KL808

Im in Europe right now and notice that almost all merchants require a pin for transaction using a credit card.

So, I called Capitalone and they issued me a pin to use, and told me that I wont be charged under "cash advance" as long as you dont use it at atms, banks etc.

However, is this really true? Does anybody have had the same experience?

Thanks

mia

They do not require a PIN for a "swipe" transaction. Chip & PIN is the common method of authenticating transactions in Europe. Your card does not have an EMV contact chip. Entering a PIN with a swiped transaction will have no effect. This trip, just pay the way you do in the USA, by swiping and signing. When you return look at these threads:

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

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

sdsearch

In the "early days" of chip & PIN discussion (ie, before US banks started rolling EMV cards out), there were occasional reports of someone sticking a swipe card into a slot in a kiosk someplace or other, and being asked for a PIN. In some cases 0000 worked, in some cases 9999 worked, and in some cases the PIN associated with the card worked (but I'm not sure if those people had tried other numbers first, ie, if it wasn't just any random 4-digit number that worked!). But in many cases, nothing at all worked.

It depends if the kiosk has a combination swipe and chip slot, or only a chip slot.

As time goes on, more of Europe's kiosks are getting their card readers updated, and as that happens, they often stop accepting swipe cards period.