Do foreign credit cards work in the US?

It may be a rare situation for a merchant but on occasion you may have a foreign visitor and they may ask a very simple question: Will my credit card work? It may not seem like much but with the switchover to the EMV cards it could potentially be a big deal. So it is always good to know just in case the situation pops up.

It is no secret that Europe made the switchover to EMV cards long before the US did and that they went a slightly different route then we chose here. The microchips on their cards are configured for Chip-and-PIN while ours are set up for Chip-and-signature. In the early days of the changeover this was not as much of an issue as foreign-issued cards retained the magnetic stripe but as that has been phased out in Europe.

The good news is that most of the POS terminals that have been installed in the US are able to process Chip-and-PIN EMV cards as well as Chip-and-signature cards. If you want to know give us a call and we can help you out. Something like this might not be an issue for some merchants but for others this could be a huge deal.

Now, for Americans traveling to Europe or the rest of the world, we might need to do a bit of work. While some European merchants may still be able to read the magnetic stripe some may not. A Chip-and-signature card might also work in some places around the world but it may not work in others. An American traveler might have some issues with an ATM or a gas station terminal and be left in a sticky situation. The good news is that many banks allow their customers to obtain a Chip-and-PIN card or provide a PIN for a credit card. Experts also recommend bringing multiple cards just in case since a traveler does not want to be left in the lurch in a foreign country.