Some tips when travelling in the United Kingdom.....

[MrsEmmaPeel]

Fair enough - I have had issues in central London when buying from high-speed-transaction stores that aren't used to as many tourists (e.g. an M&S Simply Food near our apartment in Vauxhall). There were cashiers, but they definitely considered a signature card odd, and even a little suspicious. They actually almost denied me because my signature wasn't close enough to the one on my card (to their liking). Needed was too strong a word. But I definitely got the feeling in several places that things would have gone more smoothly with a chip+PIN or contactless. Mainly places that did not expect travelers.

 

 

(my bold)

 

Eh, I have never been turned down with my chip and sign card. I understand that train kiosks or gas stations without attendants are different animals (that I don't use), but for a store or restaurant purchase, my chip and sign card has always been accepted.

[John Bull]

(my bold)

 

Eh, I have never been turned down with my chip and sign card. I understand that train kiosks or gas stations without attendants are different animals (that I don't use), but for a store or restaurant purchase, my chip and sign card has always been accepted.

 

 

We had much the same experience using our chip & PIN in the USA.

 

Most cashiers simply got me to sign (a bit pointless cos nobody checked it - the card was my g/f''s with her name & sig on it, my sig is totally different and my name isn't Julie :D).

Just a few had POS terminals that recognised the card & required the PIN.

 

The problem was the gas stations.

At just a couple when I inserted the card at the pump it asked for the PIN & then happily dispensed.

But at all the others the pump asked for a zip-code, so I had to pay in the kiosk.

A bit of a PITA.

And none of them said "thank you, Julie, have a nice day" ;)

 

JB :)

[Globaliser]

But I definitely got the feeling in several places that things would have gone more smoothly with a chip+PIN or contactless.

I think that this is definitely correct; and I think that you must also be correct about the reason for the difficulties that you had being that the staff were simply not used to dealing with cards that aren't either chip and PIN or contactless, as those types of transaction are the overwhelming majority these days.

[wowzz]

" And none of them said "thank you, Julie, have a nice day"

Unfortunately JB, from now on whenever I read one of your posts, I shall always think of you as Julie!

[Chester & Brewster]

This is great info. We already changed our old notes, but I am wondering... my credit card is not tap to pay, BUT I have my credit card set up for android pay on my phone, which IS contactless. Will that likely work? Anyone know?

Yes, anywhere that accepts contactless card payment will accept apple/android pay. You can also use it on the underground.

Most places have a £30 limit on the transaction, but some bigger places are starting to accept it for higher/unlimited amounts.

[D C]

I think that this is definitely correct; and I think that you must also be correct about the reason for the difficulties that you had being that the staff were simply not used to dealing with cards that aren't either chip and PIN or contactless, as those types of transaction are the overwhelming majority these days.

 

That was especially true in places that see few Americans, like Guernsey. After showing them the swipe slot, they would often hand the device over to enter our PIN. "SIGNATURE? Why would you sign?"

[sddsddean]

[quote=John Bull;56307357my name isn't Julie :D).

 

JB :)

 

I'm really, really sorry, but this just jumped straight into my head (a long leap, I know)

 

Simon

[cruisequeen4ever]

Good to know; thank you!!

 

 

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[doglover3]

Much appreciated! None of my American chip cards has those ) on it. Also, our chip cards mostly are chip and signature, not "chip and pin," which is what is really needed in Europe. It took a good while for me to find an issuer of a true chip and pin card.

We were able to simply request contactless cards to replace our chip and signature cards from Capital One. We have at least one other card that came that way. Be sure to look for the ))) lines on both the front and back of the card. Ours are marked on the back.

[D C]

My Capital One Quicksilver card also has the tap icon. I got that card specifically for travel to Europe. Decent cash back, chip, and no foreign transaction fees. (don't mean to sound like a commercial).

[John Bull]

I'm really, really sorry, but this just jumped straight into my head (a long leap, I know)

 

Simon

 

Thank you, Simon, for your sweet question :*

But sadly the answer is no, for my heart lies eleswhere. :(

 

And at the earliest opportunity I will take my revenge on wowzz for starting this off . ;p

 

J(ulie) B :D

[MrsEmmaPeel]

Just arrived in London this morning and got a UK Vodafone SIM in it (10gbp). And my Android Pay worked like a champ at M&S. So I can definitely recommend it or Apple Pay for US folks with chip and signature cards.

[Got2Cruise]

I have a chip and signature card and used it all over London and Edinburgh July 2017 without an issue.

