r/AskReddit • u/danielsoft1 • 9h ago

"those little differences" Americans who visited Europe, what was surprisingly different for you?

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u/thalassicus 7h ago

You never hand your credit card to a waiter or merchant who then takes it away to run it. They bring the device to you which seems much more secure.

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u/Berliner1220 6h ago

Often this is because Europeans do not use credit cards like Americans do. They use debit cards which are inherently less secure.

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u/mixomatoso 6h ago

Weren't creditcards famously known to be less secure because you could swipe them without a PIN or even copy the magnet strip? Debit cards in Europe have had a magnet strip + PIN + chip for 3 decades now and you can't build any credit debt which, in my book, is the safer option.

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u/General_Disaray_1974 5h ago

Its just easier to get the illicit transaction canceled on a credit card VS a debit card.

All major US cards have the same strip/PIN/chip combo as well, even the debit cards.