Citi AA Executive Card: Chip-and-PIN Authentication Possible? (MAJOR Update, See #31)
 

I am thinking to cancel my Barclay's Silver Card. My annual fee is due in February, and I feel the real value of the Silver card was its ability to earn 6,000 EQD, which is now gone. It doesn't make sense to spend $50,000 on a credit card to earn 3,000 EQD, and I cannot think of any compelling reason to pay $195 per year to keep this card. However, Barclay's Silver card is Chip-and-PIN enabled as a fallback authentication in the self-service terminals in overseas, which works flawlessly. I used the Silver card in self-service terminals in London, Edinburgh, Paris, Zurich, and Luzern. PIN authentication works without any issue. I also have Citi's Executive card and I am wondering if any of you have tested the Chip-and-PIN functionality of Citi's Executive Card. Is the Chip-and-PIN authentication available as a fallback option in Citi's Executive card? If yes, does it always work (online/offline)? Where have you tried?

Any thoughts/suggestion for any alternative? Will you keep your Silver card account open and pay the annual fee of $195?

Thanks,
Tintin

Unless something has changed recently, the Citi Executive card doesn't support Chip+PIN at all, only Chip+Signature (as is the case with most US-issued cards).

ON the other hand, basically all of the Barclay-issued cards support Chip+PIN as a fallback from Chip+Signature, so you could probably just get a different card from them to fill this gap (maybe something like the JetBlue card which seems to have no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees).

I didn't know this. Thanks. If that is the case, I think, Citi should add PIN capabilities in the AA Executive card. The Executive card is meant to serve the most demanding AA/OW frequent flyers who are likely to travel overseas often. It isn't smart to remove the PIN functionality from this card.

I don't fly JetBlue. What other options exist for obtaining a Chip-and-PIN card? I know about the Credit Union cards (such as, First Tech, State Department, UN, etc.), but it is very complicated and time consuming process to obtain a Credit Card from them (getting qualified by becoming member of an organization + opening a savings account + lengthy and often too invasive application process with the CU, etc.). Is there any bank, other than Barclays, offer Chip-and-PIN?

One alternative is to downgrade the Silver card to the no-fee Aviator card. But the no-fee card seem to have foreign transaction fees, and I am not sure if it will come with Chip-and-PIN functionality.

If you are a Silver card holder, what are you planing to do with the account when your annual fee ($195) will be due?

Thanks!

Maybe they should, but they don't (and nor do most of the other high-end cards targeted at frequent travelers like Prestige, CSR, etc.

Eh, who cares? You could also get the Ring card which is also no-fee and no foreign transaction fees, but it doesn't earn any miles at all. Since JetBlue points are basically like a cash discount, if you ever find a situation where it might be a convenient alternative, it would just be a way to earn some minor rewards. But if you're just focused on the "unattended vending machine in Europe" use case, we're not talking about a lot of money or rewards here, so I would just focus on avoiding fees.

Personally, I carry an Arrival+ card, which has an $89 fee, but which works pretty well as a 2.1% cashback card for spending that doesn't get bonuses from any of my other cards.

I think some Bank of America cards also fall back to Chip+PIN, but don't know any details.

It should have Chip+PIN, but since you want to use this card internationally, one of the other suggestions above seems better.

I'll be cancelling mine.

All Barclays cards are chip + pin with sig priority, I would see about product changing your Barclays's card into something with no fee. Just use it as a fallback because it will probably have a ForEx fee.

For convenience and certainty overseas it is probably worth it to ante up for a bona-fide PIN priority card such as offered by the credit unions mentioned. USAA, which caters to military who are often oveseas, once offered their card as a PIN Master Card but discontinued that for a chip and signature VISA card. The same applies to "weird" choices such as the COSTCO card for contactless. Some AMEX cards can be elected to be contactless but the benefit is undercut by too many vendors not accepting AMEX. Otherwise please see the referenced threads in the credit card section of this forum.

That's not true. Several Barclay cards (including Ring and JetBlue, which I mentioned above) have neither an annual fee nor a ForEx fee.

Separately, I don't necessarily understand CALlegacy's suggestion to get a card that has PIN priority. Is there any circumstance in which these work but cards that have PIN as a fallback don't? I have never run into a situation where this seems to be the case.

I'm keeping it for the companion certificates. That bene goes away, and then I'll have to revisit.

Diners is also an option and one of the few cards that has a points transfer option to AA.

Unfortunately, I don't think they're taking new applications right now.

I didn't say it was true, I said, it was probably true, but thanks for pointing out that its not.

I don't know. There are different situations. PIN priority will always avoid being asked for a signature, so that is an advantage if you want the signature thing to just go away. If the issue is automated machines for which signature is not a thing, then a card that has PIN next in the CVM would work it would seem. I think these things are covered in the reference thread in the credit card forum. Personally I like having one card that is just PIN no issues.