Chip and PIN was trialled in Northampton, England from May 2003, and as a result was rolled out nationwide in the United Kingdom in 2004 with advertisements in the press and national television promoting the Safety in Numbers slogan. During the first stages of deployment, if a fraudulent magnetic swipe card transaction was deemed to have occurred, the retailer was refunded by the issuing bank, as was the case prior to the introduction of Chip and PIN. However, as of January 1, 2005, the liability for such transactions was shifted to the retailer. This acted as an incentive for retailers to upgrade their Point of sale (PoS) systems, and most major high street chains upgraded on time for the EMV deadline. Nonetheless, many smaller businesses are still reluctant to upgrade their equipment, as it may require a completely new PoS system - an investment they may normally make only after several years.

New cards featuring both magnetic strips and chips are now issued by all major banks. The replacement of pre-chip and pin cards was a major issue, as some banks simply stated that consumers would receive their new cards “when their old card expires” - despite many people having had cards with expiry dates as late as 2007. The card issuer Switch lost a major contract with HBOS to VISA as they were not ready to issue the new cards as early as the bank wanted to. This change angered many, as Visa’s Electron cards are generally not accepted online, unlike Switch’s Solo.

When a customer does not know their PIN, or the PIN verification fails, the cashier can instigate a PIN Bypass, allowing a signature to complete the transaction. However, this PIN Bypass option was only scheduled to be available during the infancy of Chip and PIN within the UK. From February 14, 2006 the banks have decided to discourage this facility. From this date on, PIN verification should be used for all Chip and PIN enabled cards. Should the customer not know their PIN then the cashier can still instigate a PIN Bypass transaction (with signature), however, the card issuer/bank may choose to decline the transaction.

Cardholders who are incapable of entering a PIN because of a mental or physical disability can contact their bank to be issued with a so-called Chip and Signature card.

In the Republic of Ireland, a PIN must be used with chip and PIN enabled cards and this came into effect on St. Patrick’s Day 2007 (17 March 2007).