[stephengillie]

If my bank (credit union) has transitioned to chip-and-pin, they have done so without telling me.

The cards they issue are pressed at the main branch; I had to wait while they printed my latest card. The process they use to print doesn't emboss the card - the little numbers don't stick up - and as such they have nearly rubbed off from the card.

I got that most recent card in September of 2012, and it's already wearing out; the magnetic stripe hasn't been reliable for 6 months, and the numbers are so worn off the front that cashiers have trouble hand-entering it. It doesn't even have the Mastercard NFC antenna.

I really, really doubt that most of the USA's banks are anywhere near ready for a transition.

[mbreese]

I got a new card (2 years early) to replace a card with an NFC chip. This was Wells Fargo, so bigger than a credit union. I got the replacement, but my wife didn't. I originally had an NFC card, whereas she didn't. I think that the fact that the first NFC translation in a long time was made a few weeks earlier at an airport may have had something to do with the timing.

Regardless, the changeover has already started. It may take a few years to be complete, but the writing is on the wall.

[tallanvor]

Some small banks will take longer than others to get ready, but many have already started sending out cards with chips when it's time for you to get a new one.

The silly thing is that the US is mostly standardizing on chip and signature, which means that if your card is stolen, it's still easy for criminals to use it until you're able to block it.

[CaptainZapp]

From October the merchant is responsible for fraud if the card has no chip and he accepts it.

Be prepared for a lot of merchants not willing to take that risk and to decline your card if it has a mag stripe only.