FAQ: What’s the Difference Between Old Credit Cards & EMV?

EMV cards contain a computer chip with changing data. Your traditional credit cards use magnetic stripes on traditional credit and debit cards store contain unchanging data. Any hacker or identity thief who gets the data on your traditional credit card can get the necessary info to make purchases. That makes traditional cards prime targets for counterfeiters, who convert stolen card data to cash.

With EMV cards, you don’t have to worry about the same data appearing more than once, because very time an EMV card is used for payment, the EMV card’s chip creates a unique transaction code that cannot be used again. If a hacker stole the chip information from one specific point of sale, typical card duplication would never work “because the stolen transaction number created in that instance wouldn’t be usable again and the card would just get denied.

If you’re a business owner interested in EMV card readers, you can get started by filling out an application form on the Swpit.com EMV page.