BigFlyer

Many of us Americans (not Canadians) have been through it. We have a nice meal, we kind of blend in with the locals, and then it's time to pay. They take our chip card, put it in the payment machine - and out pops the paper with the space for a signature. They then know that we come from that country where the banks believe the populace is too dumb to remember a 4 number PIN.

In a recent trip to Europe, I found that many of those payment terminals are enabled for contactless payment - which means that if you use Android Pay or Apple Pay, there is no signature required. This also worked on machines in Dutch train stations that otherwise required Chip + PIN to purchase a ticket.

Look for the contactless symbol:

sbm12

Are you really that insecure?

I pay with the kit I have. I even carry a pen because I know I'll be signing the receipt. And I'm quite certain that any judgement the staff foisted upon me (of which I assume there was very little) had no effect on my experience at that shop or the rest of my trip.

Also, ATMs have used 4-digit PIN codes for years. No one believes that American cannot remember a 4-digit number.

pa3lsvt

No, but US banks think we are too stupid to change the paradigm: "PINs for debit, signature for credit" to "PINs for debit, PINs for credit."

Plus, the US banks believe that requiring a PIN would be a burdensome step and discourage Americans from using credit.

Remember, a credit transaction is more lucrative for processors than a debit transaction. Also keep in mind how much kavetching from consumers (and some reporters) has occurred in the past year about how inconvenient chip terminals are, how difficult it is to remember to take the card back after the transaction, and other mindless drivel relating to typical human resistance to change. I don't blame the banks for assuming the worst about the average American consumer.

When I go to Canada, most Canadians are incredulous that we are still signing for transactions. I even have one colleague that swears that my US cards aren't going to work at (insert Canadian merchant here) since I don't have a PIN for my CCs.

There are surely some unmanned kiosks that a non-PIN card will fail to work, but I haven't found one yet. My EMV contact chip card works just fine in all the gas stations and parking kiosks I've tried so far in the Great White North.

gobluetwo

A PIN for a credit card? That's absurd. Next thing you know, people will be trying to foist the metric system upon us!

BigFlyer

So why not simply employ the full chip-and-pin system in the U.S., rather than just the chip? The answer, it seems, is fear of overwhelming the average American consumer, who uses between four and five credit cards.

“Unless everybody’s all in with the pin system at once, the issuer who goes to pin in advance risks their customers not using the card because they can’t remember their pin,” Mr. Robertson says.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/repo...ticle26590985/

kochleffel

Were you paid to post this? There is no shame in signing a credit slip.

CBear

Or you know...you could....uhm....pay with cash....

Oh the humanity!



You have way too much time on your hands if this is an actual worry.

livebetter_travelmore

If one expends a little effort, they can find a real chip-and-pin -- not just chip-and-signature -- credit card from a U.S. bank. I have one, and it's the real deal. Plus, there are cases where it's seemingly the only type that works; e.g. a train station's machine for purchasing tickets.

CPRich

I also managed to get a PIN activated with one of my cards, specifically to buy tickets at the kiosk at Paris Metro stations.

I'm certainly not "shamed" by signing a piece of paper, but it is a waste of time.

Sopwith

I've had a Canadian chip and pin Visa card for at least a decade. It's fast, convenient and not a problem at all. When I use it in any other country than the US it works the same way. In the US I have to sign the chit , and Visa skims 2.5% on top of hosing me on the exchange rate. It also doesn't work in most gas pumps because the pumps believe everyone in the world has a US zip code .

To avoid getting hosed on the exchange I got a US$ Visa card a few years ago. No chip, no pin, still needed to sign , still didn't work in the gas pumps . A couple of weeks ago I received a replacement for this card, with chip and pin! Finally. Tried it on a trip this week. Still have to sign in most places , but in a few I could use the pin. It also works in gas pumps if you use the workaround to enter a Canadian postal code*. ^

If we could drag the US kicking and screaming into the 20th century we'd only be one century behind.

* Enter the three numerals from your Canadian postal code followed by 00.

mcgahat

I have no problem with chip + pin but I didnt know I was supposed to be "ashamed" of signing a credit card slip either. Wow......

Low Roller

Not sure about American cards, but Canadian cards also have tap and pay (contactless), although it can only be used for smaller transactions (up to $100?). It is much more convenient than a pin or signature.

IluvSQ

I wish you Americans would be as considerate to us Canadians.
We allow you to use your PINless cards at our gas stations, but you
do not allow us to use our Zip Code-less cards at your gas stations.

It is so frustrating not to be able to use a credit card at a station - having
to leave a $100 deposit, then not having change, or having them take a
large deposit on the Credit Card and not know how to refund it - all
because your payment system does not believe there are people who
are credit-worthy, but do not have Zip codes.

iadisgreat

Almost all gas stations I go to have little signs that say something along the lines of "If you Don't have a zip code type '00000.'" Try that next time.

IluvSQ

I have never seen that, and considering that most of my fill-ups in the US
are at stations very close to airports when returning rental cars, one would
assume that stations would be aware of this problem and post such a
solution. Anyway, I will try to remember to try this next time, as well as the
solution offered by Sopwith above.