Chip & PIN is the latest and most secure way to pay with credit or debit cards in the UK.

It combines two effective security features. The first is a chip that stores card data more securely than a magnetic stripe and is therefore much harder to counterfeit (clone) or skim. The second is the four-digit PIN (personal identification number). Instead of using a signature to verify payments, cardholders are now asked to enter their PIN known only to them.

The introduction of Chip & PIN is the most recent major security improvement introduced by the payment industry to reduce the risk of accepting card payments. It is now extremely difficult for fraudsters to use credit and debit cards without knowing the specific four digit PIN retained by the cardholder and linked to that card.