Looking around on my computer at old photos yesterday, I found these three. They are wall art.
You might be surprised to learn where I took the photos.
Well, for the first time, I wasn't able to pay with the American magnetic-stripe card. The company has new card readers, and they are no longer equipped with a slot you can swipe a U.S. card through. If you're an American traveling in France, be aware that your cards might not work everywhere. This is the second time since September that I've run into this situation — the first time was in a restaurant. We ended up having to pay cash.
Already, self-service gas pumps in France, for example, make no provision for U.S.-style chipless cards. Nor do toll booths on the autoroutes, as far as I know. If you are driving a rental car in France, you have to be careful not to let your tank go empty in the evening or on Sunday afternoon, when all the gas stations are self-service only, with no attendant on duty. When there's an attendant, you can usually pay with an American chipless card, but that might be changing now.
Sometimes — and I might say "often" — even businesses that do have machines capable of reading the magnetic stripe on your U.S. card (which doesn't have a computer chip on it the way cards issued by French banks do) can be a problem. Store clerks and waiters in restaurants are often just convinced that the cards won't work, and they are incapable of making them work. Sometimes I resort to asking if I can slide the card myself, and that almost invariably works fine. It's as if you have to have the right attitude and technique to get the U.S.-style cards to work.
It's always an adventure.
ReplyDeleteInteresting information.
Both of our cards from Canada already have the chip.
My cousins from DC were here visiting in early November and they had their American bank issue them a Visa card with a PIN chip in it especially for their trip through France this year. They had no problems paying anywhere, but I noticed that often, they had a second receipt that came out of the machine that they had to sign, something we don't have to do with our French credit cards.
ReplyDeleteKen, I love those pictures... but I love wall ART graffiti [as opposed to unthought mucky graffiti] anyhows.
ReplyDeleteA clever nod to a famous surrealist in there... but I am not sure I quite get the "This is not a pipe" smoke?
Now,thinking about it... these are all, possibly, nods and winks at people and events... please "translate".
I've been caught all over Europe with road-toll and petrol-buying issues using American and Australian cards.
ReplyDeleteSadly a lot of the CHIP cards are less safe than the older cards*, and even where law mandates that businesses must take signature-based cards, the stores simply don't carry the readers.
(*especially if they have the NFC elements, which can be hacked and copied by people standing near you)
Hi Meredith, that's funny that your friends would have to enter a PIN (I assume) and also have to sign the receipt. Double security, I guess. I bet the U.S. banks charge a big fee to issue such cards.
ReplyDeleteMike, I didn't know about that. Anyway, I went to the Caldéo office this morning and the woman at the front desk had a machine that would read my U.S.-issued, chipless Visa card. So I've paid. Now I'm wondering whether the driver of the delivery truck knew what he was doing. Maybe his machine also had the slot on the side for swiping cards, and he just didn't know how to use it. I didn't get a good look at the machine.
In most French self service gas stations the only card you can use is a French "Carte Bleue". We;ve been caucht like that when we only had British cards, and we recently had to rescue a Spanish family in Descartes with a "normal" Mastercard and no gas - we paid for the gas with our Carte Bleue and they gave us cash. I used to work in the card industry, and believe me, the French system is like nothing else on earth! Pauline
ReplyDeleteWe've experienced the situation when with an Australian friend where a new reader has been issued, with no instructions for the shop who had to use it. We eventually figured out that the magnetic strip reader was secreted down the side of the machine -- it really wasn't obvious.
ReplyDeletePauline, thanks for confirming that. But I also think the U.S. system is very antiquated at this point.
ReplyDeleteSusan, you are so right — chez Caldéo, it was not at all obvious that there was a slot on the side of the card reader for swiping a chipless card. It worked, though, and the woman working the desk was very nice about it, even apologizing for the inconvenience they had caused me.
U cant use US credit cards in the metro either..one of my card companies....chase...assured me that their card had a chip for Europe....sadly this was not the case..the US banks need to provide these cards..I was really surprised that even USAA doesn't have...and they deal with a lot of military around the world
ReplyDeleteBecause of the credit card issue, I got a US chip and PIN card before last spring's trip to France, and it worked everywhere: unattended gas stations, toll booths, and Paris Metro. There is a credit union (Andrews FCU in Maryland) that anyone can join and get such a card from. I also recently got a chip and signature card from my regular bank (Bank of America), which also should work. My understanding is that at unattended machines, it just goes through w/o any PIN.
ReplyDeleteBob, are there fees involved?
ReplyDeleteSorry, Ken, I forgot to address that. There are no annual fees for either card, just any percentage fees for the foreign currency charge, same as with non-chip American cards. For Andrews FCU it's 1%; BOA might also be 1%. Capital One has no foreign transaction fees, but I don't believe they have any chip cards yet.
ReplyDeleteI've been stuck at gas stations twice now (slow learner) with no way to pay because of my U.S. chipless cards. Once was on a Sunday in a town across the river from Chaumont and more recently late at night near Brignoles. Both times we were on fumes and rather desperate. Both times the very first locals we asked to pump our gas on their card and then accept our cash as payment, did so with a smile and even engaged in small talk as we filled our tank. Thank you anonymous nice people.
