I won't be heading across the pond until next year, but want to see if I need to start calling the credit card companies to get new ones issued. I have read somewhere that most merchants in London use chip & pin. Is chip & sign still an option at most places?
Request a pin # for your chip/signature card if one has not already been assigned. Therefore in those instances in which you will need to enter a pin, you'll have it.
That said, I have found that I have had to sign the slip when at grocery stores and restaurants. I have never had an issue in which an employee didn't know what to do. I was last in London in April