Tag Archives: EMV cards

Prepare for Holiday Shopping | Abtek

Preparing for the Holiday Shopping Season

The holiday shopping season is quickly approaching, and you know what they say—“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” As data indicates, this year should be the most profitable yet, with 82% of merchants expecting their holiday sales to increase from the previous year. Make sure that you’re prepared for the boost in customer traffic (and sales) with these four tips.

1. Adopt EMV Now

EMV for the Holidays | AbtekIf you haven’t upgraded your POS equipment to for the new EMV chip cards, it’s time to do so. Accepting EMV technology at your store is critical for ensuring the security of your customers’ payment data. Plus, if a fraudulent charge occurs at your establishment, and the victim had a chip-enabled card, you bear the responsibility of paying for the loss. To minimize potential liability, you’ll want to get this installed quickly, before the holiday rush is in full swing. You will need time to properly train your staff on how to use the new system.

2. Ramp Up Hiring Efforts to Ensure an Enjoyable Shopping Experience

Hire for Holiday Shopping Season | AbtekLines will be longer than usual, aisles will be more crowded, and as always, customers will be in a hurry. Take measures now to ensure that your customers’ shopping experience will be enjoyable, no matter how busy your store gets. Ramp up your hiring efforts so that you can operate smoothly at full capacity. Consider bringing on specialized employees to assist with decorating the store, gift-wrapping, de-icing any slippery conditions outside and other seasonal needs.

3. Make Sure You’re Working with a Payment Processer You Trust

Between the increased customer traffic, extra-large seasonal inventory, and recent changes in payment processing (EMV), things might get a little messy this holiday. When you’re hit with a chargeback, whether “friendly” or not, you’re going to want to be sure that you have a payment processor in place that will fight for you and be available to answer your questions 24/7.

4. Don’t Forget About Gift Cards!

Offer Gift Cards this Holiday | AbtekGift cards continue to be the most asked-for gift item, making the wish list for 62% of shoppers, according to reports from NRF. The average person buying gift cards will spend $172.74. Are you taking advantage of this huge sales opportunity? If you’re still offering paper gift cards, it’s time for an upgrade. Talk to your payment processor about putting a stored value card program in place at your store.

Black Friday will be here before you know it, and if you haven’t begun to prepare, you may already be falling behind the competition. For more tips and tricks on how to prepare for the holiday shopping season, follow Abtek on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn! Or, to learn more about your payment processing options, give us a call at (800) 544-9145.

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Tami Cohorst Talks EMV on Channel 7 News

October 1st was the deadline for merchants to upgrade their POS systems to be EMV chip card-compatible. From now on, if a consumer uses an EMV card at an outdated terminal, the merchant will be liable for any fraudulent charges associated with the purchase.

Earlier this month COO of Abtek, Tami Cohorst was featured on WXYZ-TV Channel 7 in Detroit to discuss the current EMV chip card landscape in the United States. Learn why some consumers may not have received their chip cards yet and discover what this transition to EMV will do for our payment security as a country.

View the clip below!

EMV Chip Card Transition Deadline Is HereOur COO Tami Cohorst appeared on WXYZ-TV Channel 7 ahead of today’s EMV liability shift deadline to talk to Stephen Clark and JoAnne Purtan. Have questions about how to get your business chip card-ready? Call us at 248-623-4430 today!

Posted by ABTEK on Thursday, October 1, 2015

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EMV Equipment Guide

EMV Liability Shift | AbtekBy now, if you haven’t updated your payment equipment to be compatible with EMV chip cards, you’re already a step behind. But, don’t fret—if you own a small business, there’s still time to get new terminals before the liability shift hits on October 1. This late in the game, it will actually be tough to find a new point of sale system that isn’t compatible with EMV chip cards. That’s good news for you because it will make your search easier, plus you’ll have a wide selection of options. We’ve put together a guide to help you determine which type of EMV terminal is right for your business.

What Exactly is an EMV-Compatible POS System?EMV Compatible Terminal | Abtek

An EMV terminal differs from traditional magnetic stripe terminals in one major way: it includes a chip-reading portal into which customers insert their EMV cards. This portal features technology that can read the unique payment information that’s generated by the microchip embedded into the card.

What are Your Options?

Different types of businesses have different needs when it comes to payment processing. Here’s a look at the most popular types of EMV-compatible terminals available.

  • Countertop Terminals – Like their name implies, countertop terminals are placed on top of the checkout counter for customer use. These terminals are available with a number of different features including WiFi connectivity, receipt printing, near-field communication technology and more.
  • Pin Pads – Pin pads function similarly to countertop terminals. The only difference here is that they can only be used to process debit transactions, which typically have lower fees for the merchant. Often, pin pads are used in conjunction with compatible countertop terminals.
  • NFC Peripheral | AbtekNear-Field Communication Peripherals – NFC is a technology that enables wireless data transfers between two devices in close proximity, often a phone or enabled credit card and a credit card terminal. NFC is kind of like a modern, cool “bonus” feature that can help to speed up the payment process. If the technology is not already embedded into the terminal, peripheral equipment is available.
  • Wireless Mobile Terminals – Mobile terminals will be key for businesses in the restaurant industry and businesses that interact with their customers on the floor. (Think Apple.) These point-of-sale systems are battery-powered, feature wireless connectivity and give the merchant the freedom to process payments from anywhere.

Where Can You Buy an EMV Credit Card Terminal?

If you work with a reputable merchant services provider (MSP), they’ll have a large inventory of EMV terminals for you to choose from. They’ll take care of all of the programming for you to ensure that it works properly in time for the liability shift. While you could technically purchase a terminal from an outside seller, it would still need to be reprogramed by your MSP, so it’s typically easier and more cost-effective to go directly through your provider.

Don’t Delay – Get Started Now!

Contact your merchant services provider today to place your order for new EMV-compatible terminals. The sooner you take action, the better the chances that you’ll get through this EMV transition chargeback- and fee-free!

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How to Use Chip Card | Abtek

6 Easy Steps for Using EMV Chip Cards

The EMV liability shift is now less than three weeks away! Is your business prepared for an influx of chip card-carrying customers? You may have installed new terminals and software, but now what?

If you’ve been to Target recently, you may have noticed that the staff is now actively encouraging all customers who have EMV chip cards to run them the proper way—by dipping them in the terminal, instead of swiping. Now, accepting EMV chip cards is great for your business and even better for customers—but it can be bad for your checkout line wait times if your customers don’t know how to run them properly.

So, now it’s time to train your staff. It’s important for your employees to be patient as millions of Americans learn how to use their new cards. It’s certainly not hard to run an EMV card, but it is a significant change in the way we’re used to paying. It’s a change of habit, and it will take time for the public to become completely comfortable with the new payment process. You can share this infographic with your employees to bring them up to speed on this new-fangled technology. When they understand how to use the terminals, it will be easier for them to explain to customers how to use them as well. Remember, good customer service leads to happy customers! You can see the text-only version of this guide by clicking here.

How to Use EMV Cards | Abtek

 
 

Text-Only Version:

6 Easy Steps for Chip Payments

  1. Examine the terminal – Does it have a portal on the bottom designed to read chips?
  2. If not, slide your card as if you would a regular magnetic stripe card.
  3. If yes, gently insert your card into the terminal—it should be sticking about halfway out.
  4. Leave your card in the terminal as it reads the unique code generated by the chip. You may need to wait for up to 10 seconds for the transaction to complete.
  5. Remove your card, and place it back safely in your wallet or purse.
  6. Sign for the purchase to help verify your identity in the case of fraud. Or, if you are using a debit card, you may need to enter a PIN.

Why the change? EMV chip cards are designed to be significantly more secure than magnetic stripe cards. Because the chip generates a unique code for each transaction, it drastically reduces the risk of a customer’s credit card information being stolen in the event of a data breach.

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How the EMV Liability Shift Will Affect Your Business

Being able to accept EMV cards isn’t as simple as flipping a switch on your existing terminals. In most cases you’ll have to physically replace your POS equipment to be able to accept these more secure, chip-enabled cards. And with only half of merchants expecting to be ready by the October 1 deadline, there’s a lot of work still to be done.

What does the Liability Shift Really Mean?

Barcode Error | AbtekCurrently, merchants are at quite a disadvantage when it comes to credit card fraud. In the event of a fraudulent credit card charge, the merchant is first faced with the loss of the merchandise, which in most cases is irreversible. Then, the cardholder’s bank (the card-issuing bank) takes the hit for the lost funds, meaning that they’re responsible for refunding the person who was the victim of fraud. These banks, however, often look to the merchant for reimbursement, claiming that the business didn’t take the proper measures to prevent the fraudulent charge from occurring.

Come October 1, what we know about fraud liability will be flipped upside down. In essence, once the shift hits, the fraud liability will transfer to the party that has not adopted the new EMV chip card technology.

Here’s a detailed look at how the liability shift will affect your business, depending on the situation in which fraud occurs:

Situation 1: A magnetic stripe card is swiped at an outdated terminal

Mag Stripe Credit Card | AbtekThe merchant hasn’t gotten around to updating their terminals, but lucky for you, the fraudulent charge was made with a traditional magnetic stripe card. In this situation, both parties—the merchant and the card-issuing bank—are at fault, meaning that the liability falls initially on the card-issuing bank, just like today.

Situation 2: An EMV chip card is swiped at an outdated terminal

This is when things really go downhill for merchants. If a customer comes into your store with a chip-enabled card, but they don’t have the equipment to process it properly, they’ll be forced to run it as a magnetic stripe card. This puts the cardholder at an unnecessary risk for a breach of their payment data. In this case, the merchant has not invested in the more secure chip technology and the card-issuing bank has, so the liability falls on the merchant.

Situation 3: A magnetic stripe card is swiped at an EMV-enabled terminal

EMV Chip Card | AbtekA recent poll shows that only one in 10 Americans have received new EMV chip cards from their banks. The cost to replace mag stripe credit cards is starting to catch up with the banks and we can expect a number of consumers to still be using magnetic stripe cards, even after the liability shift hits in October. In this case, so long as you have upgraded your equipment, the liability will fall on the card-issuing bank.

Situation 4: An EMV chip card is swiped at an EMV-enabled terminal

In this situation, all parties have put in the effort to upgrade their payment technologies, so it’s unlikely that fraud would even occur in the first place. However, if a fraudulent charge does occur, the liability would fall on the card-issuing bank.

Contact your merchant solutions provider today to find out how  you can get EMV-compliant by October 1.


Abtek is here to help merchants like you make the transition from traditional POS terminals to EMV-enabled equipment. We know that EMV can be confusing, and we’re here to answer all of your questions. Give us a call today at (800) 544-9145 to explore your options, before it’s too late! October 1 will be here before you know it! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. 

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EMV Countdown | Abtek

The EMV “Chip Card” Countdown Begins

We are now less than 90 days until the EMV liability shift. Come October 1st, if your business isn’t prepared with EMV “chip card”-compatible processing equipment, you could be liable for losses due to fraudulent charges at your establishment. But, there’s no need to panic! Here, we’ve put together a handy dandy checklist to help you stay on top of the things you need to do before the October 1st deadline hits.

Step 1: Contact Your MSP

Contact Your MSP | AbtekMerchant service providers exist to help you though your payment processing challenges—and the EMV transition definitely falls in the “challenge” category. It’s not that making the transition is difficult, but rather it can be confusing for many merchants. There are so many compliance requirements to meet, and it can be tough to keep them all straight. Your MSP can help you understand what you still need to do before October and answer your questions along the way.

Step 2: Connect with a POS Provider

The average merchant only replaces their POS equipment every seven to ten years—and if you’re one of these merchants, there’s a pretty good chance that you’re going to need an upgrade in order to be able to accept EMV cards. Since EMV, or chip-and-pin cards, use a microchip to communicate payment data instead of a traditional magnetic stripe, outdated equipment will likely need to be completely replaced with new, high tech devices.

Step 3: Check Your EMV-Compatible Equipment

EMV Checklist | AbtekIf you’ve already completed steps 1 and 2, you’ll want to make sure that your equipment is still up-to-standards. Even if you’ve received new EMV-compatible equipment, it might not necessarily be ready for the liability shift. Many merchants aren’t aware that the EMV requirements continue to be in flux, and have likely shifted since they bought their new POS. Your MSP can help to ensure that not only you have the equipment you need, but that it’s updated and configured properly.

Step 4: Train Employees

With new chip-and-pin cards being mailed out by credit card companies every day, more and more confused customers will begin to come through your business, not understanding exactly how to use their new cards. Now is the time to begin to train your employees on how to guide customers through the slightly modified transaction process. Happy, non-confused customers are repeat customers!

Once you’ve completed these steps, you’re not totally out of the woods yet! Moving forward, it will be your responsibility to monitor the shifting compliance requirements and ensure that your business’s equipment stays-up-to date. Of course, your MSP can help, and that’s where Abtek comes in. Give us a call today at (800) 544-9145 to find out how we can help you prepare during this final stretch of the EMV “chip card” transition.

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EMV Seminar | Abtek

Get Your EMV Questions Answered at Our Upcoming Seminar!

Please join us Tuesday, June 30, 2015 at Milford Presbyterian Church to learn how the October 1st EMV compliance deadline will affect businesses and consumers. Hosted in partnership with the Huron Valley State Bank, the seminar will cover:

  • What is required of business owners to meet the compliance deadline
  • How the changes in EMV technology will affect consumers
  • The benefits of the new system

Tami Cohorst, VP of Abtek and known leader in the credit card processing world will lead the discussion. Tami’s in-depth EMV knowledge enables her to help merchants grow their businesses through education and new technology. Media outlets like Entrepreneur and MLive have turned to Tami to for her ability to educate business owners on the importance of updating their payment processing systems. She is always on the lookout for new technologies in an effort to stay ahead of the game when it comes to industry ideas, thoughts and products.

