Why don't credit cards have PINs?

[CCS]

It would cut down on a lot of fraud and muggings. They do in Europe. Why not here?

There should be two PINs, a digit apart so the second one is easy to remember. If you enter the second one, it lets the police know you are in trouble or a thief is using the card.

 

[Cassin]

They do. 3 digit number on the back. Or your billing zip code.

 

[CCS]

What good is a PIN if it is written on the card, or is as easy to guess as the zip code? Those are too easy for a thief to use. We should have our own self selected PIN's that are not written anywhere.


Anyone who finds your wallet can take your credit card to 5 different gas stations and buy a carton of cigarettes at each one. If you are lucky, the clerk will ask for ID, the VISA says the back must be signed and that the signature is the security feature.

 

[Cassin]

But what good is a pin in a debit card since it can be used exactly like a credit card?

 

[Aplunk1]

It defeats the purpose of having a credit card in the first place.

 

[CCS]

I think the credit feature on a debit card should be changed to require a PIN as well.

Why would that defeat the purpose of a credit card? The purpose of a credit card is to borrow money you don't have, on demand and with convenience. Are you saying that the 5 seconds it takes to type your PIN defeats convenience? I would rather have the piece of mind and stop hearing about all these fraudsters making out big. Even if you get your money back after fraud, you know the loss is just factored into everyone's interest rates and annual fees.

 

[somone uk]

you don't have chip and pin in america?

i thought the uk was backwards technologically.