tmiw

I reread my original post and realized that offline PIN is still possible if changing it via IVR. Which brings up the point of how the few issuers bothering with PIN preference (as an option or otherwise) are going to handle it long term in the US. I mean, the majority of new EMV rollouts seemingly use Quick Chip, so it's very possible PIN changes will eventually almost never be pushed to cards. Will issuers just disallow PIN changes altogether (like what UNFCU does for credit cards)? Start preferring online PIN instead and hope that domestic merchants that support PIN at all will just use that? Require ATM visits (like what BMO Harris/Diners Club do), with the confusion surrounding cash advance fees, etc. that'll cause? Or simply stop offering PIN preference as an option altogether (possibly keeping PIN support around mainly for foreign unattended terminals that can't handle transactions without CVM--in other words, ranked last on the CVM list)?

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the last option is what ends up happening in the end for many of these issuers. Or possibly defaulting to signature preference on initial app, with the ability to switch to PIN preference later (and the accompanying disclaimers about how the PIN can't be changed, etc.) Especially since Visa's really pushing contactless hard and all.

If that were true, no coffee shop or other merchant with large numbers of low-value transactions would have bothered with EMV. Which, of course, hasn't been the case for the most part.