Jan 8, 2022, 9:16 pm

FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides

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FAQ

What is EMV contactless?

EMV contactless is a form of near-field communication (NFC)/contactless 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. (EMV stands for Europay, MasterCard & Visa, the 1994 founders of the EMV chip or smart chip technology.)

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

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

USA contactless payment cards (2022 - 2023)

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Jun 27, 2022, 2:35 pm

#211

tmiw

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Quote:

Originally Posted by LoveClassicMusic0205

Now the question is, if you do enter a PIN does this prevent you from adding the tip? Is this why they're suggesting PIN bypass?

You have to provide tip (or push Enter) prior to the terminal allowing you to insert or tap.

Jun 29, 2022, 12:03 pm

#212

PrendellHiggins

Join Date: Oct 2019

Posts: 137

Some new terminal upgrades at some businesses by me:

Chipotle got the new Equinox terminals that Walgreens has, and World Market has the bigger version of the PAX terminals that Walt Disney World uses.

I wish PAX was more widespread here in the States. I like all their newer terminals and they're very thin & modern. Some even come in white

Jun 29, 2022, 7:35 pm

#213

cbn42

Moderator: Manufactured Spending

Join Date: Jul 2011

Posts: 6,580

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrendellHiggins

I wish PAX was more widespread here in the States. I like all their newer terminals and they're very thin & modern. Some even come in white

Smart & Final has those. I was trying to pay with a store gift card but it was very hard to find the mag stripe slot, which is awkwardly positioned. I guess they assume almost no one uses it anymore.

Jun 29, 2022, 11:54 pm

#214

tmiw

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A Sbarro location here now seems to use the same NCR device (so far seen at some? Waffle Houses, one local cookie shop) previously discussed. Presumably it fully works but we didn't try it. I've seen at least several different setups at that chain so I'm not fully sure what's "standard".

Jun 30, 2022, 4:31 pm

#215

scibot

Join Date: Sep 2014

Posts: 1,722

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrendellHiggins

Does Chipotle or World Market ask for a pin if your using a debit card in mobile pay via ctls? Walgreens now forces pin if doing that. Seems to be the default behavior of those Equinox terminals to not allow pin bypass. It has to be configured to allow it. I remember World Market used Point before but it sounds like their pos has changed a lot.

Jun 30, 2022, 4:52 pm

#216

PrendellHiggins

Join Date: Oct 2019

Posts: 137

Quote:

Originally Posted by scibot

Used credit at Chipotle so idk. Cashier at World Market did ask very specifically if it was credit or debit, and I did use Visa Debit there via Google Pay. No PIN was prompted of me, but it was also just a $2 purchase. Perhaps if it was more I would've recieved a prompt.

Jul 2, 2022, 2:24 am

#217

storewanderer

Join Date: Mar 2011

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Quote:

Originally Posted by PrendellHiggins

I wish PAX was more widespread here in the States. I like all their newer terminals and they're very thin & modern. Some even come in white

PAX terminals have a major flaw: so far at every place I've gone that uses a PAX terminal and accepts credit or debit, they require the cashier to ask you if it is a credit card or a debit card and input that on their side to activate the pinpad. So far I have had one retailer that switched from MX915s (register had a single button for employee to press when someone used any card- "PINPAD TENDER") to PAX (they had to re-do the registers and added a "CREDIT" and "DEBIT" as two separate buttons, and as part of this shift some employees at some location thought this was to make them check ID on credit cards again and started that crap... for about two weeks until I complained...
Another issue with this PAX terminal is the terminal cannot process a refund via tap. They can charge you via tap but can't issue a refund. So if you used Apple Pay then need a refund... the situation becomes messy because they can't credit back the card number originally used for payment... this was NOT an issue when they had the MX915s either.

The places that have PAX terminals and are credit only (no debit) don't have to ask anything since everything is processing as credit... I guess those are okay.

I am no fan of these PAX terminals.

There are also some gas stations that use a PAX terminal, some odd patched on solution. Same behavior there, you go up to the screen of the gas pump, it has debit option and credit option and you have to press one of the two to activate the pinpad. Once you do that there is no pin bypass option allowed if you press debit you MUST enter a pin or it won't go through. If you press credit you must enter your zip code (before it even tries to authorize the card) or it won't even try to authorize.

Jul 2, 2022, 2:31 am

#218

storewanderer

Join Date: Mar 2011

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Quote:

Originally Posted by cbn42

Smart & Final has those. I was trying to pay with a store gift card but it was very hard to find the mag stripe slot, which is awkwardly positioned. I guess they assume almost no one uses it anymore.

Are you sure it wasn't an Ingenico Lane 8000 at Smart and Final?
They recently installed those (within the past year or so) after removing the Verifone MX925s...

Or are they now pulling Ingenico and switching to PAX?

The mag stripe is deliberately located difficult because the cashier needs to watch if a mag stripe is being used. At this point, for anything but a gift card, that is highly likely to be a skimmed card or someone swiping a blank front/fake card- a cloned card.

Jul 2, 2022, 2:37 am

#219

storewanderer

Join Date: Mar 2011

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Quote:

Originally Posted by PrendellHiggins

Cashier at World Market did ask very specifically if it was credit or debit, and I did use Visa Debit there via Google Pay. No PIN was prompted of me, but it was also just a $2 purchase. Perhaps if it was more I would've recieved a prompt.

Love those PAX pinpads that force the cashier to ask if it is debit or credit... total garbage. PAX really needs to get its pinpads to work properly and able to determine the card type without requiring the cashier to ask credit or debit.

Supposedly any mobile payment they are supposed to just press credit at World Market....

Jul 8, 2022, 9:00 pm

#220

tmiw

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Someone on another forum claimed they were actually able to use contactless at USPS. I wasn't able to as of a few weeks ago so it could be a slow rollout. Trying to get more info as to what they're using now as I doubt they're still using iPP350s at the locations where it works.

PrendellHiggins likes this.

Jul 9, 2022, 12:38 am

#221

storewanderer

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Quote:

Originally Posted by tmiw

Some very rural post offices do not use the typical USPS cash register and have basically a cash box, manual postal meter that makes ink-based postage stamps, and a stand alone credit card terminal. Those stand alone terminals (employee takes card and runs it, there is nothing customer facing) have been Contactless enabled for years if you can get them to let you use Contactless.

Jul 9, 2022, 9:20 am

#222

fliesdelta

Join Date: Jul 2012

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Quote:

Originally Posted by tmiw

The two post offices I frequent in Raleigh NC still have the iPP350s and contactless is not supported.

Jul 10, 2022, 12:47 am

#223

cbn42

Moderator: Manufactured Spending

Join Date: Jul 2011

Posts: 6,580

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmiw

I have used contactless at USPS, but only Samsung MST, not NFC.

If someone managed to use NFC, then it was probably at a contracted postal unit (CPU) which is basically a store or other business that provides some postal services, not a "real" post office.

Jul 10, 2022, 1:16 am

#224

storewanderer

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Quote:

Originally Posted by cbn42

That is also a great point. The contract units use a variety of point of sale interfaces. Some older contract post offices do process card payments through USPS using the same stand alone terminal the rural post offices use, and USPS pays the processing fees, while other contract units (newer ones) no longer receive the card processing equipment from USPS and have to process it on their own (or be cash only).

If the receipt says USPS 545156156116 (maybe not that many numbers) then it is processing over USPS network.