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Cards with Pin Numbers


Teamedup

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Second visit to the UK this year and for all there is a lot of fuss about chip and pin now, our french visa cards were not accepted in those shops that take pin numbers now on either visit.

Will french shops take brit pin numbers? I suspect not............

 

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[quote]Second visit to the UK this year and for all there is a lot of fuss about chip and pin now, our french visa cards were not accepted in those shops that take pin numbers now on either visit. Will fre...[/quote]

Hi TU,

Our machine is recognising an average of 1 in 6 or so of English chip & pin. That is to say, the machine asks just 1 in 6 of all UK cards with the puce (chip), to put in their pin number, the rest of the time, it is still asking us to swipe the card for the client to sign.

Only one problem with the chip & pin, half of the clients haven't got a clue what their pin number is ! This Europe thing can be a bit of a larf can't it !

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I've just got my new card from the Royal Bank of Scotland and it came with the famous chip and a very nice leaflet explaining how to use it; Not that I really needed help after all the time I've been using one in France.

I'm just back from the UK and, rather annoyingly, every time I tried paying for something with my carte bleue, the salespeople would very eagerly put it in their brand new machine only to get a "card error" message. They looked very dubious when I told them that it was probably because it was a French card. They've been told so much that this is a much safer method that they were obviously convinced I was some sort of international credit card swindler (although why I would be doing my shopping Tesco's if that was the case is another matter)

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This advice is more applicable to using a new UK chip and pin card in the UK card readers. I have already had to have two cards replaced because the system would not recognise my Pin numbers even after getting the bank to send me confirmation of my Pin. Whilst, the bank could not explain the reason for this problem, they did point out it was necessary to make sure your cards worked by the end of the year. As after that time  in the UK any card with a chip and pin will only be accepted with the imputing of the correct pin number because signatures will no longer be permitted.

 

Baz

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Teamedup,

My comments above were only relating UK issued cards. It quite possible until French  chip cards are updated to the new UK standards that they will not work in the UK card readers and a signature will be permitted. The machine should say when a card is entered which form of proof is required. Do not panic over your Visa International card.

Baz

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[quote]Teamedup, My comments above were only relating UK issued cards. It quite possible until French chip cards are updated to the new UK standards that they will not work in the UK card readers and a sig...[/quote]

Baz,

Won't signing be a problem for French cards in the UK? The cards are set up for pin use.

We haven't signed with them for donkeys years and although we sign on the back of the cards like normal (well on our cards we do!) I personally have never known any French store or whatever to allow a person to sign if their pin or card was giving a problem.

The whole point of a pin is for security, so by allowing it to be used in the old fashioned low security signature formula is completely defeating why they were changed to pin and we can never accept a card unless a pin is offered.

It is pretty stupid that it cannot be unified but why am I not surprised !

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[quote]Hi Miki I thought you were a Chelsea supporter but is your actavar not the Great Jimmy Greaves wearing the shirt of the great Tottenham Hotspur. (those were the days) Colin[/quote]

What Spurs shirt !!

Must be late at night and your mincers are playing up Colin 

Thanks to tresco (member) the maestro is now in his original and rightful get up !!

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I see Sir Jim`s now wearing a different shirt but i will be forever greatful that he played his best football along side Alan Gilzean in that great spurs side of the early 60`s.

Just once in a while it`s good to be old enough to say    " I saw the great man play"

Colin

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[quote]Second visit to the UK this year and for all there is a lot of fuss about chip and pin now, our french visa cards were not accepted in those shops that take pin numbers now on either visit. Will fre...[/quote]

Will french shops take brit pin numbers? I suspect not............

I have just bought a camera from Geant (200 euro) with my Nationwide visa card - issued in July. The shop assistant made me insert the card into the chip reader. I tapped in my PIN ... and the camera was mine.

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Just once in a while it`s good to be old enough to say    " I saw the great man play"

Colin


Absolutely Colin, that is why I would love to see the man knighted. He brought pleasure to millions through his career. Even though I am a Chelsea supporter since knee high, he was a player that made me slope down to the Lane to watch him play many times after his return from Italy. I wouldn't do that for many players, if any !!

Yes, I remember that the maestro and Gilly were called the "G" men

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[quote]Baz, Won't signing be a problem for French cards in the UK? The cards are set up for pin use. We haven't signed with them for donkeys years and although we sign on the back of the cards like normal...[/quote]

Miki,

My understanding is that the French pin system is currently incompatible with that of the UK, due to the tighter security incorporated in UK cards. I also believe that the French system is due to updated then all cards issued in either France or GB will work in both countries.

With regards to signing, I have as yet never found any of my new UK pin cards will work in the French machines and am always asked to sign. I therefore assume that if you currently use a French issued card in the UK a signature would be required.

The reason that signing as an alternative is allowed currently in the UK is twofold. Firstly, it will take sometime before all old card are replaced with chip and pin. Secondly, as I found out cards or machines can have problems.

Baz

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Baz

As I stated earlier, we have a "one in 6 rate" of being asked for a  pin number by our machine in regards to UK cards. Out of those 6 barely anyone knows their pin number !

At a rough guess, we have probably taken around 6 UK cards where the process has worked by the person using their pin number and very excited they were to !!

Apparently the French are now one generation behind and moves are afoot to play catch up.

I really can't say about French cards in the UK and signing instead of the using of a pin number. I suppose it might be logical but having said that, the security of the French card then goes out the window doesn't it?

What happened to you TU , did you say you had problems?

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  • 2 weeks later...

[quote]Just done my first chip 'n pin in the UK - so excited I almost put my French number in...[/quote]

Dick,

Lucky you. Tried to use my card in Tesco, it would not work. The card was replaced by the issuer, tried the new card and still  would not except my number. This has now resulted in an investigation between the Bank and Tesco finance and am awaiting the outcome. I suspect from my experience the UK machines will have a few teething problems.

Baz

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In our experience, UK issued cards with PIN numbers do not work here in French machines.

I asked our UK bank why and was told it was because French machines need 5 numbers!!!!!

I had quite an argument with the clerk over this who refused to belieeve that this wasn't the case.

There seems to be an awful lot of confusion over this and bank staff are not particularly well informed

Karen

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I have heard from my bank manager here in France. When our cards come up for renewal in Dec, she swears that their pin numbers will work in the UK as the french issued cards have been updated in the recent past.

This actually isn't that helpful to customers who have new cards issued every couple of years.

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On a recent visit to France with my new UK-issued chip & pin Visa card I was able to use it as such on several occasions, but oddly enough a visit to Carrefour required chip and pin at the supermarket checkout but a signature when buying petrol at their service station and vice versa at Auchan a few days earlier.

It seems that a French terminal that requires a pin from a foreign card will not accept payment any other way (ie a signature). Part of the cashiers procedure is to select the nationality of the card being presented.

I understood that for French-issued cards to be used in a swipe machine in the UK (or elsewhere in Europe?) the magnetic strip had to be enabled specifically for this purpose - is that the definition of an international card?

Brian

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[quote]Even some stores over in the uk with the chip and pin machines cannot get it right..... I have a chip and pin and do not mind signing the reciept in France....Although I would love cash machines t...[/quote]

Using my Nationwide debit card to draw cash in Spain earlier this year the receipt always showed the remaining account balance in euros - guess it won't be too long before other countries do the same (or will it?)

Brian

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[quote]There are so many cards these days. Is yours international? we pay extra to have an international card. When did you get your card, maybe you got it before updating occurred..........[/quote]

had mine about 1 yr but never use the card in uk normally,but for this 1 time ..

is your int card with ca

maybee i need to ask for international use?
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