Only 37 percent of U.S. merchant locations are EMV-ready four months after the October 1st, 2015 liability shift.
According to a survey by the Strawhecker Group (TSG), by June 2016, it is estimated that consumers will be able to use their EMV credit and debit cards at 50 percent of U.S. merchant locations. EMV-readiness is not expected to reach a threshold of least 90 percent of merchant locations until 2017 – more than 15 months after the shift. EMV is a globally accepted card standard that uses an embedded microchip to provide unique data protection when the card is inserted into a chip-card reader. EMV is an acronym for Europay, MasterCard, and Visa. After the October 2015 liability shift, U.S. card-accepting merchants without the ability to accept EMV cards may be liable for fraudulent transactions.