Chip and Pin Visa

[HKM]

I have a visa credit card from my Spanish bank it is not a chip card, how will I get on using this in the UK?

Is everything chip and pin?

Thanks

HK

[Campo Kenny]

Every filling station uses it and most shops with an electronic transfer facility will be chip and pin.

I take it you'll have a PIN nuber to get cash from the hole in the wall?

It's a thought provoking question that actually....................I really cannot think of any outlet I know that is not on chip and pin in UK.


Kenny

[masterob]

I was over in UK in September and used my Spanish Visa card which, like yours, isn´t chip and PIN. I had no problems. I used it in Tesco, Sainsbury and John Lewis stores. I just signed the usual slip as in the days before Chip and PIN. They did ask for ID though and were content with my Spanish Residencia card.

[JAWG]

This may seem a little ridiculous to many, but what do you mean by "chip and pin". Here in Canada, I just present my VISA, they run it through their machine and I sign for it. Or I present my bank debit card and they run it through, I input my PIN, my account is hit, and end of story.

[katy]

The chip and pin is a pain here, people get fed up of having to go into the bar area to pay in a restaurant, even worse they bring a machine to the table and its impossible to see by candlelight. I tried to get them to cancel my use of a pin but not successful.

[JAWG]

But Katy, what does "chip and pin" mean? What do you do?

[Don]

No problem. Even if your card is chip and pin (please keep up JAWG) there are outlets who are not enabled so wherever you spend you either input the pin or you sign. Some of my visa is C&P some not. Both work equally well everywhere.

Saludos

[katy]

When they insert your card into the machine it asks for your 4 digit pin number. Only you can insert this and some of the machines seem a bit dodgy and refuse to accept the pin Some of the larger stores bypass this and it is not necessary to use it. I think if any business does not ask you for the pin then they do not get reembursed if there is fraud. It seems to be a European thing, never happens in the USA.

[Don]

Ok I should be a little more friendly to JAWG - so says OH - we have chip and pin in Europe meaning the card has a computer readable chip and to validate each time to use it, you no longer sign (as signatures are forgeable) you punch your pin number (PIN = personal identification number) into a machine and the transaction is verified.

Hasta luego companeros.

[JAWG]

Thank you, Don. That's what we do with our debit cards. With credit cards (VISA etc) we just present and sign.

[beagle46]

Actually, JAWG, here in Canada there are now many places (bars, service stations, grocery stores) where you (or the server) simply swipe the card and it automatically goes through. No signing, so any one with the card can use it without having to worry about forging a signature. I'd prefer the PIN that we have on debit cards and they have on their credit cards.

[JAWG]

Haven"t yet come across that directly. Although the "Easy Pay" option at the gas pumps is like that. But you don't use your credit card per se. You use a Gas Co thingy that activates the pump and charges your credit card.

[Don]

Out of curiosity, why should chip and pin be limited to debit or credit cards? I know credit card providers are meant to provide some security for users but why not the same level of security for all cards to take money from your account?

[wendyakemp]

Hi Guys
just a little point, when the card is put into the machine it will know if it is a chip or swipe card,you cannot override chip and pin on 90% of machines now, so if you don't know your number you are stuffed. Whereas, if the card is not chip and pin enabled you will be asked to sign.
simple when you know...........(its my job).

[Busymum]

Yep. Just to add....

1. If your card is chip and pin (has the rectangular gold chip on it) the card is put into a slot on the bottom of the machine, the machine can not now be over ridden and the pin is required.

2. If the card doesn't have a chip and is swipped along the side of the machine.... machines still ask for pin .... however they can be over ridden if necessary. Many Spanish retailers over ride as a matter of course but I am now lead to believe that Uk stores are asking for the pin number .... however exceptions to the rule always exist!!

Hope I haven't just repeated everything said before!

Busymum

[pkates]

The only point that has been missed is that 'Chip and Pin' supposedly cannot be cloned.

I think most of us have seen or heard how easy it is to clone the magnetic strips on the older style cards using cheap high street parts.

This is a very similar move in technology / security as was the switch from analogue to digital mobile/cell phones.

I'm not saying that makes it perfect before anyone jumps in!!

[tjtops]

You're very lucky you HAVE a card at all.....my Banco de Andalucia debit card expired at the end of October and the bank politely informs me that the new one has not yet arrived from Madrid.. ...AAARRRRRRRRRRGH....and that 'around 60' or so people are in the same boat....?? In the meantime of course, no access to cash machines. Anyone here had this happen?

[Laslomas]

I am with Banco Andalucia - my debit card expired at the end of September. I also use internet banking and each time I logged in during SeptemberI was told I had a card awaiting activation. But I did not receive my new card by 27th of September (a Thursday) so I went into the bank and told them I did not have a new card and on Monday it would be October, so what should I do??? They said - do not worry it is in the post. The following week it had not arrived, and because of this I could not use internet banking either as the Log-in procedure relies on information from the Debit card. I went back into the bank and asked that they cancel the card 'in the post' and issue another that I would pick up from the bank. The following week I collected the card from the bank, and at the end of October the card 'in the post' arrived - which I destroyed. For two and a half weeks I had no access to my account other than by queuing in the bank. Each visit to the bank averaged 40 minutes of queues. But for some reason this is Normal!!!

[tjtops]

actually laslomas I think you might be right. I am extremely fed up with this! The irony is that I wanted them to post it to me but they said I had to wait until the new one arrived at the bank before they could change the procedure for next time...ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH. welcome to Spain, eh.

[ashtondav]

I always find it most amusing, when visiting Spain from UK, that i pay with my trusty Nationwide Visa, enter my pin (which shows as accepted) and then I am asked to sign the slip that comes out the machine, or in Mercadona, a funny digital screen. This happens everywhere.

No-one ever compares the signature on the slip to the one on the card so it's utterly pointless from a security perspective

Most peculiar. Is there a reason, or is it just a case of another quaint Spanish custom?