Jaunted

It sounds like the card is coming later this year, but Citi didn’t really reveal if the new technology would be making it into its cheaper cards anytime soon.

For those that aren’t looking for another piece of plastic in their wallets there is one other option, but unfortunately we don’t consider this one ideal either. The folks at Travelex—the ones that rip you off when you need to exchange currency at the airport—offer something they call the chip-and-pin enabled MasterCard Cash Passport. There doesn’t appear to be a fee for the prepaid card—although it’s kind of built into the exchange rate—but you need to load at least $250 onto it in order to get one. Still, it’s another option, and might prevent yet another overseas financial panic attack.

We’re still looking forward to the day when most Americans can join in on the chip-and-pin party, but for now we’ll keep a lookout for any and all options that can make things a little easier for one and all looking to travel abroad.

[Photo: Ciaran McGuiggan]