Target invests in EMV card overhaul

With the October 2015 deadline for EMV adoption by U.S. business and credit card providers getting closer, it seems as if no movement has really been made. While it has been a major topic of conversation, which hit a fever pitch during the investigation into the Target Breach, there has yet to be a major splash.

That changed this week when Target announced a $100 million investment plan to improve its payment processes. According to an article from CNN Money, it's headlined by upgraded REDcards -- the retailer's credit card -- that will now feature the chip-and-PIN technology. The merchant will also replace the payment terminals in all 1,797 U.S. stores.

"Target and MasterCard are taking an important step forward in providing consumers with a secure shopping experience," MasterCard executive Chris McWilton said in a statement.

While this represents the first large U.S. company to adopt EMV technology, the question now becomes will it create a domino effect that sparks more organizations to follow suite? The short answer is we don't know.

Holding back this move from having a major impact is that the REDcard can only be used at Target, creating a silo effect because these cards do not directly affect other businesses.

Jason Oxman, CEO of the Electronic Transactions Association trade group, told the news source that it is like a domino dropping by itself. He also compared it to Starbucks rolling out a mobile commerce solution through a mobile app a few years ago, but it did not act as a springboard wider adoption.

by Ty Hardison

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