My latest complaint .... gas pumps

[Cormanus]

Yep. The difference is that U.S. credit card issuers turned down the opportunity to support Chip & Pin technology, unlike Canada, the EU, and Asia. Instead, our cards use Chip & Signature. The reason? They didn't think the U.S. consumer would be able to remember a 4-digit PIN. That aside, gas pumps in the U.S. are not yet required to read and accept Chip cards, so they're still relying on the magnetic strip for authentication, which is fraught with security issues. For Cormanus and other visitors, you're probably better off using a debit card at the pump.

Interesting. We now allow transactions up to A$100 without using a PIN. You simply tap your card and that's it. No swipe; no insert.

I can't remember, but I'm pretty sure I used a debit card in the US and it worked in the way I described. It may be the nature of the card.