Jan 8, 2022, 9:16 pm
Last edit by: SPN Lifer
Older (archived) threads:
2017- 21
2014-16
- - - - - -
FAQ
(Non-exhaustive) list of EMV contactless supporting merchants in the US:
* CDCVM support confirmed
** CDCVM support depends on store/restaurant
CDCVM supported in MSD mode
2017- 21
2014-16
- - - - - -
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 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
USA contactless payment cards (2022 - 2023)
Nov 25, 2023, 1:05 pm
#931
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Lowe's in Moreno Valley, CA still doesn't accept contactless as of today. (The original rumor was that all of them would have it by Black Friday.) Maybe other locations did end up making it?
Nov 27, 2023, 9:13 pm
#932
Join Date: Sep 2023
Posts: 12
The original rumor was by the end of the year, but maybe he meant the fiscal year. Then people added things to it, like, end of 2nd quarter, or black friday. I still think it's going to be EOY so maybe in the next two or three weeks.
Nov 27, 2023, 9:31 pm
#933
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Don't most stores try not to do any updates during the holiday shopping season? If so, I'd expect it to get turned on beginning of next year at the very earliest, but who knows?
Nov 27, 2023, 10:37 pm
#934
Join Date: Sep 2022
Programs: United Mileage Plus
Posts: 767
Where is Home Depot these days?
Do these chains mostly want you to use swipe cards or do they at least support EMV?
Some retail chains wanted swipes to track your spending and store you card numbers, like Target did.
Is that why HD and Lowes are holdouts on contactless?
Nov 27, 2023, 10:44 pm
#935
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Where is Home Depot these days?
Do these chains mostly want you to use swipe cards or do they at least support EMV?
Some retail chains wanted swipes to track your spending and store you card numbers, like Target did.
Is that why HD and Lowes are holdouts on contactless?
Do these chains mostly want you to use swipe cards or do they at least support EMV?
Some retail chains wanted swipes to track your spending and store you card numbers, like Target did.
Is that why HD and Lowes are holdouts on contactless?
As for contactless, I really suspect that the holdouts either don't want to encourage cards any more than they have to (due to interchange, etc.) and/or they think that online shopping is what's going to win out in the end. Walmart, for example, pushes ordering through their app and website really hard when you're in the store. They also still have "no one uses contactless" as a viable excuse, though that's not going to last for much longer.
Nov 28, 2023, 1:07 pm
#936
Join Date: Oct 2014
Programs: Skymiles
Posts: 3,251
Nah, EMV has been common for a bit now (even if it's not the most ideal implementation, i.e. chip and signature, etc.).
As for contactless, I really suspect that the holdouts either don't want to encourage cards any more than they have to (due to interchange, etc.) and/or they think that online shopping is what's going to win out in the end. Walmart, for example, pushes ordering through their app and website really hard when you're in the store. They also still have "no one uses contactless" as a viable excuse, though that's not going to last for much longer.
As for contactless, I really suspect that the holdouts either don't want to encourage cards any more than they have to (due to interchange, etc.) and/or they think that online shopping is what's going to win out in the end. Walmart, for example, pushes ordering through their app and website really hard when you're in the store. They also still have "no one uses contactless" as a viable excuse, though that's not going to last for much longer.
Nov 28, 2023, 4:04 pm
#937
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: RDU
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Walmart is forcing their app at every corner they can. From removing the price checkers and replacing them with signs that say "Use the app to check the price" to moving items around on purpose so you have to use the app to locate it. It doesn't surprise me that Walmart Pay is just another tool to get you to open their app.
Nov 28, 2023, 4:59 pm
#938
Join Date: Oct 2007
Programs: AA, WN, UA, Bonvoy, Hertz
Posts: 2,491
Eh, it is a lot harder to shop at their competitor Amazon.com from a payment perspective, but people happily spend 30 to 40 percent of all e-commerce with them, often at higher prices.
i don't agree with Walmart's closed payment system, but it wasn't too long ago that Walmart didn't take many card choices at all.
i don't agree with Walmart's closed payment system, but it wasn't too long ago that Walmart didn't take many card choices at all.
Nov 28, 2023, 5:07 pm
#939
Join Date: Jul 2012
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Eh, it is a lot harder to shop at their competitor Amazon.com from a payment perspective, but people happily spend 30 to 40 percent of all e-commerce with them, often at higher prices.
i don't agree with Walmart's closed payment system, but it wasn't too long ago that Walmart didn't take many card choices at all.
i don't agree with Walmart's closed payment system, but it wasn't too long ago that Walmart didn't take many card choices at all.
Nov 28, 2023, 5:19 pm
#940
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Amazon in other countries, however, could be a bit more of a challenge due to local laws requiring e.g. 3D Secure.
Yeah, it actually hasn't been all that long since you could start pretty much assuming everywhere accepted cards in the US. I remember a fair number of smaller places here being cash only all the way up to maybe the early 2010s, for instance (and even one donut shop that finally gave in and started accepting cards with a surcharge a year or two into the pandemic, but that might have been more due to Dunkin' opening down the street than anything else).
Nov 29, 2023, 10:12 am
#941
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 103
Yeah, it actually hasn't been all that long since you could start pretty much assuming everywhere accepted cards in the US. I remember a fair number of smaller places here being cash only all the way up to maybe the early 2010s, for instance (and even one donut shop that finally gave in and started accepting cards with a surcharge a year or two into the pandemic, but that might have been more due to Dunkin' opening down the street than anything else).
Nov 29, 2023, 12:24 pm
#942
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: SJC
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Haven't been there since late 2019, but the California Sourdough Eatery in San Jose was still cash only back then, with an ATM machine inside for those who would otherwise have to leave empty-handed. There was also Sancho's Taqueria in Palo Alto, but I haven't been there since 2017 — maybe they now take cards.
Nov 29, 2023, 1:42 pm
#943
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I'm not sure it would actually be possible for a smaller business to opt out, come to think of it. The major "small business" POSes (Toast, Square, Clover) don't seem to have any non-contactless hardware options, for instance, and whatever your merchant processor would give you otherwise likely would come with working contactless too. Maybe that's one advantage of cards being relatively expensive for (smaller) US merchants to process--no real benefit to opting out to save on interchange.
Nov 29, 2023, 4:27 pm
#944
Join Date: Sep 2022
Programs: United Mileage Plus
Posts: 767
More people are going cashless, either just carrying their phone most of the time or at most a couple of contactless cards, which are better than the old cards where they had to sign
Yet you have people asking for money outside stores or on the streets and more people these days aren't even carrying a few bills or coins around.
Panhandlers need to have contactless terminals ...
Yet you have people asking for money outside stores or on the streets and more people these days aren't even carrying a few bills or coins around.
Panhandlers need to have contactless terminals ...
Dec 1, 2023, 5:22 pm
#945
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 137
Noticed the contactless indicator on some new terminals the Dave and Buster's waiters were carrying around. He actually tried to take a physical card the old way in a black bill holder, but I pointed out the card reader. After he poked around on the machine for a minute, he figured out how to finalize the transaction and I got to pay at the table with Google Pay! Got a photo of the machine on the way out.
