The US has been the one major player to resist the expensive migration to the chip and PIN standard from mag-stripe cards, posing a problem for Americans on their travels.

Wells Fargo is testing a Visa Smart Card that includes the technology with 15,000 customers who travel internationally. Giesecke & Devrient is providing the cards, personalisation and fulfilment services.

Eric Schindewolf, VP, product development, Wells Fargo Consumer Credit Card, says: "By combining traditional magnetic stripe along with the EMV chip technology, we hope our customers will have the convenience to use their credit card no matter where they are in the world."

There have been signs that the US is finally moving towards chip and PIN, with calls coming from merchants, led by giant Wal-Mart, for its introduction amid fears that international fraudsters will turn their attention to American shores.

Travelex recently introduced a pre-paid foreign currency Chip and PIN card denominated in euros and pound sterling for US travellers abroad while French manufacturer Gemalto has its own dual interface EMV offering.

Last month State Employees' Credit Union went a step further, revealing that it will be one of the first financial institutions in the US to roll out EMV debit cards to its 1.6 million customers.