I'm planning on the following strategy when being overseas (specifically, in about a month in Spain):

First, try one or more of my 0% forex swipe cards (Chase Marriott Premier and Chase Priority Club Select). If that works, end of story.

Only if that doesn't work, then try my chip & PIN Diners Club card (which charges 3% FTF too).

I may do an experiment with intentionally using an unattended-on-weekends gas station, if I can find one, with the chip & PIN card, but in the case it won't be for anything close to a fill-up. I'll try to fill up only at times / in places where there is an attendant, so that I have a chance of paying with the non-chip 0% forex card. (I'll be based, for the time that I have the rental car, near MAD airport, and I presume there I won't have much trouble finding gas stations that are staffed every day including early and late.)

I just want someone to get the NFC out there and working. Then presumably, we could use any credit card to pay at those POS locations expecting a chip.

The other thing is, in Europe they have those wireless credit card terminals at restaurants and such, which can swipe the magnetic cards. But supposedly smart phones with the Square attachment threatens this business model, because for a few hundred dollars (smart phone and Square), you can replace those terminals which cost thousands supposedly.

I didn't get a chance to glimpse at your photo (next time, I suggest using a freeware program called FastStone Photo Resizer to make the photo smaller for postings).

Is your card the Citi Platinum Select MasterCard for College Students ($0 annual fee, 3% forex, Citi Extra Cash rewards)? If so, I'll go ahead and update the list.

Not necessarily true. EMV can be compatible with NFC if the feature is incorporated into the EMV chip to begin with, but NFC is not compatible with EMV. They are essentially two different chip technologies, one contact (EMV) and the other contactless (NFC).

As such, majority of the EMV chipped cards being issued in the US today have no NFC feature. A Chase Palladium cardholder with the EMV Chip-and-Signature chip cannot wave his/her card over a contactless reader at theirr local 7-Elevens and Walgreens.

And in the opposite direction, with the exception of the US Bank FlexPerks card, none of the NFC/RFID cards out there issued by US financial institutions are EMV capable either. That being said, you can't use your Chase debit card with Blink technology for use with EMV contact terminals overseas.

Unless the card is built with both EMV and NFC capability like the US Bank FlexPerks card, NFC alone is not going to be the full answer. The word "chip" makes it confusing when in reality, they are two totally different technologies. It's like saying "plastic disc" when there are so many different technologies like CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Ray discs.

Instead of Square which is essentially a mag-stripe reader for the iPad, over in Europe they use iZettle which is an EMV reader for the iPad.

You can read how the US is again, facing a Galapagos syndrome of being stuck behind the times where mag-stripes rule and how Square became a hit, when a small Swedish startup practically became a global empire as everybody else uses the smart chip through his iZettle: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/billro...b_1095589.html

And in the end, Square or iZettle + iPad/iPhone does not add the durability factor especially at places with high customer volume. A Square or iZettle will probably last a year or two at best depending on the number of customer transactions before end-of-life, whereas a solidly built one made by Verifone or Ingenico will last for years.

Safety wise, I wouldn’t want a waiter to whip out an Square/iZettle+iPhone/iPad solution either. How will I know that the iPhone/iPad that he just whipped out isn't the waiter's own iPhone/iPad instead of the restaurants?

According to UA Insider over in the UA MileagePlus forum, the card does NOT have EMV yet:

Thanks for the update; the Chase UA MPC card will remain hidden until they start to issue them.

You're welcome.

I called Chase today to request an EMV version of my Chase Sapphire Preferred. No dice. But, the agent told me they DID have a version of my MP Platinum Class (which is a very old card). I should have it in a few days... of course, I suspect there's an excellent chance I'm getting a different plastic or a blink card instead, since they seem a little confused about these things. But, I'll report back.

Nope, mine is the standard run of the mill Citi Platinum Select MasterCard - no rewards program attached to it. I am going to get a proper credit card next year once I start working full-time (probably TY Premier or something up there since I will be working for Citigroup!)

I have a similar card (a Mileage Plus "Platinum Class" Chase "Visa Signature" card). I'm very interested in gettin gthe EMV/chip&pin. Mind if I ask: What exactly did you say when you called? Is there any danger of a different card-member agreement (one that doesn't provide the 10k PQM I get every year)?? Any tips? Hints?

This would be perfect for me -- super thankful to see this post.

One more comment/question:

If I'm understanding this correctly, there's a significant difference between Chip-And-Pin and Chip-And-Signature --> and I think you want Chip-And-Pin and NOT Chip-And-Signature.

My understanding is that the most important use for this is when you're at a machine that requests the chip-and-pin....and if you have the chip-and-signature it will not work on a kiosk or machine. Chip-And-Signature will pretty much only work in places where you can (almost always) already use the standard mag-stripe and signature versions of cards. Where you really want this is with machines, right? So isn't Chip-And-Pin the only way to go? Aren't we all really looking for Chip-And-Pin and NOT Signature?

