kebosabi

It's actually not that really expensive; the manufacturers of those POS machines currently have to build two different model types POS terminals:

• the mag-stripe only ones for the US market
• the all inclusive mag-stripe+contactless+EMV terminals for the rest of the world

With VISA and MC pushing US merchants to ditch the mag-stripe and move onto EMV and contactless, the manufacturers have agreed do just phase out the production of the mag-stripe only model that was intended for the US market and ramp up production of the terminals that is used by the rest of the world. As production numbers increase, the cost starts to fall. It also makes sense for the manufacturers as well; why continue making something that only handles the mag-stripe for a specific market, when the terminal model used by the rest of the world can handle all three all over the world?

Besides, if you consider that those POS terminals have an end-of-life (no machine lasts forever), they have to be eventually replaced anyway. By the time it comes to replace those terminals, the manufacturers have phased out the mag-stripe only readers and are making terminals in mass quantities that allow for all three forms of technology in one terminal.

If you look at some of the bigger retailers like Wal-Mart, Target, 7-Eleven, and even your local Post Office, they already have some of those terminals. There's the usual mag-stripe to the side, the contactless terminal on top, and a slit near the bottom for chipped EMV cards. The slot is already in place, but they aren't activated live yet.