# Preparing for Chip-and-Pin Cards in the United States



## MULTIZ321 (Dec 6, 2014)

Preparing for Chip-and-Pin Cards in the United States - by Mark Scott/ Security/ Bits Blogs/ International New York Times/ The New York Times.com

LONDON —" On a recent morning, eager shoppers swarmed around Covent Garden, a 350-year-old former open-air vegetable market in central London whose glass-fronted stores now include popular American companies like Apple and Shake Shack.

But when consumers here pulled out a credit card to make a purchase, they got an extra layer of security compared with most shoppers in the United States. A chip embedded into all credit and debit cards in Europe — a technology known as E.M.V. — has cut many forms of card fraud by more than 65 percent in the last decade.

“At first, it was a little strange to use, but now it’s become second nature,” said Jennifer Spencer, 39, an office manager, who was at Covent Garden to get a head start on holiday shopping. “I can’t imagine paying for things in any other way.”

The technology, which has a microchip in the card and requires consumers to enter a PIN at checkout, has been required in Europe and some countries elsewhere for about a decade. Now, Americans retailers and banks are preparing for the wide release of the technology, in a wholesale security upgrade that will cost billions of dollars. The change will start next year and is expected to take several years to complete..."

Richard


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## simpsontruckdriver (Dec 7, 2014)

The USA lags far behind the world. The cards are being rolled out as we speak, and MC/Visa plan on being 100% converted by October. At that point, if a merchant does not take Smart Cards and is a victim of a hacker, MC/Visa are not responsible. So, if a mom-and-pop company loses credit card info, hackers make off with millions in "magnetic" users' money, that business must pay.

TS


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## Talent312 (Dec 7, 2014)

Well, using cash is still an option.
It's said that 40% of shoppers at Walmart pay for purchases in cash.

I encourage folks to get passports as a license to travel the world,
but a CC that works in the rest of the world is just as important.
...


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## LynnW (Dec 7, 2014)

I was surprised that I was able to just tap my chip and pin card at Macy's in California. Worked great but I still had to sign which I don't have to do in Canada.

Lynn


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## Bee (Dec 8, 2014)

My chip cards work at Walmart, but I still have to swipe at most businesses here in the high tech capital, Silicon Valley.


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## vacationhopeful (Dec 19, 2014)

*American Express ---- delivered*

Just got my new American Express card ... unrequested .... 

It is a CHIP & SIGNATURE technology ...


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## SMHarman (Dec 19, 2014)

vacationhopeful said:


> Just got my new American Express card ... unrequested ....
> 
> It is a CHIP & PIN!


Not Chip and Sig in the us and pin elsewhere?


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## vacationhopeful (Dec 19, 2014)

SMHarman said:


> Not Chip and Sig in the us and pin elsewhere?



Okay .. chip & signature  .... I was just happy to finally be part of a improved security ....US needs MORE chip readers installed.


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## SMHarman (Dec 19, 2014)

vacationhopeful said:


> Okay .. chip & signature  .... I was just happy to finally be part of a improved security ....US needs MORE chip readers installed.


Please explain the improvement?
I don't see one. The authentication is still your signature that no vendor checks anyway!  

Chip and Pin. Something you have And something you know. 2 factor authentication. 

Chip and signature. Something you have and something squiggly on the back of the something you have. Still single factor.


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## Passepartout (Dec 19, 2014)

SMHarman said:


> Please explain the improvement?
> I don't see one. The authentication is still your signature that no vendor checks anyway!
> 
> Chip and Pin. Something you have And something you know. 2 factor authentication.
> ...



I agree. I have a chip/sign card too. No PIN. AND it has a mag-stripe as well. This is even less secure than just the plain ol' mag-stripe card. Baaaah! Yet another giant step backward. I'm waiting for the next great advance of using barter and wampum.

Jim


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## Blues (Dec 20, 2014)

Yeah, I signed up for a Chase Sapphire card this summer, because (a) it has no foreign transaction fees, and (b) I *thought* it was chip & pin.  Found out it was chip & signature, something that wasn't even on my radar at that point.

Bah!  Why in the world are the US card companies doing this?  As Jim points out, it's even *less* secure than the old cards.  And it's still incompatible with the world standard.  I predict that, when US citizens try to use these in Europe, it will lead to even more confusion than the mag stripe cards, because after all it has a chip and fits in the card readers, but it still doesn't verify.  I called in to Chase to get a PIN for this card, and they said "you want a PIN?  Why?  If you use the PIN, it will automatically be a cash advance and incur interest".  Aargh!   

They went to a lot of trouble to make us less secure, more confused, and incompatible with the world.  What in bloody h*ll have they been smoking?

-Bob


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## IngridN (Dec 20, 2014)

We have a couple of the new 'pin' cards. Based on the info provided with the cards, you use the card as a chip and pin in places such as Europe. They can also be used as plain old signature cards in the US. It depends on the type of readers that the merchant has. Eventually, the US merchants are to migrate to the chip and pin type. 

I can't address the security of these cards...ours are simply issued to also enable use where chip and pin is the norm.


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## Bill4728 (Dec 21, 2014)

SMHarman said:


> Please explain the improvement?
> I don't see one. The authentication is still your signature that no vendor checks anyway!
> 
> Chip and Pin. Something you have And something you know. 2 factor authentication.
> ...



To create a fake CC with mag strip is EASY   That is why we are moving to the chip cards. It isn't the authentication (sign or pin) it is the fake cards.


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## SMHarman (Dec 22, 2014)

Bill4728 said:


> To create a fake CC with mag strip is EASY   That is why we are moving to the chip cards. It isn't the authentication (sign or pin) it is the fake cards.


But for the next forever they have a mag stripe back up. 
So create mag only clone.


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