No kidding. Occasionally a railroad will take a debit card, but my bank blocked mine after one $11 transaction, to protect me against fraud. It's enough to make you feel like a refugee from the third world.

Not surprising...the USA Banks are the new gulag? Holding us prisoner in our own country.
Of course you could always take some cash, deposit it in a foreign bank and then get a modern debit card to use while out of the USA.

How much cash should the American tourist carry? Answer: $38. From the TV show Two and a Half Men: "When you are mugged, it's just enough to keep the mugger from pistol whipping you."

I just came back to the U.S. after spending about a year living and working in the U.K. When I first arrived, I found my U.S. debit card a pain to use because clerks weren't used to swiping cards. They would sometimes try to stick the card into the chip reader, until I pointed out there was no chip. Then they would spend a few minutes trying to figure out how to swipe the card, sometimes having to call a manager.

Once I got settled, I opened an account with a British bank and got a Visa debit card with a chip. Even though I have now moved back to the U.S., I'm actually going to keep the account open with a small balance, so if I travel abroad again, I will have a chipped debit card to use.

My friend in Canada says that chipped cards are being introduced there, too. I don't understand why American banks don't make the transition. It's more secure.