I read the other day (WSJ I think) where it's becoming more and more difficult to use a standard US-issue credit card in Europe because many of the merchants are now requiring your card to be the "chip & PIN" type where you have to put in a PIN code (Better security I guess). The catch is if you're in the US, you can't get a credit card with a PIN code. An example given in the article was where a person tried to buy railway tickets with a standard US credit card and was told by the cashier "No PIN, no ticket!"

My question to the community here: What's a US-based traveler to do, short of using their debit cards (which I prefer not to do)? Are there workarounds so that one can secure a PIN based credit card?

Thanks!