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"swiping" in context of using the magnetic strip on the card? Most European cards have this kind of payment disabled by default. But how do you enter the PIN i

by andix 3y ago

"swiping" in context of using the magnetic strip on the card? Most European cards have this kind of payment disabled by default. But how do you enter the PIN in those cases? We used to have the option to authorize payments with signature until a few years ago. But I think those cards completely vanished now.

snotrockets 3y ago
The majority of EMV credit cards from American banks are chip+signature, not chip+pin.
- andix 3y ago
  I had issues with a chip+signature card already 10 years ago in London. Some bars just didn’t accept it. Probably because they were too lazy to archive the receipts (signing CC transactions on a screen like in the US was never a thing in Europe).
alistairSH 3y ago
At restaurants, they usually swipe and then bring you a receipt to sign. Yes, we still have the magnetic strip enabled. Most retailers it’s tap/RFID or chip read, but I still run into old POS hardware that requires a mag swipe (not often - I think Visa charges the merchant more for these transactions). EDIT - I much prefer chip/PIN and wish it were the default here. And wish all US cards had a PIN (some don’t, and those that support it usually need it enabled explicitly). This causes problems in Europe with unmanned terminals (gas stations after hours, train ticket self-service).
- andix 3y ago
  > This causes problems in Europe with unmanned terminals (gas stations after hours, train ticket self-service). I think you should be safe with a NFC enabled card for now. Apple Pay for example works in most places in my experience (even all around the world, except US). Physical cards might have a limit for contactless payment somewhere between 20-100€. And not all devices have a pin pad to enter the required pin then.
  - alistairSH 3y ago
    The problem I had in the UK was unmanned gas stations (at night). My main card apparently didn’t support a PIN at the time (2018?). So filling up at night was problematic (had to use my ATM card which did have a PIN). I ran into something similar in Italy in 2017 at the Florence train station - self-service terminal wanted a PIN.
    - andix 3y ago
      Yes, if your card doesn't have a pin, then it's probably not usable on unmanned terminals. But this is kind of by design, isn't it? Like those NFC credit card stickers, that can only be used on NFC terminals, because they aren't a smart card and don't have a magstripe. I think the operators could still charge the card without a PIN, but the card owner could dispute the charge and just get the money back. That's why they don't accept it, they want to get paid, and not give away free gas.

by andix 3y ago

snotrockets 3y ago

The majority of EMV credit cards from American banks are chip+signature, not chip+pin.

andix 3y ago
I had issues with a chip+signature card already 10 years ago in London. Some bars just didn’t accept it. Probably because they were too lazy to archive the receipts (signing CC transactions on a screen like in the US was never a thing in Europe).

alistairSH 3y ago

At restaurants, they usually swipe and then bring you a receipt to sign. Yes, we still have the magnetic strip enabled. Most retailers it’s tap/RFID or chip read, but I still run into old POS hardware that requires a mag swipe (not often - I think Visa charges the merchant more for these transactions). EDIT - I much prefer chip/PIN and wish it were the default here. And wish all US cards had a PIN (some don’t, and those that support it usually need it enabled explicitly). This causes problems in Europe with unmanned terminals (gas stations after hours, train ticket self-service).

andix 3y ago
> This causes problems in Europe with unmanned terminals (gas stations after hours, train ticket self-service). I think you should be safe with a NFC enabled card for now. Apple Pay for example works in most places in my experience (even all around the world, except US). Physical cards might have a limit for contactless payment somewhere between 20-100€. And not all devices have a pin pad to enter the required pin then.
- alistairSH 3y ago
  The problem I had in the UK was unmanned gas stations (at night). My main card apparently didn’t support a PIN at the time (2018?). So filling up at night was problematic (had to use my ATM card which did have a PIN). I ran into something similar in Italy in 2017 at the Florence train station - self-service terminal wanted a PIN.
  - andix 3y ago
    Yes, if your card doesn't have a pin, then it's probably not usable on unmanned terminals. But this is kind of by design, isn't it? Like those NFC credit card stickers, that can only be used on NFC terminals, because they aren't a smart card and don't have a magstripe. I think the operators could still charge the card without a PIN, but the card owner could dispute the charge and just get the money back. That's why they don't accept it, they want to get paid, and not give away free gas.