Diners Club under BMO is rolling out chip and pin cards but is not open to new applicants. Some US card issuers are disingenuously issuing chip and signature cards in a lamentable application of American exceptionalism.
Andrews Federal Credit Union to the rescue.
Who?
FlyerTalk has a superb thread curated by kebosabi with a Google Docs spreadsheet of all chip options in the US. kebosabi broke the news about Andrews FCU and MASTERNC got the card and shared the application experience. They and all the contributors to this thread should be applauded for their tireless research efforts.
So here is the GlobeTrek Visa Rewards Card showing the big banks how to cater to serious travelers (see the FAQ, too).
Rapid Travel Chai miles and points special consultant spiffster contributes this pithy analysis of the card:
Pros – best first
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Chip and PIN – Yeah, PIN !
no annual fee – Yeah!
1% foreign transaction – better than 3% but still not 0
5000 bonus on first purchase – but only 5K?
no balance transfer fees – cool but still charge interest
low interest rate – again, who carries a balance?
no cash advance fees – but, who does this?Cons – worst last
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1% foreign transaction – still not 0
platinum not signature – lesser bennies
Uses CURewards for its points redemption – max value is probably 1% and almost always lower on these programs
This is a specialist card, the best option for Americans who need frequently need true chip and pin. For others the chip and pin benefits may not be justified due to a credit pull to open the account and poor rewards program. Bravo to another credit union showing the big boys how to meet customer need!
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