 

 

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[LHT28]

I have a chip and signature card and used it all over London and Edinburgh July 2017 without an issue.

Did you use it in the contactless machines??

 

Or just shops/hotels where they have the swipe feature?

[Got2Cruise]

Did you use it in the contactless machines??

 

 

 

Or just shops/hotels where they have the swipe feature?

 

 

 

Definitely not the contactless machine because the card does not have that feature BUT we never had a situation where we needed it. My point is I don’t think folks need to get stressed out and panic if your card doesn’t have it.

 

 

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[tartanexile81]

True, but the problem comes when a shop in England doesn't recognize them as such. $2 bills are legal tender in the U.S. but are so rare that on occasion the police have been called when someone tries to pay with one. And then there's our $1 coin fiasco....

 

Stand your ground and ask for them to ring their bank to confirm it's legal tender

[MrsEmmaPeel]

What I've found today in London is that indeed chip and signature is possible in most places. However, if you want to be speedy and run like a local, the easiest thing for an American is to set up Apple Pay or Android Pay with the US credit card and use contactless. It is wonderfully fast (hold phone to terminal, touch fingerprint sensor, and not even need to launch an app) and accepted ubiquitously.

[Cotswold Eagle]

Stand your ground and ask for them to ring their bank to confirm it's legal tender

 

 

 

Aaagh. OK, now I can’t let this go [emoji45]

 

- Scottish bank notes are not legal tender ANYWHERE, including Scotland - legal tender is a very narrow technical term that is constantly misused

 

- they are, of course, a legal currency in the UK, ie approved by Parliament

 

- however acceptance of any form of payment is entirely discretionary. A shop can refuse to take Scottish notes, as they can refuse to take a Bank of England £50 note. Being legal tender or legal currency places them under no obligation to accept them.

 

 

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[Bob++]

Out of curiosity, I looked at the BoE site to see what they said. In the comments after I saw this brilliant answer:

 

Q: What is the point of bank notes if shops can refuse to accept them???

 

A: The point of bank notes is to make transactions easier and convenient for both parties.

 

 

Shops can refuse to accept "anything": notes, coins, credit cards, gold nuggets or sheep.

Most shops "want" to sell you stuff though.

[gnome12]

We Canadians have had (and continue to have) an issue with stores not accepting $100 bills. (Why anyone would want to use one in the first place escapes me; I don't like anything larger than a $20 bill.) At first it was because they were being counterfeited, but then we issued new hard to counterfeit polymer $100 bills and stores still refuse to accept them. I think it is just a pain for them to deal with; you need lots of smaller bills for change if your are going to accept large bills.

[LHT28]

We Canadians have had (and continue to have) an issue with stores not accepting $100 bills. (Why anyone would want to use one in the first place escapes me; I don't like anything larger than a $20 bill.) At first it was because they were being counterfeited, but then we issued new hard to counterfeit polymer $100 bills and stores still refuse to accept them. I think it is just a pain for them to deal with; you need lots of smaller bills for change if your are going to accept large bills.

even $50 are a problem at some stores :(

 

I use ours at the gas station

[gnome12]

even $50 are a problem at some stores :(

 

I use ours at the gas station

Since I use a credit card basically for everything over $10, I don't want any bills larger than $20. TD machines now let you select the bills you want; it can be a bit awkward, but I can avoid receiving $50 bills now.

[hrhdhd]

What I've found today in London is that indeed chip and signature is possible in most places. However, if you want to be speedy and run like a local, the easiest thing for an American is to set up Apple Pay or Android Pay with the US credit card and use contactless. It is wonderfully fast (hold phone to terminal, touch fingerprint sensor, and not even need to launch an app) and accepted ubiquitously.

 

I don't use my phone for financial transactions, and I often don't even carry it when I'm out (at home or abroad). I'd rather carry just a credit card. :)

[Chester & Brewster]

What I've found today in London is that indeed chip and signature is possible in most places. However, if you want to be speedy and run like a local, the easiest thing for an American is to set up Apple Pay or Android Pay with the US credit card and use contactless. It is wonderfully fast (hold phone to terminal, touch fingerprint sensor, and not even need to launch an app) and accepted ubiquitously.

It’s definitely the way forward; I hardly ever even bother taking my purse out now, just my phone & pay with Apple Pay on my watch.

[newport dave]

It’s definitely the way forward; I hardly ever even bother taking my purse out now, just my phone & pay with Apple Pay on my watch.

 

This helps if the CC you have are actually registered for Android pay. We have an ASDA and Capital One Mastercard, neither are registered for Android pay.:mad::mad: