67 % of U.S. issued MasterCard-branded consumer credit cards now feature chips

Americans are quickly embracing EMV chip cards, just six months after the latest milestone in the migration timeline. More than two-thirds – 67 percent – of U.S.-issued MasterCard-branded consumer credit cards now feature chips. This represents a 51 percent increase in the number of consumer credit cards with chips in market since the October 1, 2015 liability shift.

Consumers can use their chip cards in more places, as 1.2 million U.S. merchant locations – an increase of 121 percent – have turned on their terminals and are accepting chip card payments. In addition to national retail chains, approximately one million local and regional merchant locations are accepting chip cards.

“Chip technology is an essential upgrade to better protect consumers and businesses,” said Catherine Murchie, senior vice president of North American Enterprise Security Solutions for MasterCard. “Other countries that have already adopted chips have seen significant reductions in counterfeit card fraud over time – as much as 60, 70 or even 80 percent. The U.S. industry continues to work together on EMV to generate similar results.”

MasterCard introduced its EMV and future of payments roadmap more than four years ago. Since then, the company has worked with merchants, financial institutions, acquirers, processors, terminal manufacturers and other industry players to prepare for these technology enhancements.

In 2015, the Payments Security Task Force projected that 98 percent of cards issued in the U.S. would feature chip technology by the end of 2017. This would top adoption rates by regions and countries that began implementing chip technology decades ago. Merchant EMV terminals adoption continues on track as projected in other Payment Security Task Force studies.

Source: mastercard.com