Event Details

What: EMV Technology Seminar Hosted by HVSB and Abtek

When: 9:00-9:45 a.m., Tuesday, June 30 2015. Doors open at 8:30 a.m.

Where: Milford Presbyterian Church, 238 North Main, Milford

Who: Free to the community and invited guests

For questions, please call (248) 922-6987 or email smiles@hvsb.com.

Hope to see you there!

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Cheat Sheet: A Quick Reference Guide to Payment Processing Buzzwords

Payment security is at an all time low and as a result, the payment industry is in process of getting a much-needed overhaul. With this rapid implementation of new rules, processes and technology, there are a lot of payment processing buzzwords that have recently entered into the industry vernacular.

As a business owner, you’re busy with your day-to-day operations, so keeping up on the latest payment processing news and trends is probably not at the top of your priority list. However, as these changes could eventually impact your business, it’s never been more important for you to be in the know.

To help you stay updated, we’ve compiled the following glossary of industry buzzwords for your quick reference.

EMV / Chip-and-Pin

EMV is the future of credit card processing, although it’s not exactly so futuristic anymore. If you’re not already aware of the EMV payment revolution happening in the United States, you can read up on the basics here. In a nutshell, over the course of the next few months, banks will begin to roll out new credit cards in an effort to phase out insecure magnetic stripe technology. These cards will be embedded with microprocessor chips that will allow for more secure transactions. But the benefits of these “EMV” or “chip-and-pin” cards won’t come to fruition unless business owners take action now and update their payment terminals.

PCI Compliance

PCI compliance is a term often shrouded in myths and misconceptions, but it isn’t all that confusing once you break it down. PCI is a set of 12 requirements that all merchants, no matter the size or industry, must meet to ensure a secure environment for credit card transactions. If you’re not sure what’s required of your business in order to establish compliance, you’ll want to check in with your merchant services provider or visit the Security Standards Council website.

ABT_Buzzwords_NFCNFC

Near field communication (NFC) is the technology that enables wireless data transfers between two devices in close proximity, without the need for an internet connection. Think of it like modern-day Bluetooth. Today’s smartphones are embedded with NFC technology to allow for consumers to make payments directly from their phones by simply tapping or waving their devices over an NFC terminal.

Apple Pay

Apple Pay is a mobile application that is sweeping the nation. Essentially, the application allows consumers to transform their phones into mobile wallets by syncing credit card information from their iTunes accounts. Consumers can simply wave or tap their phones over an NFC terminal (currently available at numerous retailers across the globe) to make a purchase.

ABT_Buzzwords_TOKENTokenization

When a credit card is swiped through a terminal set up for tokenization, the card’s Primary Account Number (PAN) is automatically substituted with a randomly generated sequence, called a token. Merchants can use this token to handle refunds, returns and manage other transaction details. The benefit? Tokenization takes sensitive payment card data out of the picture for merchants, eliminating the need to store the data on their networks and the risk of a data breach.


Stay updated on payment processing trends by following Abtek on Twitter and Facebook. Sign up to receive our newsletter, too.

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Entrepreneur: Everything Your Business Needs to Know About the EMV Mandate

Tami Cohorst, Abtek’s Vice President, was recently featured on Entrepreneur.com, a prominent online resource for business development news.

20150220213125-creditNew and major credit card processing procedures are set to change the way we do business, thanks to the 2015 EMV Compliance Mandate.

The U.S. is the world’s final market to become EMV-compliant. Our adoption and accessibility to the technology will likely transform all industries that depend upon processing payments via credit cards.

Is your company ready?

Continue reading the full article at Entrepreneur.com →


Stay updated on payment processing trends by following Abtek on Twitter and Facebook. Sign up to receive our newsletter, too.

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Payments Source: EMV Education Starts with Merchants

Our own Tami Cohorst, Vice President of Abtek, was recently featured on PaymentsSource.com, a leading resource for payments industry news and analysis.

emv-credit-debit-card-security-ts-psWith the card issuer mandate for EMV-ready merchants around the corner, are you prepared?

Globally, the U.S. is one of the last markets to implement this technology so one would think adoption of EMV is inevitable for consumers and merchants alike. Yet, with the mandate upon us, and EMV-ready equipment in place, consumers are still using “old” cards. Which begs the question: Do we need more education to merchants and awareness to consumers in the months leading up to the mandate?

Part of the education process begins with merchants. In order to successfully get buy-in from consumers, we need to look at how we can help merchants completely understand EMV technology.

So, my advice to them is always this…

Continue reading the full article at PaymentsSource →


Stay updated on payment processing trends by following Abtek on Twitter and Facebook. Sign up to receive our newsletter, too.

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