• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Shop at Target recently? Uh-oh...

Page 6 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
Apparently Target US only recently began adopting chip & pin for credit cards. That's mind blowing to me. They've been common in most stores here in Canada for almost a decade now.

Speaking of which, Target is still taking a beating up here. There's been rumours they might close up shop. They really do suck compared to Walmart, and that's saying a lot.
 
mmntech said:
Apparently Target US only recently began adopting chip & pin for credit cards. That's mind blowing to me. They've been common in most stores here in Canada for almost a decade now.

Speaking of which, Target is still taking a beating up here. There's been rumours they might close up shop. They really do suck compared to Walmart, and that's saying a lot.
Click to expand...



Take walmart and the US will keep Target.



deal:thumbsup:
 
mmntech said:
Apparently Target US only recently began adopting chip & pin for credit cards. That's mind blowing to me. They've been common in most stores here in Canada for almost a decade now.
Click to expand...

You need to look at other stores in the US. Most of them don't even know what a chip credit cards is. Also ask the customers as well, most of them will say "what?".
 
dartworth said:
Take walmart and the US will keep Target.

deal:thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Done deal. A lot of Canadians are really disillusioned with Target. It's more expensive than Walmart, stocks half the stuff, and they're constantly running in to supply problems.
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/target-ca...ssons-other-retailers-090000928--finance.html

I really do miss Zellers. The stores were always cluttered but they had everything you needed and prices comparable to Wallyworld. Hudsons Bay decided to dump their discount business though to go after the high end market. Hopefully someone revives the brand when Target inevitable pulls out of Canada.

cronos said:
You need to look at other stores in the US. Most of them don't even know what a chip credit cards is. Also ask the customers as well, most of them will say "what?".
Click to expand...

I haven't been shopping in the US in quite some time, though I had heard rumours they were still using the swipe cards. Last time I ever had to swipe my credit card was in Cuba. Honestly can't remember the last time prior to that.
 
mmntech said:
Done deal. A lot of Canadians are really disillusioned with Target. It's more expensive than Walmart, stocks half the stuff, and they're constantly running in to supply problems.
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/target-ca...ssons-other-retailers-090000928--finance.html

I really do miss Zellers. The stores were always cluttered but they had everything you needed and prices comparable to Wallyworld. Hudsons Bay decided to dump their discount business though to go after the high end market. Hopefully someone revives the brand when Target inevitable pulls out of Canada.



I haven't been shopping in the US in quite some time, though I had heard rumours they were still using the swipe cards. Last time I ever had to swipe my credit card was in Cuba. Honestly can't remember the last time prior to that.
Click to expand...
What's wrong with swiping a magnetic strip? RFID is the one that has practically no security. Mythbusters were going to air an episode about it and the CC companies threatened to sue Discovery Channel out of existence if they didn't abandon all hope of even mentioning the subject on TV.
 
Ichinisan said:
What's wrong with swiping a magnetic strip? RFID is the one that has practically no security. Mythbusters were going to air an episode about it and the CC companies threatened to sue Discovery Channel out of existence if they didn't abandon all hope of even mentioning the subject on TV.
Click to expand...

He's probably talking about the smart chip, which Target has been pushing here for well over 10 years (way ahead of the curve compared tot he rest of the US)
 
It's such a bad credit card anyway. Cannot use it outside of the store/website, insultingly low credit limits, 5% off of already inflated prices.
 
cronos said:
You need to look at other stores in the US. Most of them don't even know what a chip credit cards is. Also ask the customers as well, most of them will say "what?".
Click to expand...

I don't shop at target but I have no idea what a chip CC is
 
Anubis said:
I don't shop at target but I have no idea what a chip CC is
Click to expand...
It has a set of contacts on the face of the card which looks a bit like a SIM card that hasn't been punched out of the backing they usually ship on. They look and function like regular cards other than that (mag-stripe, RFID, etc).

Smart chip-equipped slots are usually mechanized and swallow the whole card sideways (never swipe). You may have noticed that Target POS terminals swallow your card and this is why (their CC has always used the smart chip). I have a non-mechanical reader that connects to a laptop via USB where the rest of the card hangs out but I have no idea what use it is (paid $0.25 *shrug*). FWIW, smart chip cards are used in much more than just credit cards and bank cards. My coworker uses a reader exactly like mine and inserts his military ID card to access his secure military email. Corporations use them for secure login all the time.

My assumption is that there is a unique challenge/response based on a random seed and a unique key so that you can't simply intercept and duplicate the communication with the chip. It's active and not passive like mag stripes and imprint/hand-keyed account numbers.
 
Last edited:
CZroe said:
He's probably talking about the smart chip, which Target has been pushing here for well over 10 years (way ahead of the curve compared tot he rest of the US)
Click to expand...

I have a Target smart card reader that they gave me almost 10 years ago when I got a Target credit card. Sometime in there though they did away with the entire program and went back to straight mag stripe cards and systems. Now, lo and behold, my local Target just replaced all their old credit card systems with multi-factor machines again.