(And wouldn't this make the Chase versions of these cards and some of the others listed...not helpful?)

Thanks.

Chip & Signature is useful in situations where the merchant is reluctant to accept swipe cards, even though they have the technical capability. The reluctance may come from policy or from training. In some countries the banks have shifted liability for accepting counterfeit cards to the merchant if the transaction is swiped. In other instances the staff simply do not know the process of accepting swipe cards.

Kiosks which nominally accept only Chip & PIN may work with Chip & Signature, but there is a greater chance of acceptance with a Chip & PIN card. Even then, the card may be rejected because some POS machines accept only local Chip & PIN.

Bottom line: Chip & Signature is more convenient than swipe when travelling outside the USA, Chip & PIN is better, but no card is perfect.

Card received: it was a contactless (blink) card, not a EMV card.

(sigh)

Done; added Citi Platinum Select MC ($0 annual fee, 3% forex, no rewards, Chip-and-Signature).

It really makes me wonder why is it so difficult to educate the CSRs on the difference between contactless chips and EMV chips. Is it so hard to just draw an example of both cards onto a letter sized paper and stick it onto their cubicles at their call centers?

The average cubicle gets about 0.0001 calls about chip cards. So that's a lot of effort for little return. (Many card companies have oodles of call centers, someone would have to do this at every one of them!)

This issue is more likely to happen at banks that use chip & signature, since they don't have to send you anything but the card.

If a bank uses chip & PIN, that sets up a flag if you ask about that, because you don't need a PIN for a contactless chip but you do need a PIN for a chip & PIN version of the EMV card.

But unfortunately you can't ask Chase about chip & PIN. So you have to try to use terms like "global chip" to see if they'll know which kind of chip you're really talking about. (The one term you probably don't want to use is EMV; hardly any customer service staff have heard of that term.)

Part of the problem is vocabulary. Chase calls EMV smart chip technology , but they call their RFID chips Blink

British Airways Visa from Chase EMV - Chip & Sign?
 

I have the British Airways Visa card from Chase with an EMV chip.
I called up Chase for a Pin (Chip&Pin), they told me, that the card is a Chip & Sign (Meaning to say it needs to be signed) and cannot use a pin.
So is this card useful in place of a non-chip card?
Can I use it at gas stations, train stations where a chip card is needed?

Found this on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_and_PIN#Foreign_cards
"As of June 17, 2011, Chase began offering the JP Morgan Select Visa credit card, which also offers a Chip & Signature, but not Chip & PIN capability, to US cardholders. No prior relationship with JP Morgan is required to sign up for the new card, but the absence of a PIN associated with the Chip may make these cards less useful as most unattended kiosks will not accept them. Chase is telling customers that when used in unattended kiosks or fuel stations, the chip in the card is recognized, then the terminal will report "checking PIN", and the transaction will be approved without having entered a PIN. This transaction process is similar to Chase's existing "Blink" approval process."

Those anybody had any experiences in this issue?

Moderator action
 

Moved chff's question into one of the established Chip & Signature threads.

Your card is unlikely to work in most automated POS machines which require Chip & PIN, but a few have reported success entering a dummy PIN. Scroll back to read about the Andrews Federal Credit Union Chip & PIN card, but understand that some automated locations reject cards not because they lack Chip & PIN but because they are "foreign".

Conversation with Citi
 

The "C3 Unit" is responsible for customer service related to EMV cards at Citi. Following cards have EMV:
AA Exec, AA Gold World, AA Plat World, AT&T Plat World, Citi Plat World, Dividend World, Simplicitity, Thank You World

Seems all their EMV cards are Mastercards.

Citi ThankYou World Elite MasterCard with Chip?
 

How do I upgrade from World to World Elite MasterCard with Chip? I called Citi and no one knows how to do it. I keep getting reps abroad who don't understand the difference between World and World Elite. Anyone have a ThankYou World Elite MC?;) Thank you :D

Scroll back to post 17 for discussion of Citi Chip & Signature cards, and see alsopost 61. You do not need a World Elite MasterCard to request EMV.

Thank you. I'm going to PM you a question.

Supposedly the Velib in Paris work with any Amex card.

It's just a deal that they've reached.

It would be great if mobile payments took off and became universal but the way all these companies are angling for their cut, there will probably be some kind of premium transaction fees involved.

For those people who want a EMV card from Citi, I recently have an interesting conversation with @AskCiti. In order for you to get a EMV card:

1. Your card must be a MC.
2. Your card must not be discontinued (The product must be available currently for application.)

I have 2 Citi cards - a Citi Forward and Citi Simplicity Cash (Old Style). Both are not eligible for EMV.

Moderator action
 

Discussion of FIS EMV Travel Cards has been moved because there is no product "available today". See here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credi...signature.html

Got my Citibank AAdvantage with chip & pin
 

After a slight mixup where they sent me a mini-PayPass card, I finally got my chip card the day I returned from my latest trip to NCE...

