I use my chipped card frequently when going to the grocery store. Pretty much 20% of the time, it won't read the chip, reporting "Chip Malfunction". Even wiping any sort of gunk off the chip contacts doesn't fix it. So you have to go through 3 failed read cycles before it will let you use the mag strip on the back.
Going back to the store a few days later and the same machine will work, I wonder how often the machine's readers are cleaned.
A cashier gave me a tip once. Try pushing on the face of the card so the chip end is levered up against the machine tighter. It seems like there is something wrong with the contacts in the reader and do not make appropriate contact with the chip.
I've had problems with the chips themselves. I had a card whose chip worked perfectly for maybe a year or more before I lost it. The replacement chip worked for about a week then I'd get a chip error every time and everywhere. So I got another replacement which didn't work out of the envelope. So I got a third replacement and it worked exactly one time before breaking.
At this point I've just given up and insert the card three times before being forced to use the mag strip. I don't even know what else to do...
Going back to the store a few days later and the same machine will work, I wonder how often the machine's readers are cleaned.