PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J., July 26, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The U.S. Payments Forum today released its summer 2017 market snapshot, providing updates on the continuing progress of the U.S. EMV migration, improvements in the consumer’s chip transaction experience at the point of sale (POS), and priorities for the second half of 2017 to focus on unique chip migration challenges in merchant segments, such as hospitality and restaurants.



State of the Market: EMV Moving Forward with Growing Number of Chip-on-Chip Transactions

Reports on credit and debit EMV chip card issuance and chip-on-chip1 transactions show continued growth in the U.S., according to consolidated data from global payment networks2. Today, approximately 45 to 50 percent of U.S. credit and debit transactions are chip-on-chip transactions.

“It is encouraging to see the number of chip-on-chip transactions on this upward trajectory,” said Randy Vanderhoof, director of the U.S. Payments Forum. “To see significant declines in fraud, chip-on-chip transaction rates will need to account for approximately two thirds of all credit and debit transactions, and with this reported growth, it is clear we are on the right track towards removing counterfeit card fraud from the system.”

The global payment networks also report that approximately 50 percent of merchants are now enabled for chip, which is on par with estimates shared by The Strawhecker Group in April3.

Trending Topics: Improving Consumer Experience at the POS

Perception of transaction speeds has been one of the most frequently cited concerns regarding the consumer experience at a chip-enabled POS terminal. For many merchants, the primary focus has been on becoming chip-enabled to avoid counterfeit fraud liability. With more merchants enabled, they are now able to put more focus on improving transaction speeds, and have seen improvements by as much as four to eight seconds.

“Shaving seconds off chip transaction times is significant,” said Vanderhoof. “As the U.S. continues to make progress in the migration to chip, we’ll see more improvements in the consumer experience, whether by merchants optimizing their chip acceptance processes at the checkout lane, or through new ways to pay, like increased consumer use of mobile devices and wearables, more contactless cards being available, and more seamless omnichannel experiences.”

Earlier this year, the U.S. Payments Forum published a white paper, “Optimizing Transaction Speed at the Point of Sale,” that details three solutions for stakeholders to consider to improve transaction times at the POS. To download the white paper, visit http://www.uspaymentsforum.org/optimizing-transaction-speed-at-the-point-of-sale/.

Another way the U.S. consumer experience at the POS is being improved is through merchants’ addition of new functionalities and payment options such as debit chip cards and contactless payments after their initial chip implementations. This is owed to the certification process being streamlined without impacting security measures, which allows merchants to achieve second and third certifications for new features and payment methods more quickly.

For merchants looking for resources on certification, the Forum recently published a new glossary of testing- and certification-related terminology to expand on the white paper, “Current Global Payment Network Requirements for the U.S. Acquiring Community.” More details about the glossary resource are below.

U.S. Payments Forum Priorities: Merchants with Special Considerations

Some merchant segments, such as hospitality, restaurants and petroleum, have unique considerations in completing the transition to chip. For example, many hospitality merchants are looking at how to best manage pre-authorization and card-on-file chip transactions, while restaurant merchants are considering pay-at-the-table and tip handling options. The petroleum industry, too, has many unique considerations in enabling their outdoor environments to accept chip by the fraud liability shift dates in 2020.

For these and other industries with special chip implementation considerations, the Forum is planning educational outreach campaigns to provide best practices, implementation guidance and other resources addressing the unique challenges at hand.

Members of the hospitality, restaurant and petroleum industries, as well as other stakeholders across the payments industry that are interested in having a more active voice in the U.S. migration to EMV chip technology and implementation of other emerging payments technologies, are encouraged to participate in the U.S. Payments Forum’s next meeting to share their experiences, as well as to learn from their peers. Visit http://www.uspaymentsforum.org to learn more about membership, attending quarterly Forum meetings and participating in working committees. The next Forum member meeting is Sept. 12-13, 2017, in Rosemont, Illinois at the Hilton Rosemont/Chicago O'Hare.

Resource Recap

Over the last quarter, the U.S. Payments Forum has published several resources to provide guidance and recommendations surrounding the U.S. migration to EMV chip technology. These resources include:

“EMV Receipt Best Practices” white paper. This white paper aims to clarify applicable recommendations and requirements regarding data elements most commonly found on receipts for chip-on-chip transactions, and focuses on EMV-related items.

“PIN Bypass in the U.S. Market” white paper. This updated white paper describes PIN Entry Bypass and details the transaction flow and the impact on issuers, merchants and cardholders.

Testing and Certification Terminology Glossary. This resource compiles a list of terms used in acquirer EMV testing and certification forms, and was developed as an educational resource to assist merchants in completing the acquirer testing and certification forms used for EMV certification.

“Understanding the U.S. EMV Liability Shifts” white paper update. This white paper, first published in June 2015, has been updated to provide information to help those implementing chip technology at the ATM or at automated fuel dispensers to better understand liability shifts.

Find additional U.S. Payments Forum publications at www.uspaymentsforum.org and a complete collection of documents, videos, webinars, infographics, and EMV resources at www.emv-connection.com, and follow the Forum on Twitter @USPaymentsForum.

To read the spring 2017 market snapshot, visit http://www.uspaymentsforum.org/us-payments-forum-spring-2017-market-snapshot-merchant-emv-chip-adoption-clarifying-cnp-fraud-status-and-increasing-focus-on-transit-payments/.

About the U.S. Payments Forum

The U.S. Payments Forum is a cross-industry body focused on supporting the introduction and implementation of new and emerging technologies that protect the security of, and enhance opportunities for payment transactions within the U.S. The Forum is the only non-profit organization whose membership includes the whole payments ecosystem, ensuring that all stakeholders have the opportunity to coordinate, cooperate on, and have a voice in the future of the U.S. payments industry.

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1 A chip card payment processed at a chip-enabled terminal

2 Data collected from American Express, Discover, Mastercard and Visa at June 2017 U.S. Payments Forum meeting

3 The Strawhecker Group estimates 52 percent of merchants are enabled to accept chip payments

Contact: Megan Shamas Montner Tech PR 203-226-9290 mshamas@montner.com