Most credit cards in Europe have an embedded PIN chip in them, called an EMV card. Almost no American credit cards do. This causes big problems for Americans traveling in Europe but there are a few ways to minimize the hassle.
It's very common to swipe your American credit card over there and have the transaction be denied either because of the system itself or because the cashier doesn't know how to work it. NYT says the best thing to do is carry several credit cards and if one doesn't work, politely ask the merchant to try another one. You may have to try several times.
However, that doesn't help when dealing with things like a telephone, parking meter, or gas pump that can't recognize a magnetic-strip only card. You can't charm a kiosk.
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