Meaning & use
chip and PIN
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountableBritish
A way of paying by card where you put your card in a machine and enter a secret number.
Grammar: Uncountable: say 'pay by chip and PIN', not 'a chip and PIN'.
Patterns
- pay by chip and PIN
- use chip and PIN
Most shops in the UK expect you to pay by chip and PIN.
I forgot my PIN, so I couldn't use chip and PIN at the supermarket.
Chip and PIN is more secure than signing a receipt.
adjectivebefore a nounBritish
Describing a card or machine that works by reading a chip and asking for a secret number.
Grammar: Used before a noun: a chip and PIN machine, a chip and PIN card.
Patterns
- chip and PIN machine
- chip and PIN card
The cafe has a new chip and PIN machine behind the counter.
My bank sent me a chip and PIN card to replace the old one.
Common combinations
- pay by chip and PIN
- You can pay by chip and PIN or with cash.
- chip and PIN machine
- The chip and PIN machine wasn't working, so we paid cash.
- chip and PIN card
- Make sure your chip and PIN card is signed before you travel.
- enter your PIN
- Enter your PIN when the chip and PIN machine asks for it.
Synonyms and how they differ
- chip card
- A broader term for a card with a chip; 'chip and PIN' specifically mentions the PIN step.
Commonly confused: chip and PIN or PIN?
chip and PIN vs PIN
PIN is the secret number itself; chip and PIN is the whole payment method.
Practice
In a British shop, what does 'pay by chip and PIN' mean?
Choose one answer.
Chip and PIN means putting your card in the machine and typing your secret number. Tapping the card is called 'contactless', and signing a receipt is an older method.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “chip and PIN”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.