Vast numbers of hours, experts and resources have been devoted to the implementation of the EMV standard for credit and debit cards in the United States. As the smoke begins to clear, however, a new EMV effort is beginning with a discussion of how to best implement EMV at the ATM.
EMV agreements struck between the major card brands and regional PIN networks will
EMV at the ATM: The devil is in the details
affect financial institutions and ATM-driving independent service organizations.
As with nearly every aspect of business, the devil is in the details. It will be critically important for FIs and ISOs to uncover these details so they can plan for the financial and other ramifications of EMV in the future.
Here are a few important questions for ISOs and card-issuing FIs to ask their vendor partners:
- Which terminal models will support EMV common AIDs, and have you certified the common AID with the brands as well the PIN debit network?
- Can AID selection be prioritized at the terminal to enable routing choice?
- Can any new AIDs that may enter the marketplace be loaded onto the terminal?
- Is EMV certification complete with all of the debit brands that use the common AIDs?
This list is merely a start. Notably, many of the same questions can be asked for any POS terminal vendors and processors, acquirers and others you work with to enable the routing of cardholder transactions down the rails you chose.
Although there is no shortage of opinions on EMV transaction routing, most everyone agrees that all ATMs and POS terminals must support the common AIDs. Why is this so important?
Routing choice.
Without access to the common AID, all transactions will be limited to a single route eliminating an issuer’s ability to benefit from the cost-savings and other benefits of its regional PIN network relationships.
If a terminal has not been certified for the common AIDs, or if certain models only support out-of-the-box EMV implementations, that flexibility and choice is eliminated.
The EMV Migration Forum has released guidance on the common AID at the ATM. However, the specifics of implementation will be somewhat unique to each terminal vendor or software provider.
As your FI upgrades its ATM fleet for EMV, make certain that you are asking about those details to ensure maximum flexibility and choice with your investment.
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