Now that we’ve covered who EMV does not apply to, we’ll dive into where you can buy EMV equipment and the costs.
In wake of the changes, many snake oil salesmen have come out of the woodwork to sell their EMV equipment that is more than likely not legit.
In light of this, here some ideas for where to research EMV equipment.
There's the all-powerful Google that will turn up hundreds of results.
Trust only a few of the sites that Google recommends, but the search engines are a great place to get educated on where to buy, how much you should expect to pay, etc.
And don't panic. When searching for 'EMV' in Google, you'll not only find hundreds of sites where hardware is sold, but you'll also be able to read about all the scary aspects of EMV, most of which are not true.
Remember: don't believe everything you read online about EMV.
The problem with buying the EMV terminal online, from some random website, is it may not work.
Your online EMV purchase may or may not do you much good, since it’ll need to be connected to a processor, and most processors only will use terminals they supply through a contract.
Google will give you some ideas as for what the specific models cost, but you’ll more likely than not have to purchase the equipment through your processor or independent processor provider.
As much as our society hates social interaction, it’s probably going to be the most helpful to simply call your processor to ask them what they recommend.
This will more than likely be the best option for determining where, when and what type of EMV hardware to purchase, assuming you even have to.
Your processor will be responsible for making sure their terminals are PCI and EMV certified (a cost you don’t have to worry about), but it’s good to ask them if their products are certified (if not, you want to jump ship and find a safer provider like BNG, for example. Click here to learn more ).
If you have a Payments Processing Company, you can call them and ask about what terminals they can resell through a processor, also check with them if the terminals they resell are certified with EMV and PCI.
Since you’re upgrading your equipment, now might also be the time to change brands. If you’ve been less than happy with your current brand of terminals, ask the company you work with what other terminals they offer, how much they cost, and if they recommend one brand over another type of terminal.
The difference between the old, non-EMV credit card terminals and the new EMV-friendly ones is simple: the new terminals have a slit in them that customers place their cards in for the chip to be read instead of swiping their card.
Nope.
Yes, you read right.
EMV cards all still have the magnetic strip on them that card still processes a valid transaction (this is still true in Europe but they like to give you weird looks for doing it).
As to the actual costs of the “fancy” EMV readers, they will still cost as much as the original non-EMV models.
So if you paid $350 dollars for a terminal previously, it will cost about the same to get an EMV reader.
There is a change, however, as you'll need to get a pin pad with your new terminal if it does not come with one. Pin pads run on average about $150, so add that into the price of a terminal (anywhere between $200-$600).
It’s pretty easy to do the math from there. Simply take whatever the previous cost of your terminal and multiply it by how many terminals and pin pads your business needs (and if you don’t die from sticker shock keep reading).
Should you get EMV readers?
Well as much as we’d like to make a decision for you, your choice will vary depending on your business situation. For instance, if you need or want to upgrade terminals since your old ones aren’t doing it for you, then the answer will be yes.
However, if you already have terminals you’re happy with, you may be more resistant to spend the funds to buy all new hardware.
To ultimately make your decision, usually the best option is to educate yourself and to consult with your payments processing company.
Take a look at our services, and see what others have said about our service.
If you’d like to learn more about what steps to take with your own business, or would like a free EMV and credit card processing consultation, contact us here .
