Comment on parle

[steve]

"chip and PIN"?

[Becky (Berkeleytravelers)]

Que cosa?? Oh wait - wrong language! What's happening here - are we ordering fish and chips at the bank, or what?

[Anne]

If you're talking about credit cards, then "chip" is a "puce" and "PIN" is the four digits code that you enter to validate your payment on the credit card terminal .
If you're talking about something else, then I am at a loss ...

[Anne]

Wait, it applies to mobile phones as well : PIN is then the code that you enter as a security when turning the phone on . But I would have thought that you have the same thing in the US ?

[steve]

I didn't know if French used the Anglicism "PIN". I wanted to know in case I run into the situation where a chip and PIN credit card is needed and I don't have one.

[Penny]

PIN =Personal Identification Number The abbreviation is usually what is asked for on screen after you put in how you are using. I only had one place in Paris where my card did not work and I do not recall it asking for a PIN so it was running it through as credit.
I have a BOA Debit card which can to be a debit if used with PIN and a credit (no fee it just withdraws from my account) for purchases (if I not asked how I'm using)
Any place I used my card in Paris it was run through as a credit when I handed card to salesperson.
Withdrawing money from an ATM was simple.
My understanding was the chip is something embedded in the European CC and the US ones do not work in things like machines for metro ticket purchase. Sorry I don't remember what was said to do in that situation.

Anne: I don't know about others phone but mine just has a lock key. I have to have a pin for Voice Mail retrieval.

LOL would be better (PIN) for me as my stupid phone sends text messages if I forget to lock, I'd replace the @#@ thing but I've finally figured out how to send text messages and not up to learning anything new but French.

[Anne]

Penny, I am not sure of what a lock key is, but my phone (and all the other ones I know of) shows a "code PIN ?" message as soon as turned on . And if I don't enter the proper code, then I cannot use the phone . And if I type a wrong code three times, then the phones gets blocked .

[Truffaut]

It's something I haven't paid a lot of attention to, but it seems that most machines ask me for a "Code Access" instead of a "PIN". Am I imagining this?

[steve]

Robert says: PIN (number) : code m confidentiel or personnel

but I thought that sounded very non-vernacular.