Why is that credit card chip so important? What is the big deal? It seems more trouble than it’s worth! Swipe, tap, insert card – wait, this point of sale (POS) isn’t chip enabled! And by the way – WHAT IS EMV AND WHY SHOULD I CARE??? That’s pretty much how we all feel every time we go to make a payment and see “No Chip” notes stuck on the terminal; or put our card into the reader and wait for it to beep when we pulled it out too early.
EMV stands for Europay, Mastercard, Visa; the three companies that established the security standard back in 1999. Since 2013 it has been managed by a consortium, now EMVco, jointly owned by American Express, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, UnionPay and Visa. The standard reduces the chances of in-person credit/debit card fraud and helps ensure the security of consumer financial data vs traditional mag-swipe payments. Contact EMV (also known as “chip” or “dip”) is the method of payment where consumers insert their debit card or credit card into the slot of the terminal and wait for the purchase to be authorized. Contactless EMV (also known as “tap”) allows consumers with contactless-enabled cards or digital wallets to tap or wave their card or device over an EMV Contactless enabled terminal.
USA Technologies recently hosted Discover General Manager of Digital Acceptance Danielle Bataglia on an episode of UR Tech Insiders. She focuses on the unattended retail markets, working with merchants and payments providers serving that sector. She recently talked to USAT’s VP of Marketing, Elyssa Steiner, to discuss EMV and its many advancements in the world of payments.
“We saw a real surge in contactless payments and contactless enabled terminals in the US in 2020. This can likely be attributed to the pandemic and consumers’ demand to pay safely and quickly – it takes less than a second to tap and pay,” said Ms. Bataglia. “The unattended vertical, that includes vending and micro markets, is already well positioned to take advantage of this trend, with traditionally higher rates of contactless payments than other in-store retailers. EMV contactless provides a more secure and reliable way to pay and is the foundation for future technology advancements in contactless payments.”
To learn more about EMV, and why it’s essential to the unattended retail market sector, tune in to our podcast: