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USA contactless credit/debit/transit (2017 - 2021)

Old Jan 16, 2017, 6:55 am
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Last edit by: storewanderer
Older (archived) threads: 2014-16
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FAQ
  1. What is EMV contactless?

    EMV contactless is a form of contactless/NFC that uses the same security and encryption that is used when inserting a chip card into an EMV-enabled terminal. Other than not having to sign/enter a PIN for smaller transactions, the security is effectively the same as chip and PIN/chip and signature.

    In contrast, MSD contactless is an older version that is designed just and only for the United States. This effectively uses much the same flow as a swiped card transaction with the same rules.

  2. What is CDCVM?

    CDCVM stands for Consumer Device Cardholder Verification Method. It's a method of telling the terminal that the customer verified their identity using their mobile device. Terminals that support it will waive the signature/PIN requirement typically in place for larger transactions, potentially saving time at checkout.

    More info: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202527

  3. Does EMV contactless need to be supported to support CDCVM?

    Typically, yes. (However, there are some exceptions below.)

  4. Why can't I tap my foreign-issued contactless card at most places in the US?

    This is likely because the store does not support EMV contactless. Foreign issued contactless cards typically do not support MSD contactless since other markets have had EMV for quite some time. In contrast, most stores in the US have yet to get the necessary certifications/software for EMV contactless so they are typically MSD-only--if contactless is enabled at all. (See below for a list of stores where your card will likely work.)

  5. I paid for a purchase with Apple/Android/Samsung Pay and still had to sign for it.

    Most likely, the store in question does not have EMV contactless enabled (see above question). However, there are instances where CDCVM does not work even with EMV contactless enabled. Restaurants that allow tip adjust, for example--where the tip amount is written on a paper receipt and entered by the staff later--cannot support CDCVM. It may simply be a matter of the merchant's processor or the POS software in use not supporting it too.

    Another common reason is if you used a US-issued AmEx card with a mobile wallet. AmEx currently does not allow EMV contactless support in mobile wallets for these cards, so they always run as MSD contactless. Because of this, CDCVM is not supported (with very few exceptions, as noted below).

    Note: if you used Samsung Pay, you may have paid with MST instead of NFC. Since MST emulates the magnetic pulses that the terminal receives when swiping a regular card, the normal magstripe rules apply.

  6. How can I tell whether EMV contactless was used?

    An easy way to tell if you have Apple Pay is to pay with a Visa or MC while in airplane mode. Wallet will then show a transaction amount next to "Payment" for the card that was used. Alternatively, EMV-related information will typically print on the receipt (AID, etc.) if EMV contactless was used.

(Non-exhaustive) list of EMV contactless supporting merchants in the US:
  • 7-Eleven
  • 99 Ranch
  • Albertsons (Safeway, Vons, Pak N Save, Jewel, Acme, Shaws, Star, Carrs, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Haggen, Eagle, Lucky UT/SoCal)
  • Apple Store*
  • Athleta
  • Auntie Annes Pretzels
  • Banana Republic
  • Costco Wholesale
  • CVS
  • DuaneReade*
  • El Pollo Loco
  • EG Group US (Quik Stop, Kwik Shop, Tom Thumb, Turkey Hill) Note: cashier must press "Electronic Payment" to activate NFC
  • Five Below*
  • Five Guys
  • GAP
  • Grocery Outlet*
  • Harmon's Grocery
  • H&M*
  • Jolibee
  • Kohl's*
  • Lush Cosmetics*
  • Maverik
  • McDonald's*
  • Meijer
  • Old Navy
  • Panera Bread
  • PetSmart
  • Ray's Food Place
  • Round Table Pizza
  • Royal Farms
  • Red Ribbon Bakeshop
  • Sheetz
  • Sherm's Thunderbird Discount Markets Inc.*
  • Sprouts
  • Staples*
  • Starbucks*
  • Subway
  • Walgreens*
  • Weis Markets
  • All businesses that use Square and support contactless*
  • All businesses that use Clover and support EMV**
  • All businesses that use First Data standalone terminals (e.g. FD100+FD35, FD130) with EMV enabled**

* CDCVM support confirmed
** CDCVM support depends on store/restaurant
CDCVM supported in MSD mode
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USA contactless credit/debit/transit (2017 - 2021)

Old Oct 19, 2017, 2:45 pm
  #2356  
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Anyway, a few notes from lunch today:
  1. The Apple Store's POS system is still stupidly slow. I thought it would have been improved by now but I guess not. At least they still support CDCVM.
  2. Apparently Yelp Cash works with Apple Pay despite not having entered the DAN on their website. First actual use of the Payment Account Reference to link cards in the US, maybe? (Merchant was using Clover.)
  3. Sweet Factory (mostly CA based chain AFAICT) has some small NCR screen thing with a magstripe reader to show items as they're being rung up. This location ran cards on a separate VX520 though, which of course wasn't accessible to customers.
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Old Oct 19, 2017, 3:11 pm
  #2357  
 
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Nespresso Store now changed from IBM with build in magstripe to HP Slates with Ingenico iWL wireless terminals- everything is enabled. Also, it’s semi integrated!
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Old Oct 19, 2017, 3:59 pm
  #2358  
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Originally Posted by RedLight2015
Nespresso Store now changed from IBM with build in magstripe to HP Slates with Ingenico iWL wireless terminals- everything is enabled. Also, its semi integrated!
Don't they ring you up at a counter? Seems weird that they'd go with iWLs.
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Old Oct 19, 2017, 4:36 pm
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Originally Posted by tmiw
Don't they ring you up at a counter? Seems weird that they'd go with iWLs.
Yeah however its connected to Ethernet at the base. So Im guessing the iWL connects wirelessly to that base. They have the option to detach the tablet and walk around the store which some did.
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Old Oct 19, 2017, 4:49 pm
  #2360  
 
