no chip at all.

Gewurztraminer

Now that it's May 1st, has anyone called AmEx to request a Chip+Signature Delta AmEx? Did you succeed? Did you have to call a few different representatives before you got one who knew what you were asking about?

Renes Points

Seems quick and painless according to MJ on Travel:

http://boardingarea.com/mjontravel/2...nges-on-may-1/

Gewurztraminer

Indeed it was quite painless. Just called AmEx myself. Three minutes on the phone with a representative who knew right away what I was talking about. I should have my EMV Skymiles Platinum card some time next week.

MJonTravel

First point of contact worked well for me....3 minutes total. Had a comment on my blog today from one reader that had some difficulty early on, but was able to resolve it.

Smaug

I called and also got the "high volume of calls" message. Within 5 minutes, I had an agent who put to me on hold to check but came back to say I would be getting a new card with chip tomorrow. "Chip & Signature" was definitely mentioned.

mattp1987

In March I tried my CSP knowing it was almost certain to be rejected, and it was. I was, however, able to use my USAA debit card with a 1% FTF which for me was a better option than standing in line since I also just wanted to be on my way. This might be a useful option for others without Chip+PIN.

I recently changed my USAA Mastercard to Chip+PIN. It has a 1% FTF but is the only card I have that offers Chip+PIN. They sent me a PIN via USPS in a separate envelope from my card. I did not choose my PIN nor can I change it.

gooselee

Sounds similar to my PenFed Visa - if you're abroad a lot you might want to look into it as there is no FTF on that one.

In that case, I WAS able to select my PIN when I applied for the card. But if I ever need to change my PIN, I need to call and have a new card made. IIRC, the separate mailer confirming my PIN came with a note basically saying as much.