Tip: Use Your Chase Sapphire Reserve at German Train Ticket Machines
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Chip and Pin cards are commonplace in Europe, but most US credit cards aren't issued with this functionality. This renders many US credit cards useless at overseas unattended purchasing machines, like train ticket machines.
One of the few excellent travel cards that has Chip + PIN technology is the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard,making it an excellent option for a trip to Europe - especially because you can use your points to wipe out these travel purchases. But there's another option for buying train tickets using a card that's earned a place in many of our wallets at The Points Guy.
While the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card is officially a Chip + Signature card, it acts like a Chip + PIN card at the ticket machines of Deutsche Bahn (DB), Germany's state rail operator. Since these machines are used for everything from long-haul train tickets to local S-Bahn metro and even bus tickets, having a credit card that works at these machines is a big benefit. It'll save you from needing to have enough cash or putting the purchase on a debit card. Even better, you'll earn 3x Ultimate Rewards points from these travel purchases. And, there are no foreign transaction fees.
So, how does it work? After selecting your ticket option, click Pay and see if there's a credit card option. Not all purchases will allow you to use a credit card. If the card symbol is there, enter the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card and wait for the payment screen to prompt a PIN. Then just enter any four digits and click confirm.
It seems not to matter which numbers you use. At first, I entered the same PIN for all purchases, not sure if I had created a PIN by doing so. But, after mistyping this PIN once and having the purchase be confirmed, I've used random digits ever since.
Have you found any other cards that act like a Chip + PIN?
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.