• We should now be fully online following an overnight outage. Apologies for any inconvenience, we do not expect there to be any further issues.

New credit card readers at Target?

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

pete6032

Diamond Member
Dec 3, 2010
8,148
3,586
136
I have two new cards with chips. One is a MC that's also my Sam's Club membership card. They have the new readers at self-checkout. At first, the card didn't work swiped; had to use the slot. But it is SLOW. Not a whole lot, but in the context of waiting in line, definitely slower than swiping. I hope this will improve if everyone is changing over.

The last time I used the card, I got away with just swiping it. Maybe there was just a problem with the new readers.

I got a new chip card from American Express and the stripe works fine everywhere I go except for one restaurant where, when they swipe the stripe nothing happens and they have to key in my card number manually. Not sure why that is, but when I used my non-chip AMEX there before I got the chip one, it worked fine.
 

SunnyD

Belgian Waffler
Jan 2, 2001
32,675
146
106
www.neftastic.com
Walmart is the only large scale retailer that uses chip. I've seen most other retailers that have chip readers on their POS terminals, but they aren't active.
 

smackababy

Lifer
Oct 30, 2008
27,024
79
86
Do these new credit card readers come with software to steal my CC info or is that an update happening later on?
 

boomerang

Lifer
Jun 19, 2000
18,883
641
126
Do these new credit card readers come with software to steal my CC info or is that an update happening later on?
If they would implement the mandatory use of PIN's, your CC info would be useless. Sadly, that's not going to happen at this time. The rest of the world is smart enough to remember their PIN but the powers that be feel we are not - I must assume.
 

Jeff7

Lifer
Jan 4, 2001
41,596
20
81
If they would implement the mandatory use of PIN's, your CC info would be useless. Sadly, that's not going to happen at this time. The rest of the world is smart enough to remember their PIN but the powers that be feel we are not - I must assume.
If kids in the days of the original NES systems could remember Up-Up-Down-Down-Left-Right-Left-Right B, A, Start, or the variety of sequences for finishing moves in Mortal Kombat, they could probably handle a PIN.

Maybe make the input pad look like a PS4 or Xbox 360 controller for the younger generation, or a rotary phone dialer for the older ones.
 

rsutoratosu

Platinum Member
Feb 18, 2011
2,716
4
81
Walmart does. Isn't that crazy? Walmart is the US leader in consumer security. I think. I don't really know, in the rest of the world it's chip and pin, at Walmart it's just chip.

I had to use it and it sucks because its all black, you can BARELY see where the slot is on the bottom..
 

smackababy

Lifer
Oct 30, 2008
27,024
79
86
If they would implement the mandatory use of PIN's, your CC info would be useless. Sadly, that's not going to happen at this time. The rest of the world is smart enough to remember their PIN but the powers that be feel we are not - I must assume.

I don't think it is so much of inability to remember, just an inconvenience. Whatever though, Apple Pay will popularize both NFC and single use numbers given to retailers and we can get away from this idea of giving them our CC info. There is no reason a PKI type of interface with credit card numbers shouldn't have been developed.
 

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
70,603
13,810
126
www.anyf.ca
If they would implement the mandatory use of PIN's, your CC info would be useless. Sadly, that's not going to happen at this time. The rest of the world is smart enough to remember their PIN but the powers that be feel we are not - I must assume.

Not really, as the info can still be used online. The chip thing is mostly an illusion of security, though it is more convenient as you don't have to sign anything. At least here anyway.

Basically if someone sees both sides of your card they have everything required to use it.
 

darkewaffle

Diamond Member
Oct 7, 2005
8,152
1
81
Not at all, my credit union still doesn't give out cards with chips in them. They won't do it until it's mandated by the government.

The bank I work for isn't providing chipped cards yet. I know it's on the roadmap but it's probably 6-12m+ out still unless something forces their hand.
 

smackababy

Lifer
Oct 30, 2008
27,024
79
86
Not really, as the info can still be used online. The chip thing is mostly an illusion of security, though it is more convenient as you don't have to sign anything. At least here anyway.

Basically if someone sees both sides of your card they have everything required to use it.

Which is why systems like Apple Pay are good. You don't expose the actual card information to the store, just a one time use transaction number. So, even if the retailer stores the data, beyond their own transaction, it is worthless.
 

pete6032

Diamond Member
Dec 3, 2010
8,148
3,586
136
Has anyone actually been to a store that accepts chip cards? My new chase card just came and has a chip on it. Now, 2 out of my 3 cards have chips, but I can't find any place that actually uses the chip. It's all still magnetic swipe.
 

rcpratt

Lifer
Jul 2, 2009
10,433
110
116
Yeah my Target has them too. I asked the cashier and she looked at me like an idiot. I tried my card and nothing happened.
 

kranky

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
21,019
156
106
I got a new chip card from American Express and the stripe works fine everywhere I go except for one restaurant where, when they swipe the stripe nothing happens and they have to key in my card number manually. Not sure why that is, but when I used my non-chip AMEX there before I got the chip one, it worked fine.

