UK credit cards use chip to beat theft: Why not in the US?

While paying for something with a credit card is the ultimate in convenience -- you swipe, then sign -- it can be a little too easy for crooks who get their hands on your card to go on a spending spree and rack up big charges. In the U.K., a different type of credit card thwarts would-be thieves. Dubbed "chip and PIN," the cards are implanted with a small chip that will only allow the card to work if the user enters the correct PIN number.