Interesting. In most stores in Holland my experience is that over a certain amount, or after a certain number of transactions, I get a 'pin required' message. I then have to wait for the cashier to do some voodoo, only then insert my card (before that causes issues), and enter my PIN. This is the case pretty much everywhere.

I love contactless payment, and this occasional complication doesn't cause enough trouble, but it's still really annoying because I'd expect exactly what you describe to be the case.