>I don't know if I have a PIN on my credit cards. I was told (actually read about it later online) that the reason some places in Europe do not take American credit cards is that their CC cards now have a chip. You see this symbol of this chip everywhere in Europe these days. They say that CC without the chip are less secure.

It definately is. For a string of years banks were able to defend the claims that cards with PIN and tape were safe and any misuse was due to customer failing to follow regulations (stipulating to having PIN given away or at least on a piece of paper with the card) even in court rulings. That changed sloooowly even after it was shown how easy it is to clone a card having tape only in a restaurant or such place.

Then the practice of filming card holders via hidden camera coupled with adding reading devices to teller machines became common knowlegde to judges as well - soon chips were added and soon aftwerwards needed ;-)