ReplyDeleteI got a chip and PIN card this year because of situations like Dean describes. While I never ran out of gas, the final straw was the morning we were returning our car to the airport and I wanted to top off the 1/4 empty tank, but all gas stations were unattended. So I returned it and paid something like $100 to the rental agency for refueling charges plus a very high fuel cost.
ReplyDeleteI have several credit cards that I use to collect frequent flier miles. One is a Citi Simplicity (cash back one at start-up). It has no annual fee. They recently sent me a chip card, but there is a 3% foreign transaction on this one.
ReplyDeleteI think more American cards will offer chips now. I'm not sure how to get a pin though- probably just call.
Do you have a US address, Ken? If so maybe you could get a chip and pin card here somehow.
Hi Evelyn, no, unfortunately I do not have a US address. I will have to ask my credit union (State Dept. FCU in DC) if there is any way to get a chip and PIN card from them.
ReplyDeleteKen, Glenn was able to open a checking account in Canada even though he is a permanent resident of the US because he is a Canadian citizen with a Social Insurance number. Their cards have the chips. We were told that at some point in the future our US credit cards will not longer work anywhere in Canada. Glenn talked to our banker and was told they have no plans to use chip cards. I was surprised because our bank is owned by a company in Spain.
ReplyDelete~Margaret
I've seen prepaid chip cards from travelex that you can fill from your US account, or other. http://www.travelex.fr/fr/for-individuals/cash-passport/cash-passport/
ReplyDeleteI looked into Travelex before getting an Andrews FCU card, and the exchange rates and fees were absurd. I'd only get one as a last minute stop gap if it was too late to get anything else.
ReplyDeleteI've read a number of stories about French clerks who will refuse to even try to use American cards. They always end the same way, the cardholder runs it and it always works.
ReplyDelete@Bob: The Travelex cards are a joke. Apart from all the fees, the problems with them having to be in currency only (and you can't have multiple cards) - no one will accept them!
ReplyDeleteI even tried in a Travelex ATM and it wouldn't accept my card.
Yes, I have been working on this chip and pin issue being from the US, for a couple of years now. I hope it will be soon (Capital One, I am talking to you!!) because it would help tremendously in the French train stations so I could use the terminals and not stand in line for the ticket windows!!! Someday.... (hope hope hope) especially if Canada changes over...
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I took the pictures in this post 10 years ago on Polk Street in San Francisco.
ReplyDeleteKassandra, here's a link to a document listing chip cards available in the US, as well as a link to a blog post explaining the steps for applying for the Andrews FCU card. And Ken, I see that the State Dept. FCU is on the list.
ReplyDeletehttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ani-u3tGk5hedGRvcE1ELVg5UmlGZk01SHZvTUMxdUE#gid=0
http://victoria-hawkins.com/archives/744
Hi Bob Rossi (and anyone else with US issued credit cards),
ReplyDeleteWe have an EMV card (chip and PIN) through B of A. We just called and were told that we would never need to use a PIN with it, except for cash advances.
Here's my question: when you've used your chip and PIN card in Europe for purchases at unattended machines, did you need to enter a PIN for the card to work?
Thanks, Dean
@Jean: Yes you will need to use the PIN.
ReplyDeleteHi Dean, I think I usually if not always needed to use a PIN, but I'm not sure. I know a few times at attended spots (like a grocery store), a receipt came out for me to sign, but I'm not sure if I used a PIN before that happened. But at unattended machines, I believe I always had to use a PIN. ANd I too just got a BOA chip card which is chip and signature, hence no PIN.
ReplyDeleteWe just called B of A again and spoke with another representative. She said that B of A issues credit cards with a chip and a PIN, but that the PIN associated with the U.S. card is only used in cases of cash advances (exactly what the other rep had said). She said the PIN will not allow you to use the credit card at European machines, e.g. unattended gas pumps and electronic ticket kiosks in train stations. We asked her what the point of the chip is. She said that the chip is there so that the card will be recognized by a foreign card reader and accepted by a merchant who will agree to let you sign for a purchase.
ReplyDeleteShe went on to say that it is an evolving process, but that as of now, she recommended we carry a bunch of cash, keep the gas tank topped off, and be prepared to stand in lines with an attendant at the end of it.
Hello Jean, well, that BofA advice didn't sound very helpful. But at least if the chipped card can be inserted into the readers instead of swiped I guess that is some small amount of progress.
ReplyDeleteI don't see any definitive answers. Hope this gets resolved before my next trip to La Belle France!
ReplyDeleteCheryl, I think one good thing to do would be to get your bank or credit union to issue you a card with a chip on it. Then at least you wouldn't have the problem with people in France not knowing how to swipe the card — even if you have to sign a receipt rather than punch in a PIN to get the transaction completed.
ReplyDeleteInternational Students gone abroad for studies through exchange programs or through scholarship need calling cards. The plan should be economic and easy to apply for.
ReplyDeletePrepaid Calling Cards in US