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Apparently MasterCard is getting rid of the requirement to sign for purchases:

No More Signing on the Dotted Line
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Old Oct 19, 2017, 5:39 pm
  #2361  
 
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Originally Posted by tmiw
Anyway, a few notes from lunch today:
  1. The Apple Store's POS system is still stupidly slow. I thought it would have been improved by now but I guess not. At least they still support CDCVM.
  2. Apparently Yelp Cash works with Apple Pay despite not having entered the DAN on their website. First actual use of the Payment Account Reference to link cards in the US, maybe? (Merchant was using Clover.)
  3. Sweet Factory (mostly CA based chain AFAICT) has some small NCR screen thing with a magstripe reader to show items as they're being rung up. This location ran cards on a separate VX520 though, which of course wasn't accessible to customers.
When it was still around, Microsoft Earn also worked fine with Apple Pay. I remember reading that the back-end service provider (same for both services) has special integration with the card networks. I believe theyre called Empyr.

Originally Posted by RedLight2015
Yeah however its connected to Ethernet at the base. So Im guessing the iWL connects wirelessly to that base. They have the option to detach the tablet and walk around the store which some did.
Last time I visited a Nespresso boutique, they had Vx 520 terminals on the side.
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Old Oct 19, 2017, 5:48 pm
  #2362  
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Originally Posted by emmanuel_t
When it was still around, Microsoft Earn also worked fine with Apple Pay. I remember reading that the back-end service provider (same for both services) has special integration with the card networks. I believe theyre called Empyr.
It would be nice if Rewards Network had similar integration. Having to use a NFC reader to get the DAN is probably not in immediate reach of most people.
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Old Oct 19, 2017, 6:16 pm
  #2363  
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Originally Posted by tmiw
It would be nice if Rewards Network had similar integration. Having to use a NFC reader to get the DAN is probably not in immediate reach of most people.
They used to be okay with linking only the last four digits, which would be fine for NFC; however, a while back, for some reason, they started requiring the full 16.
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Old Oct 19, 2017, 6:16 pm
  #2364  
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My mother needed to leave her car at a local mechanic's shop.

When we went to pick up and pay for the repairs, I saw a customer-facing terminal like the type you see overseas, like in restaurants, when they bring the terminal to your table.

I asked if it was contactless and the guy said no but as it was processing, it flashed the contactless symbol on the screen. Then I looked around and turns out they have a little sign saying "Apple Pay."

My mother was using her card but her card is an HSBC World Mastercard showing the contactless symbol. I put it up to the terminal but it didn't seem to work so we just used the EMV slot.

This was at Japanese Beetle in Sunnyvale, not too far from Apple. Maybe they have a lot of Apple employees as customers.
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Old Oct 19, 2017, 6:45 pm
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Originally Posted by tmiw
It would be nice if Rewards Network had similar integration. Having to use a NFC reader to get the DAN is probably not in immediate reach of most people.
And that doesnt even work with some services that use RN for card-linked offers, such as Shells Fuel Rewards. They ask for expiry and postcode in addition to PAN, and every attempt Ive made to add an Apple Pay DAN+expiry has failed.

Originally Posted by Points Scrounger
They used to be okay with linking only the last four digits, which would be fine for NFC; however, a while back, for some reason, they started requiring the full 16.
Thered be a chance of conflict with other users if they only checked the last 4, no?
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Old Oct 19, 2017, 7:24 pm
  #2366  
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Originally Posted by emmanuel_t
And that doesnt even work with some services that use RN for card-linked offers, such as Shells Fuel Rewards. They ask for expiry and postcode in addition to PAN, and every attempt Ive made to add an Apple Pay DAN+expiry has failed.
Huh, I thought all of the RN programs behaved the same. Then again, I only really use the FR card at Shell and don't take advantage of the non-Shell earning.

Speaking of Shell, I was able to use contactless at one today. Verifone stuff showed up on the screen before the insert/swipe prompt.
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Old Oct 19, 2017, 10:23 pm
  #2367  
 
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Originally Posted by blaz
Apparently MasterCard is getting rid of the requirement to sign for purchases:

No More Signing on the Dotted Line
The signature provides little no no value whatsoever.

Glad they're getting rid of signature, now let's hope there's an alternative to protect debit cards to make them safer from unauthorized use. Wave the flag for zero liability all you want, but the fact is only a few banks actually refund fraudulent charges by the next day while an investigation is taking place.
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Old Oct 19, 2017, 11:17 pm
  #2368  
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Originally Posted by mikesyr18
...let's hope there's an alternative to protect debit cards to make them safer from unauthorized use.
It's called Android Pay. Or Apple Pay if you're using an iPhone.
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Old Oct 19, 2017, 11:36 pm
  #2369  
 
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Anyone have contactless not working at Safeway and used the self checkout machines? Well apparently they need to roll an update to allow it to work
and it will be done by the end of November according to the twitter people.(Probably less time)
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Old Oct 19, 2017, 11:44 pm
  #2370  
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Originally Posted by scibot
Anyone have contactless not working at Safeway and used the self checkout machines? Well apparently they need to roll an update to allow it to work https://twitter.com/Safeway/status/920332627290161152 and it will be done by the end of November according to the twitter people.(Probably less time)
I remember being able to use it at a self-checkout with no problems. That doesn't preclude something breaking some time after I've used it though.
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