Originally Posted by LoneTree

It depends on your preference. I prefer Chip and PIN default as it provides an additional level of authentication, security, and ensures that the card never leaves your possession when paying since you have to enter your PIN. It's not like signature comparison really prevents any fraud. I'm sure merchants would love not having to do a comparison and especially would love not having to store signed receipts for several years.

However the only situation where you might get outright denied while using these US EMV cards with this set up (except perhaps USAA or Wells Fargo) is if a kiosk or POS unit insists on doing offline PIN verification. That's the problem people seem to have at the French kiosks. Some people have also said that some European merchants might refuse to process a signature transaction because they (wrongly) assume they're liable for any fraud, but I have to encounter this myself.