Just think, if they had held out a decade ago, they might have been at the forefront and not taken this hit.
 
I don't know what Chip & Pin is. What I'd like to know is if there is a way to pay for Target or Walmart groceries with just my phone in the U.S.? I don't want to carry around credit cards if I can use my phone.
 
GinormousNG said:
I don't know what Chip & Pin is. What I'd like to know is if there is a way to pay for Target or Walmart groceries with just my phone in the U.S.? I don't want to carry around credit cards if I can use my phone.
Click to expand...

nope, because retailers would need new readers. oh, and your phone company would charge you $10 a month for the privilege. even though it has nothing to do with them. just like navigation used to before google maps.
 
MarkXIX said:
I have a Target smart card reader that they gave me almost 10 years ago when I got a Target credit card. Sometime in there though they did away with the entire program and went back to straight mag stripe cards and systems. Now, lo and behold, my local Target just replaced all their old credit card systems with multi-factor machines again.

Just think, if they had held out a decade ago, they might have been at the forefront and not taken this hit.
Click to expand...
Sounds like they have been on the forefront for a long time, from the article (linked later), Target seems to be one of the few retailers with a dedicated security team. This plus the fact they ignored the warnings makes me think they are even more liable than if they had no team at all.

Basically, they intentionally ignored a major breach warning, that's awfully close to gross negligence.
 
ElFenix said:
nope, because retailers would need new readers. oh, and your phone company would charge you $10 a month for the privilege. even though it has nothing to do with them. just like navigation used to before google maps.
Click to expand...


Thanks, I thought as much. Everybody wants a piece of the pie but nobody wants to compromise. 🙁
 
mmntech said:
Apparently Target US only recently began adopting chip & pin for credit cards. That's mind blowing to me. They've been common in most stores here in Canada for almost a decade now.

Speaking of which, Target is still taking a beating up here. There's been rumours they might close up shop. They really do suck compared to Walmart, and that's saying a lot.
Click to expand...

US banks are just starting to roll out chipped credit cards now. I got one a few weeks ago and have only run across ONE retailer that had the updated machinery to read the card (Walmart). Every other place it's been a basic swipe.
 
MarkXIX said:
I have a Target smart card reader that they gave me almost 10 years ago when I got a Target credit card. Sometime in there though they did away with the entire program and went back to straight mag stripe cards and systems. Now, lo and behold, my local Target just replaced all their old credit card systems with multi-factor machines again.

Just think, if they had held out a decade ago, they might have been at the forefront and not taken this hit.
Click to expand...

They gave you a reader? My brother signed up around 2003 and got a smart card with no reader, but what good is that? Online purchases? They didn't "do away" with anything here. All checkouts still have the readers that swallow your card and work with chip or normal cards. Every Target credit card I've seen still has the chip.

Anyway, I'm discussing Target only because they have been doing this a longer time than most and are the most mainstream example, but they are far from the only ones in the USA doing it. My recent Bank of America Better Balance Rewards MasterCard has a smart chip and my brother also had a clear AmEx card with the chip several years ago (2007 or earlier, IIRC).

The cards still work normally everywhere. I think one thing hampering their acceptance is that you can't get a mini card with the chip since it has to feed into a standard mechanical slot and align with the contacts.
 
Last edited:
CZroe said:
They gave you a reader? My brother signed up around 2003 and got a smart card with no reader, but what good is that? Online purchases? They didn't "do away" with anything here. All checkouts still have the readers that swallow your card and work with chip or normal cards. Every Target credit card I've seen still has the chip.

Anyway, I'm discussing Target only because they have been doing this a longer time than most and are the most mainstream example, but they are far from the only ones in the USA doing it. My recent Bank of America Better Balance Rewards MasterCard has a smart chip and my brother also had a clear AmEx card with the chip several years ago (2007 or earlier, IIRC).

The cards still work normally everywhere. I think one thing hampering their acceptance is that you can't get a mini card with the chip since it has to feed into a standard mechanical slot and align with the contacts.
Click to expand...

My wife worked in upper management of our local store for the better part of 7-8 years from the time the store opened locally here. In that time, the store NEVER had the smart card readers in-store here, but I did get a smart card reader in the mail after we signed up for their Visa card. But, a few years in, our replacement cards lost the chip and were simply mag stripe.
 
They've installed newer readers at my local Target (big black ones instead of the smaller red ones), but I don't recall seeing anything on them but a swipe mechanism. I'll have to look closer at them next time.

Ichinisan said:
Target bags here are way stronger than Walmart and Kroger bags.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I have no qualms putting two 2-liter bottles of soda into a single Target bag. In fact, I've done it many times, and each weighs 4.5 pounds -- yes, I was curious and weighed one once on a kitchen scale! :$ The only thing I have to watch out for is if they fall sideways and the cap pokes a hole in the bag. Kroger bags aren't bad either, but I've had far more break under the same double-bagging situation.

CZroe said:
My coworker uses a reader exactly like mine and inserts his military ID card to access his secure military email.
Click to expand...

Yep, that's his CAC card.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top