NEW YORK – The international language of plastic is dying.
When traveling abroad, it turns out that the credit and debit cards that Americans use don’t always translate at the register. The problem is that banks in many parts of the world have been migrating to a different type of card over the past 15 years or so. These cards are read by a chip, rather than the magnetic strip on U.S. cards.
There are a few measures travelers can take to prevent headaches.
Chase, for example, this week will become the first major U.S. bank to make a card with the chip technology widely available. But the card, along with other options, comes with costs that need to be considered.
Here’s what globetrotters need to watch:
CARD CONFUSION
It may turn out that you use your plastic without incident if you’re headed to well-traveled areas. But the problem can arise if a cashier isn’t used to processing U.S. cards.
In the United States, customers swipe the magnetic strips on their cards through a slot before signing for their purchase. Overseas, however, cards are read by a chip on the front of the card. These cards are inserted into a slot before users punch in a PIN
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