Originally Posted by
reclusive46
Ah with Tesco you don't use the magnetic stripe reader on the card machine. If at a self service machine you use the dip style MSR underneath and if at a manned terminal the card has to be swiped by the cashier.
Exactly, I was at a self-service machine. When the mag card didn't work, I used my CSP (Chip and Sig).
I had a very unsuccessful trip to the Northern Europe in 2013, and my only Marriott Rewards chip card saved me. This time I was armed with 5 chip cards from different issuer on different networks.
But I didn't have a Chip and Pin, as I didn't get the Propel World card (I want it really much, as I dine a lot at hotels). This is the only problem I ran into for the trip, at a RER station in Paris.
BTW, without a true Chip and PIN card (it is said that US Chip and PIN cards use Chip and Sig whenever possible, only go to Chip and PIN when on offline machines), self-service machines like the ones in TESCO aren't self-service, as you need to drag some staff to verify your signature, and they have to scan their employee ID... It was quite embarrassing...