Everything You Wanted to Know About EMV but Were Afraid to Ask

Inaugural Conexxus webinar gave “411 on EMV” to more than 150 attendees.

June 20, 2014

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Conexxus launched the first installment of its webinar series with a session to help retailers understand the basics of EMV implementation and what it might mean for their businesses.

With card brands touting EMV as the global “next generation” payment system, and a much-discussed liability shift going into effect in October 2015, retailers have no shortage of questions regarding the why, when and how of EMV implementation.

Robin Trickel, executive director of product compliance for Heartland Payment Systems, began by explaining what EMV is — and is not. EMV implementation helps protect against fraud and counterfeiting by using dynamic chip cards. It does not offer protection for retailers against chargebacks and does not protect or encrypt card numbers, so is not secure against data breaches. And, Trickel emphasized, EMV implementation is not a mandate.

She went on to provide what fellow speaker Phil Schwartz, manager IS for Valero Energy Corporation and data security director for the Conexxus Board of Advisors, described as the best explanation he’s seen regarding the issue of liability shift for counterfeit, lost and stolen card fraud, beginning in 2015 (October 2017 for outdoor terminals). Liability for card fraud can move to the merchant dependent on numerous factors, including type of card used, card issuer, type of card reader used, additional authentication measures in place (such as signature or PIN) and location of card reader, among other factors.

Trickel wrapped up with a list of considerations for merchants to keep in mind when planning for EMV implementation, including vulnerability assessment, staff training, training customers how to use the new system, planning for increased transaction times and, of course, cost.

For more information on EMV, read the May NACS Magazine feature, “Half Covered.”

Conexxus, formerly PCATS, addresses technology standards to improve business processes, reduce costs and increase productivity for the convenience and fuel retailing industry. For more information on how you can get involved visit conexxus.org.

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