I think the issue is that their card reader believes it can accept the chip. I have heard that cards with both a stripe and a chip have something on the stripe that tells the card reader it also has a chip. If the card reader is programmed to accept the chip, then it will only accept the chip, not the stripe.

I wonder if their card reader is programmed to accept the chip (perhaps wrongly).
 

pete6032

Diamond Member
Dec 3, 2010
8,148
3,586
136
Yeah my Target has them too. I asked the cashier and she looked at me like an idiot. I tried my card and nothing happened.

Haha. I was at Target the other day and I tried to sneak mine into the chip reader while checking out, ever so subtly so as not to look like an idiot, and I can confirm that the reader mush have a blank in it because my card wouldn't go in.
 

midnight growler

Senior member
May 8, 2005
338
9
81
the reader mush have a blank in it because my card wouldn't go in.

Exactly. The slots are still closed because the chip readers are not yet working. The stores still have to reconfigure their payment systems so its not just a plug-and-play solution.

Its ironic that Target used to have the Microchip system on their store cards several years ago. They stopped because Visa charged more for it and people complained it took more time.
 

jaedaliu

Platinum Member
Feb 25, 2005
2,670
1
81
Has anyone actually been to a store that accepts chip cards? My new chase card just came and has a chip on it. Now, 2 out of my 3 cards have chips, but I can't find any place that actually uses the chip. It's all still magnetic swipe.

Walmart. If your card has a chip in it, you'll get automatic rejection of the swipe.

No PIN required, though. (good thing, I don't know mine.)
 

boomerang

Lifer
Jun 19, 2000
18,883
641
126
Has anyone actually been to a store that accepts chip cards? My new chase card just came and has a chip on it. Now, 2 out of my 3 cards have chips, but I can't find any place that actually uses the chip. It's all still magnetic swipe.
Last week we bought something at a store that uses them. But the person completing our purchase I don't think understood how it was to be used. She had me swipe the card and then insert the card to have the chip read. She happily pointed out all the other information that appeared on the CC receipt stating that it allowed all that to be printed out but that she didn't know what it all was for or what it meant. She then told us that a friend of hers still had her CC compromised even though she had a chipped card.

I figured explaining to her that the PIN system having not been implemented made the card no more secure than any other card was probably the cause would have sailed right over her head so I just looked at her and smiled.

I made another purchase somewhere with a slot in the bottom of the reader but it was not working. Putting my card in did nothing and I had to then swipe.
 

rudeguy

Lifer
Dec 27, 2001
47,351
14
61
The main reason for the upgrade is Apple Pay. Those terminals are NFC enabled to allow for Apple Pay and other NFC payments. They do have some other really nice security features built in that you would never need to know about. I was really happy to see the increase in the number of newer terminals.

I get a little worried when I go to a store and they swipe my card through a VX510 or even a 3750. I could hack either of those in under 2 minutes, install a mag reader and logger that would work alongside the stock one and steal unlimited swipe info. The newer terminals make that a lot less likely to happen.
 

rcpratt

Lifer
Jul 2, 2009
10,433
110
116
The main reason for the upgrade is Apple Pay. Those terminals are NFC enabled to allow for Apple Pay and other NFC payments. They do have some other really nice security features built in that you would never need to know about. I was really happy to see the increase in the number of newer terminals.

I get a little worried when I go to a store and they swipe my card through a VX510 or even a 3750. I could hack either of those in under 2 minutes, install a mag reader and logger that would work alongside the stock one and steal unlimited swipe info. The newer terminals make that a lot less likely to happen.
I thought there were separate laws (regulations?) that required that chips be implemented by the end of this year regardless.
 

rudeguy

Lifer
Dec 27, 2001
47,351
14
61
I thought there were separate laws (regulations?) that required that chips be implemented by the end of this year regardless.


Maybe you are thinking of the executive order that the media hyped up? Its only for federal government cards and benefit cards. Making every single credit card, debit card, gift card, rewards card, prepaid card and everything else compliant in a year would be impossible.

http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/obama-federal-backs-chip-and-pin-1282.php

Everything you wanted to know about PCI.
https://www.pcicomplianceguide.org/pci-faqs-2/