danorum

Called on 1/3, received today.

Dan

LoneTree

Called on 12/30, but I just received a chip-less card today. Called Citi to ask what happened and the CSR keeps telling me that mine has a chip in the upper right but isn't visible because it is inside the card. I told him repeatedly that isn't possible and that the EMV standard is based on contact but the CSR just repeats that I'm wrong and that it's different with every bank.

He said he would overnight a replacement anyway. It'll be fun to see what I get.

kebosabi

You have to wonder if CSRs like that actually even knows what they're talking about. You can't place a chip on the upper right nor can they be different from bank to bank. There are ISO standards on the physical location of the EMV chip so that contact readers used throughout the world can read them from the proper location.

danpeake

Same here. I called late Wednesday night and received the card today (Monday).

Row2

Received my Chaiman MC with a chip today. The card has some differences.

1. The card has the silver World Elite MC logo on the front instead of the red and orange logo on the back
2. There is no signature strip or logo directly behind the Oberthur chip.
3. There is no white Cirrus logo on the back.

I am guessing that this is to indentify this as a Mastercard to a foreign vendor who needs to see the MC logo before they will accept the Chaiman card which, up till now, has had the MC logo only on the back.

The flyer that was in the envelope states that the card is now more accepted overseas. The flyer ID is EMVCHAIR-0911

mia

None at all, or do you mean it has been re-positioned away from the chip?

Row2

The signature strip is there but repositioned so it will not be abraded by the chip reader mechanism. This is the same as the Chase BA Visa.

LoneTree

As I expected the card Citi overnighted to me was another chip-less card. Called back Citi and got the Kentucky call center this time. CSR first said EMV cards are not available at this time, but after I made him check with a supervisor a second time he came back to say that GCC (Global Capability Chip) is available and is shipping another one to me.

Bets on whether this one will have a chip?

Vasco

Just a quick interjection here: the above statement by the CSR is technically correct. On many cards, that is the location of the contactless PayPass (Mastercard) & PayWave (Visa) RFID tags. They are embedded inside the plastic and are not visible. If you're just asking for a card with a "chip" when you call, the CSRs may in fact be responding to requests for PayPass/PayWave enabled cards, as that is likely a far more common request. You should specify that what you want is a card with EMV functionality.

kebosabi

True, but Citi USA doesn't issue cards with those contactless RFID chips inside them to begin with. They issue them as separate payment tags/stickers: https://www.citibank.com/us/cards/sv...age/pymnt_tag/

Besides, if that were the case, they're usually obligated by contract to have some sort of logo noting that there is a contactless functionality in the card, such as the MC PayPass/VISA PayWave logo or a logo that denotes something similar like a WiFi HotSpot as shown on this here: http://www.rbcroyalbank.com/credit-c...edit-card.html

I presume the CSR just had no idea what he/she was talking about to begin with. Either that or poor training on behalf of Citi.

kebosabi

You probably have to twist your head and see the rear of the card upside down, but it's something like this, I presume:


The signature area is shifted more toward the right in order to purposely avoid the chip location so that it won't get scruffed up when inserted into a chip reader.

The words "Authorized signature Not Valid unless signed" sits right behind where the chip is located on the front.

Perhaps the signature area being shifted to the right is why some cards have been missing certain logos they used to put on the back. Some Citi Exec cardholders who received their EMV replacement are having problems getting into AA lounges because it lacks the AA lounge logo that used to be on the rear of the card.

LoneTree

I did specify that to the CSR, he even said "I know, the European EMV standard." I said several times, not the contactless/wireless/RFID cards. He wasn't having any of it, and was trying to get me off the phone as soon as possible.

OverThereTooMuch

They may no longer issue them, but they did at one time. I have a Citi-issued MC with PayPass.

kebosabi

If it does, they are under contract to provide a logo somewhere that there is a chip inside the card right? I'm sure there's a Paypass logo on your card that states your Citi-issued MC has a PayPass in it. Otherwise, any bank out there can claim that your card has a contactless chip in it.

The part that I gather from LoneTree's statement is that the Citi CSR insisted he had a "chipped" card (probably as a means to get him off the phone), when clearly he didn't have "chipped" card contactless or contact.

Even if there was a PayPass chip in it, the CSR cannot just say "you just can't see it because it's inside the card" as a valid excuse. If it has a contactless chip, Citi is legally bound under contract with VISA/MC/AMEX to add a VISA PayWave/MC PayPass/AMEX ExpressPay logo somewhere to note that there is a contactless chip in there.

QueenOfCoach

I have a Citibank Aadvantage card with my photo on the front. It's useful because I don't have to dig in wallet for my DL if a store cashier asks for ID. The ID is right on the card.

On 12/31/2011 I called Citibank and asked for a new chip Citibank card. The CS rep assured me my photo would be on the card. Today I got a note in the mail that says the photocard is not available for the chip card. They tell me that if I still want a chip card, to please call. I guess this is so new that the CS rep had the wrong info. (Oh, well.)

Now to my question:

I am thinking of getting a new chip card, but keeping my old photocard for use in the USA. When I travel to Europe, I would just swap cards in my wallet and take the chip card. The new card would have the same account number.

Is that possible? Or would the old card die when I get and activate the new card? What about the three-digit code on the back? Would I have to use the new three-digit security code when shopping online?