You mentioned the "chip and PIN" card. On Rick Steves' website he says "Chip-and-PIN cards are embedded with an electronic chip (rather than the magnetic stripe used on our American-style cards). Much of Europe is adopting this system..."

The Chase BA card that I mentioned (which has a silver, rectangular icon on the front) has a magnetic strip on the back (like all my other cards)...so I am wondering if that Chase BA card is in fact what is called a chip and PIN card? (If it is, then I need to get a PIN for it...)