Do I Need a Chip-and-PIN Credit Card in Europe? Chip-and-PIN credit cards are far more common in Europe than the U.S. But do you really need one while traveling abroad? Credit card information used to be stored on magnetic strips, but this wasn’t very secure. In many countries, credit card issuers began using credit cards…
This Is Why All Credit Cards Are the Same Size. The person sitting next to you probably doesn’t have the same amount of credit card debt that you do, but one thing about both of your credit cards—and every credit card—is the same. The size. The idea of credit cards has been around since the…
Visa’s Latest EMV Numbers Say The Card’s Catching On. Remember back in 2015, when the first transitions to the Europay / Mastercard / Visa (EMV) standard started? Remember what an absolute firestorm of confusion and resentment it was from small shops who didn’t want to buy huge new quantities of hardware just to keep from…
The US began its transition to chip-based credit cards in earnest in October 2015, after high-profile credit card hacks in the previous years at Target, Home Depot, Michaels, and other big-box retailers. Today, although only 59 percent of US storefronts have terminals that accept chip cards, fraud has dropped 70 percent from September 2015 to December…
Software developers unfamiliar with the nuances of incorporating credit card processing into their software might wonder what the term “PCI compliance” is when they hear it and be confused about why it matters for their business. PCI compliance represents adhering to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), which has been endorsed by…
“May I help the next customer?” You finally make it to the front of the line and dump your clothes on the checkout counter. As the scanner displays the price of each item, you start having second thoughts about whether you truly need two new pairs of jeans … and shoes. That’s when the salesperson…