The Smart Card Smarts Travelers Without One

The Smart Card Smarts Travelers Without One

Europe

The chip has decreased plastic card counterfeit by 29% this past year in England. The chip has also been the cause of many good-intentioned travelers’ hell. This past Valentine’s Day, the UK lovingly issued that people must be able to punch in their secret pin if asked by merchants to do so. They must punch in their code on top of swiping their chip on special chip-readers that all merchants should have. If the person making the purchase is unable to punch in their pin with the chip card, the merchant has the right to refuse a sale. Exceptions to this rule should be made for people traveling from over-seas who have magnetic strip cards. The problem is that many merchants are unaware of this exception and have been refusing all sales no matter where the person is from, if they do not have the new style chip and pin card.

North America, being slow as usual to advance technologically, is still mostly relying on cards with magnetic strips. American Express offers the “blue” card, which has a readable chip. However if you want a pin to go with the chip you have to ask for it, but it is available. That is the only card, to my knowledge, that is available for Americans who want a chip and pin card.

I spoke with a representative from Wells Fargo and she told me a story about one of her colleagues going to England and trying to unsuccessfully use his magnetic-stripped card at different locations. His card was refused almost everywhere he went and he ended up having to call the States and make an expensive cash advance. The lady also told me that Wells Fargo is not going to issue a chip and pin card anytime soon, but they will eventually.

Another representative from Visa told me that if an overseas traveler with a magnetic strip is refused a sale because he or she does not have a chip and pin card, they should tell the merchant they are under the old magnetic strip system and then call their global customer service line to verify this. Visa has around-the-clock emergency assistance if this happens. It would be a smart move to go online before taking a trip, so that you have the number readily available. When you enter your home country and the country you will be visiting online, it retrieves the global customer service number you will need to dial for that location. Visa does not have a chip and pin card available for Americans.

Another term for the chip and pin card is a smart card. Royally confused myself at the difference, if there was one, I found some answers to my query online. The basic definition for a smart card is a plastic card with a built in computer chip. The chip is generally a built-in microprocessor/memory chip that is used for identification and/or financial transactions. Wikipedia provided a wordy definition about volatile memory components and crypto-processors if you are interested in a more technology-specific definition. At the end of their half-page definition it said: “the public usage of the terminology is often inconsistent.”

Although the chip and pin card has proven to be more secure than a magnetic stripped plastic, for those that don’t own one, it may continue to be a burden when they visit countries utilizing the new system. The UK and France require a smart card and are the only places that require a chip and pin for their citizens, but it is also used in many other European countries. If you’re planning on traveling to the UK or France, try to go with a chip and pin card. Ask your card-provider if the card is compatible with the scanners in those countries. If you cannot obtain a chipped card, mentally prepare yourself to be a pioneer for proving you have the right to use a magnetic strip card. Have your bank numbers handy and be firm and gentle with the ill-informed merchant. You are more likely to have problems in smaller, “hole-in-the-wall” businesses, then you will with corporate operations. So in order to enjoy those authentic spots, be prepared to either assert your right to have a magnetic strip or find a way to own a chip and pin card.

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