EMV Is Coming And You Need To Be Ready.

EMV cards are credit cards with chips in them.  They have provided enhanced payment security in Europe and Canada extra-added security for years.  Now the technology is here and all merchants will need to be ready by April of 2015 or take on extra security risk.

As of April, 2015, if a customer presents you with a chip card and it is not run through an EMV terminal,  if there is a chargeback or fraudulent charge, the liability will lie completely with the merchant.   You will have no recourse.

This also means when a chip card is taken through an EMV terminal, if there is a chargeback or fraudulent purchase, the merchant will be indemnified.

What You Need To Do to Be Ready

What You Need To Do to Be Ready

Reading these chips will require an equipment upgrade for many merchants.  For some, it will mean adding an inexpensive peripheral reader.  Others will need to upgrade their terminals.  Click on the following equipment upgrade chart to see what changes you will need to make.

PUT LINK TO EQUIPMENT UPGRADE CHART

DO I HAVE TO CONVERT?

Chip cards have a mag strips on and will run through regular terminals.  So no merchant has to convert especially if they don’t have chargebacks or fraudulent charges.

It stands to reason, that those committing fraud will seek out those merchants who are not EMV capable, so those not participating might be more at risk.

Don’t Let Anyone Talk You Into Acting Yet.

At Swipe for a Cause every one of our merchants will be converted by April of 2015.  But we are strongly advising our merchants not to make any changes yet.  The landscape to EMV is changing all the time.  To make sure you get the best equipment options available, the longer you wait to convert, the better.