Do French ATMs Now Require Card with Chip?

A friend just back from France reports that his ATM card, from an
American bank, wouldn't work at any ATM in France because they all now
require a smart ATM card with a chip.

He said that this is a new standard going in all over Europe, but
France is the only place that has completely converted.

Can anyone corroborate this?

Has anyone successfully used a U.S. ATM card in France in the past
month or two, with or without a chip? I'm especially interested in
BofA, because with their Platinum check/ATM card there is only a 1%
exchange fee.

I wonder if all U.S. ATM cards with chips will work in France?

Walt Bilofsky a écrit :

A friend just back from France reports that his ATM card, from an
American bank, wouldn't work at any ATM in France because they all now
require a smart ATM card with a chip.

He said that this is a new standard going in all over Europe, but
France is the only place that has completely converted.

Can anyone corroborate this?

Has anyone successfully used a U.S. ATM card in France in the past
month or two, with or without a chip? I'm especially interested in
BofA, because with their Platinum check/ATM card there is only a 1%
exchange fee.

I wonder if all U.S. ATM cards with chips will work in France?

I used a card everywhere here in France that drew on a US bank account
until about a year ago. The card had no chip.

"Cochon Capitaliste" wrote:

I used a card everywhere here in France that drew on a US bank account
until about a year ago. The card had no chip.

Yes, my cards worked fine in France last year too.

My friend said this change was effective February 2006, according to
signs on some of the ATMs.

No signs on my ATM

"Walt Bilofsky" a écrit dans le message de news:
...
"Cochon Capitaliste" wrote:

I used a card everywhere here in France that drew on a US bank account
until about a year ago. The card had no chip.

Yes, my cards worked fine in France last year too.

My friend said this change was effective February 2006, according to
signs on some of the ATMs.

Runge wrote:

No signs on my ATM


There is a sign that says "Go away gRunge"...

--
Best
Greg



"Walt Bilofsky" a écrit dans le message de news:
...
"Cochon Capitaliste" wrote:

I used a card everywhere here in France that drew on a US bank account
until about a year ago. The card had no chip.

Yes, my cards worked fine in France last year too.

My friend said this change was effective February 2006, according to
signs on some of the ATMs.

On 11/07/06 20:14, in article ,
"Walt Bilofsky" wrote:

A friend just back from France reports that his ATM card, from an
American bank, wouldn't work at any ATM in France because they all now
require a smart ATM card with a chip.

I regularly use an American based Mastercard, no problem.

The problem may be the kind of card he uses. Usually the
ATM machines have a picture list of all the cards which
are accepted, which roughly are 6-10.

However, it somebody is using his odd lot Credit Union card
it might not work. I don't even know if Amex is generally
accepted, but anything with a Visa on it or Mastercard will
work. I also have a French card with a chip, neither card
has ever been rejected in Europe or the USA.

On 12/07/06 9:01, in article , "Earl Evleth"
wrote:

Correction

I also used my US based card just a few days ago.

However, if somebody is using his odd lot Credit Union card
it might not work. I don't even know if Amex is generally
accepted, but anything with a Visa on it or Mastercard will
work. I also have a French card with a chip, neither card
has ever been rejected in Europe or the USA.

We could not find an ATM machine which took Mastercard in Ghana.
However, Barclays in Accra would use the card but write it
up as purchase. We never had a problem in the Caribbean islands
however in Cuba, US based cards are not accepted but European based
cards are.

From http://www.acrosscuba.com/index.php?L=3&B=36

"We strongly recommend visa (credit card) in cubans ATM or debit card(visa
electron) you can withdraw up to 40 bills at once in any denomination of
pesos convertibles. this will work in cuba atm as long as they are issued by
a NON american bank.

Earl Evleth wrote:

On 12/07/06 9:01, in article , "Earl
Evleth"
wrote:

Correction

I also used my US based card just a few days ago.

However, if somebody is using his odd lot Credit Union card
it might not work. I don't even know if Amex is generally
accepted, but anything with a Visa on it or Mastercard will
work. I also have a French card with a chip, neither card
has ever been rejected in Europe or the USA.

We could not find an ATM machine which took Mastercard in Ghana.
However, Barclays in Accra would use the card but write it
up as purchase. We never had a problem in the Caribbean islands
however in Cuba, US based cards are not accepted but European based
cards are.

From http://www.acrosscuba.com/index.php?L=3&B=36

"We strongly recommend visa (credit card) in cubans ATM or debit card(visa
electron) you can withdraw up to 40 bills at once in any denomination of
pesos convertibles. this will work in cuba atm as long as they are issued
by
a NON american bank.



Interesting:

http://www.cuba-solidarity.org/cubas...p?ArticleID=13


British credit cards hit by US sanctions / 22 October 2002

Cuba Si
The magazine of CSC By Stephen Wilkinson


"British tourists travelling to Cuba are being prevented from using their
credit cards because of the US blockade, it has emerged.

HFC, Beneficial and Marbles - the card brands of the US finance company
Household International - wrote to their British holders in August telling
them that their cards will not be valid in Cuba.

Two CSC members were among the estimated two million customers who received
the warning on their monthly statement.

Thanks to their timely pro-tests, CSC alerted the media and the story made
the Financial Times on August 28th.
Zelda Robinson was particularly angered because her card is an affinity card
issued in the name of the Consumers' Association. She wrote a letter of
complaint to Which?
Her statement, like all the others read:
'Due to US government restrictions applicable to us, please do not use your
card in Cuba as the transaction will not be processed.'
Zelda told CubaSi: 'I was appalled that the current US administration can
interfere to this extent with my freedom and told them so.'

The matter is serious because it has also emerged that the British
subsidiaries of other US banks are also blocking transactions in Cuba by
their customers. It could be that more than one in five UK cards cannot be
used on the island.

Even cards from major British banks such as Abbey National and Alliance &
Leicester cannot be used there because they are outsourced to MBNA, the US
card issuer that claims 14 per cent of the UK market.

'What we are telling card-holders is that their cards will not be able to be
used in Cuba and this is because of an American directive,' said Martin
Rutland, communications director of HFC.
MBNA told the Financial Times that it had no option but to refuse
transactions with Cuba. 'We are not doing this by choice. We are bound by US
law.'

Vincent Cable, Liberal Democrat spokesman for trade and industry, was quoted
by the FT as saying it was 'clearly unacceptable' that US sanctions should
hit Britons. 'It means whenever America has a bilateral quarrel, it hits UK
and European interests. What is clearly needed is a multilateral agreement
to stop unforeseen consequences of extra-territorial legislation.'

It is not clear why this ruling has been suddenly brought into effect.
Presumably these cards have been used in Cuba in the past, so why they have
suddenly been targeted would be interesting to find out. No one at the banks
would say, but it would most likely be an assertion of the ban on subsidiary
trade with Cuba in the 1992 Torricelli Law. This law was condemned outright
as extra-territorial and illegal by the Major Government at the time it was
passed.

International law expert Keith Ewing told CubaSi: 'This is an outrageous
example of extra-territoriality and should be condemned. It is also a
nonsense. Why should Cuba be singled out for this treatment? Presumably
these cards could be used in Baghdad right now, so why not Havana?.'

CSC wrote to the minister reposnsible for the Caribbean at the DTI, Baroness
Symons of Vernham Dean, and got the following reply: 'The Government's
understanding is that this is situation is a contractual matter between
consumers and pro- viders. In this case there does not seem to be an extra
territorial application of US law.'
In other words: the government intends to do nothing about this. CSC members
should write letters of protest to the companies concerned and copy them to
their MPs."

/

On 12/07/06 9:36, in article
, "Gregory Morrow"
wrote:

British credit cards hit by US sanctions / 22 October 2002


This was dated over 3 years ago. The times I have gone
(all visits were official) I used a French based Visa
card on a medium size French only bank. The bank is now
owned by a large international bank which has offices
in the US. I certainly would check with one's bank
and not assume it is good.

The problem of getting correct information, since
the teller might say anything and even if one talks
with some lower member of the administrative staff
one can be mislead.

I would think foreign countries could just control
by law what banks on their territory do in this
regard. If there is a conflict of jurisdiction
some international court can settle the dispute.

The EU is powerful enough to impose its will
on such matters.

Earl Evleth wrote:

On 11/07/06 20:14, in article ,
"Walt Bilofsky" wrote:

A friend just back from France reports that his ATM card, from an
American bank, wouldn't work at any ATM in France because they all now
require a smart ATM card with a chip.

I regularly use an American based Mastercard, no problem.

Is that a Mastercard credit card, or an ATM card linked to a bank
account which also works as a debit card in making purchases?