Hi, All:
Sorry for dragging this up again, but I%26#39;m having difficulty confirming it, so at the risk of trying your patience:
In a post below about ATM usage in Paris, a few people referred to a requirement for having no more than 4-digits for an ATM PIN.
When we were in Paris in %26#39;04 this was not an issue, nor do I see anything even remotely like this mentioned at numerous travel/tourism info sites on Paris. You would think such a restriction or policy would be prominently highlighted.
I%26#39;ll be in Paris again for 8 days in early May, and if someone can tell me if this requirement is new and does it hold true at every bank in Paris (I%26#39;ll mostly be using Credit Lyonnais, or %26quot;Calyon%26quot; ATMs since I am an employee) I%26#39;d really appreciate it.
It seems like an unusual requirement, but I%26#39;ll change our PIN if I have to--I%26#39;d really rather not, though.
Thanks much in advance for your help and patience.
Seth
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THe thing is that our credit cards only have four digit pin codes, I am quite sure though that ATM%26#39;s allow larger numbers, without being able to confirm this since all European countries I have seen or used credit cards from have 4 digits. I have Also never had a client having issues getting money from an ATM with an american card.
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Howdy Seth,
I can%26#39;t confirm yay or nay, but I can say that I use my 4 digit pin all the time in Paris, and so do my friends. Never had a problem. Hope this helps?
lasscass
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Like others, we%26#39;ve never encountered any problems. But I believe (I%26#39;m only 95% certain) that 4-digit-only PINs is an %26#39;..old thing..%26#39; and that the inter-bank ATM networks in France have all been up-graded over the past several years and now accept up to six(6) or seven(7) digit PIN%26#39;s.
In any event, I don%26#39;t recall any complaints from users with more than four(4) digit PINs in quite some time. But as an employee of Credit Lyonaise, can%26#39;t you use your inter-office telephone system to contact someone in the bank%26#39;s International Dept. or electronic transfer department and ask them. Odds are someone there will know for an absolute certainty.
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Seth -
This 4-digit pin thingie has been hashed over almost as many times as the shoe topic.
Frankly I think the whole thing is an urban myth that just refuses to die. I just went back and looked at an old post of mine in response to a poster who asked if she would be OK with a 6-digit pin. I told her I thought she would. Since she apparently went on her trip and didn%26#39;t come back squawking about how she%26#39;d had to beg for spare change so she could eat while in Paris, I assume she did not have a problem.
Thing is, I KNOW that 6-digit PINs work in Italy. Given the integration of the European banking/monetary systems, it seems to me it would be impossible for that to be true in Italy and not true in France.
Additionally, if 6-digit PINs were being refused all over Paris/France/wherever, don%26#39;t you think we would have heard about it by now?
Lastly. if you used a Debit/ATM card in 2004 with no problem, I don%26#39;t think anything has changed since then that would make it impossible for you to use it now.
That%26#39;s my .02€
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Sorry I can not give you a certitude but last December I assisted an American fellow who could not access his account. He had a five digits PIN.
My four digits PIN work like a charm at any bank including Crédit Lyonnais.
Why take a chance ?
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Hi, Guys--
Thanks so much for the responses. My problem is that our PIN is more than 4 digits. I don;t recall this being an issue in Paris in %26#39;04, and am hoping not to have to change our PIN before I get there in early May.
Regards,
Seth
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Since we began using ATM%26#39;s instead of travellers%26#39; checks beginning in 2002, we have always been able to access our accounts with the four-digit PIN codes we originated our accounts with. According to others not only here but elsewhere if the PIN code had more than four digits, they could not access their accounts. Perhaps certain banks allow you access if your PIN code is longer than five digits, but four digits seem to be the standard.
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6-digit-pin was not accepted last summer in Paris with my friend%26#39;s card. Maybe your bank is different.
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Last fall I was not able to use my 7-digit PIN code in the ATMs that I tried in Paris. The machines would not accept a 7th digit. (Sorry, I don%26#39;t remember if I tried Calyon or not. I know for certain that it did not work with BNP Paribas.) My husband was fine with his 6-digit PIN.
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Hey, Guys--
Thank you all so much for the input, and sorry for being redundant if I was. I%26#39;m pretty confident I%26#39;ll have no problem.
Note to KDK--You%26#39;d think it would be simpler to just call a colleague in Paris, right? The two people I did contact told me they didn%26#39;t know, since they use 4-digit codes. The customer service side of our bank--which I often refer to as the best French bank on 6th Avenue, between 52 and 53rd Streets, on the west side of the block--is pretty----shall we say, lacking. They literally once told a client of mine who was visiting Paris and stopped into a branch because he needed a quick, simple inquiry made to the NY office that %26quot;bankers don%26#39;t work on Tuesdays in NY....you%26#39;ll have to write us a letter and we can check with New York after receiving it.%26quot; (Actually things have improved a little since the merger, but we%26#39;re not winning any customer service awards anytime soon.)
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