livebetter_travelmore

I believe it depends on the card you're using. If your card physically has a magnetic strip (in addition to the EMV chip as do most if not all US-issued EMV cards) and supports multiple authentication methods including signature, then a merchant/restaurant might just swipe the card instead. I've only been to one restaurant in the US thus far where the server brought a handheld device to the table, but if I recall correctly it was a tablet -- maybe an iPad -- with a slot in which they swiped the card. They did not use the EMV chip. As my card has PIN authentication first, but also supports signature, I thus just signed the bill.

I've also encountered the situation where a merchant had a terminal where I inserted the card for chip authentication, and after successfully entering the PIN, the terminal additionally required I sign. That sequence has been very rare; maybe one or two places (in the US). Ditto for Apple Pay; actually more common. That is, after using Apple Pay, I've also had to sign. I've read that some places impose a $ limit which when exceeded while using Apple Pay you're prompted to sign. That limit does not appear so far to me set by the card issuer as I have had relatively small purchases in the US, like just over $50, require signature, but then others over a $1000 where signature was not required while using Apple Pay.