My card is a standard Citi AAdv World Elite. Looking forward to finally being able to buy gas in the middle of the night.... if you don't have a chip card, you're screwed... ;)

Alas, Citi only issues Chip & Signature cards, and it may not work in an unattended service station if the pump requires a PIN.

HookemHorns over on the AA thread confirmed with a scan that he has received a CitiAAdvantage VISA Signature card with the EMV chip-and-signature by twittering @AskCiti.

Citi issued EMV cards so far have only been MCs. Since this is the first confirmation that CitiAAdvantage VISA cards are also available per request via twitter, I'll add it to the list.

Do these cards help with say buying train tickets from trenitalia.com?

Presence or absence of a chip will have no effect on internet payments.

Hmm, maybe an alternative to waiting for US institutions to put out chip and PIN cards would be to see if there are European institutions which would issue chip and PIN cards to Americans.

Then those cards should be good for Internet payments, including topping up Euro SIMs too.

This idea has been explored in other threads. Start with this very short one for a summary:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credi...residents.html

...to find others use Search this Forum with the keyword: offshore

Hmm, those are horrible choices, for people who don't mind being raped with fees. Also if you have to keep a lot of money with them, I think it complicates your tax returns.

If only you could get one of these:

http://www.mbna.co.uk/choose-credit-card/index.php

For that specific purpose, and to prevent some other shady things like money laundering, most countries including the US, have strict terms in creating bank accounts for foreigners.

For example, you can't just walk into a bank in Japan to open up a bank account in Japanese yen if you don't have residency requirements or a valid visa, just as much as a Japanese person can't walk into any Bank of America branch in the US to open up a bank account here without a valid drivers license, social security number, proof of address, or a alien registration number.

However there are places in the world where it is much easier to open bank accounts for foreigners. Places like Hong Kong, Singapore, Switzerland (yes, you don't have to be a billionaire or a dictator of a country to open a Swiss bank account), and Liechtenstein allows foreigners to open up bank accounts for a decent amount.

Of course, the cost of flying to HKG, SIN, ZRH or taking the bus to Vaduz, plus the hassle of explaining what you do with your offshore accounts to the IRS doesn't make this an appeasing deal to the average joe.

First of all, what waiting for US institutions to put out chip and PIN cards? :confused:

Isn't Andrews FCU a US institution?

Isn't BMO/Harris (via the Harris part) a US institution (even though BMO proper is Canadian)? (They now hold the Diners Club US franchise, and people fortunate enough to have gotten a Diners Club card years ago and to have held on to it have recently been sent chip & pin versions proactively. But unfortunately no one who doesn't have a personal Diners Club US card already can apply for a new one yet, and we don't know when new apps will be taken.)

I can understand waiting for more US institutions. But still, while doing that, I don't understand the complexity of trying to get thsi through Europe versus the simplicity of getting it through Andrews FCU.

(Any why were you only asking about European institutions? Canada uses EMV too, and is a lot closer!)

Alternatively, wco82 can also just as easily order a Chip-and-PIN card online through Travelex, if he/she is willing to put with their rates. Even that’s still easier than trying to go to a bank in Europe or Canada for the sake of a Chip-and-PIN card.

Options are growing everyday. If fco81 doesn’t have a bank near him/her that offers such a card, the best thing to do is to pull out all his/her account from that bank and move all his/her banking needs to Andrews FCU. If the bank asks why, he/she can state that they lacked a Chip-and-PIN card and Andrews FCU did and that’s what matters to him/her.

The more banks realize that Chip-and-PIN is a serious deal, the quicker they’ll act.

I might be in the minority here, but it seems like the easiest solution these days is just to get a Travelex card with a few bucks loaded on it for the oblong unattended kiosk one might run into.

Other than that, you can pay with cash (FT heresy, I know.) whenever you get declined by a human.

Hmm, I bank at Star One CU.

Going to contact them about whether I can get my Visa from them changed to an EMV one.

How are the forex fees and the exchange rates they use though?

Not necessarily so (in more than one country): Reason: Once you hae a card, any card, with chip & PIN and the right kind of verification (online vs offline), the remaining incompatiblities are often country-specific, not continent-specific. To get around them, you'd need a separate card from a bank in the same country that you were visitng. And have you counted how many countries there are in Europe?

(Neither the European Union nor the Eurozone means that all cards issued in all those countries are guaranteed to work everywhere in all the other countries. And, at any rate, there's tons of European countries not in the Eurozone, and even a signficant number not in the EU.)

I just spoke with 3 different CSR and got mixed messages but in the end was shot down on all occasions of getting an EMV for my CitiAAdvantage VISA card - saying it was not available

Try twittering @AskCiti and attach HookemHorns scan as proof that it is available.