Credit cards, PINs and Australia

[Barkevko]

Just to advise those of you who may be travelling to Australia, on August 1, 2014, the system for using your credit card for purchases changed. Instead of signing a credit card slip for your purchase, you must input a PIN into the credit card reader. If you do not have a PIN associated with your credit cards, you may want to contact your credit card issuer to obtain one as it will not be possible to use your credit card in Australia without one.

 

Barkevko

[sapper1]

Just to advise those of you who may be travelling to Australia, on August 1, 2014, the system for using your credit card for purchases changed. Instead of signing a credit card slip for your purchase, you must input a PIN into the credit card reader. If you do not have a PIN associated with your credit cards, you may want to contact your credit card issuer to obtain one as it will not be possible to use your credit card in Australia without one.

 

Barkevko

 

This is good advice and I would add that Chip and PIN credit card terminals are pretty much standard in Canada now too. It is rare to encounter a signature terminal.

[fla742]

Our credit card issuer, who is using Chip & Sign technology, has advised us that Chip & Pin is only applicable to Australian issued cards.

 

Am trying to confirm this.

Edited September 6, 2014 by fla742

[Fontana]

:) There are three key exemptions to compulsory PIN authorisation, where cardholders may need to sign and are permitted to do so:

 

1.Australian credit and debit cards without an embedded chip: Australian issued magnetic-stripe (mag-stripe) cards without an embedded-chip will still be able to use signature for authorisation. Many of these cards will be replaced with chip-enabled cards by their issuer in the near future. This includes some American Express and Diners Club cards and certain gift cards.

 

2.Cards issued outside of Australia: Visitors from overseas are not impacted by the changes, so they will use signature or PIN to authorise transactions as they did before.

 

3.Signature-preferred cards: Special limited issue signature-preferred cards are available for Australians with a genuine need to sign. Signature-preferred cards feature a special chip to identify that the card does not require a PIN to complete the transaction, automatically notifying retailers via the POS terminal screen that a signature is permitted.

 

http://www.insideretail.com.au/blog/2014/08/20/pin-switch-continues/

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Our credit card issuer, who is using Chip & Sign technology, has advised us that Chip & Pin is only applicable to Australian issued cards.

 

Am trying to confirm this.

I think that is the case ..

[BKFlowerMound]

This is good advice and I would add that Chip and PIN credit card terminals are pretty much standard in Canada now too. It is rare to encounter a signature terminal.

 

Having just completed a trip to your wonderful country (Canada) with our backwards credit card technology, it was not much of a problem. While the terminals are all Chip and PIN, they recognize when a card doesn't have a chip (or if it's chip and signature not chip and pin). When that happens, it spits out a charge slip that has to signed. The only slight inconvenience was at gas stations where we would have to go inside to sign and couldn't fully pay at the pump. US banks have started to issue chip cards but in nearly all cases, they're chip and signature.

[Barkevko]

:) There are three key exemptions to compulsory PIN authorisation, where cardholders may need to sign and are permitted to do so:

 

1.Australian credit and debit cards without an embedded chip: Australian issued magnetic-stripe (mag-stripe) cards without an embedded-chip will still be able to use signature for authorisation. Many of these cards will be replaced with chip-enabled cards by their issuer in the near future. This includes some American Express and Diners Club cards and certain gift cards.

 

2.Cards issued outside of Australia: Visitors from overseas are not impacted by the changes, so they will use signature or PIN to authorise transactions as they did before.

 

3.Signature-preferred cards: Special limited issue signature-preferred cards are available for Australians with a genuine need to sign. Signature-preferred cards feature a special chip to identify that the card does not require a PIN to complete the transaction, automatically notifying retailers via the POS terminal screen that a signature is permitted.

 

http://www.insideretail.com.au/blog/2014/08/20/pin-switch-continues/

 

 

 

Thanks for the info. I know we haven't been able to use our PIN when travelling in the US and we always have to go inside at gas stations there to arrange our fill-up. I just hope retailers, etc. here know that overseas cards will be okay.

Barb

[GeriatricNurse]

Just to advise those of you who may be travelling to Australia, on August 1, 2014, the system for using your credit card for purchases changed. Instead of signing a credit card slip for your purchase, you must input a PIN into the credit card reader. If you do not have a PIN associated with your credit cards, you may want to contact your credit card issuer to obtain one as it will not be possible to use your credit card in Australia without one.

 

Barkevko

 

In Canada, we've had chip-enabled credit cards, with PIN's, in use for many, many years! ;)

[1of4]

:)

 

2.Cards issued outside of Australia: Visitors from overseas are not impacted by the changes, so they will use signature or PIN to authorise transactions as they did before.

 

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Just a warning. I tried to pay for a meal in a Sydney restaurant in March this year and they would not accept my PIN card. They did not tell me I could sign the card was just denied but I was assured it was not due to insufficient funds. We tried 3 cards. As a restaurant that has many tourists I asked if I was the only one and they said no, they have many a night. So my next question was why they didn't tell us before we ate!

 

I was lucky that I was with an Australian friend who then paid with her CC. I was told once this switch took place there wouldn't have been an issue for me.

 

I had no issues anywhere else I went including Cairns and Brisbane.