Your New Debit Card is Coming Soon!

EMV Debit Cards

It’s been all over the news, debit card fraud is raging rampant across America. Some of you may know firsthand just how frustrating it can be to be a victim of debit card fraud. I am going to tell you about a new debit card that will help to protect your information…the EMV Chip Card.

Those of you who are travel aficionados may already be aware of this (new to the USA) technology, EMV chip cards. I know you are wondering what exactly does EMV stand for. EMV stands for Europay, MasterCard and Visa, this technology has been used in Europe for over two decades and is becoming the global standard. Over eighty countries around the globe are in the process of implementing this technology and is now being adopted in the United States.

To decrease your risk of fraud, we are pleased to tell you that First National Bank of River Falls will be reissuing your card so it is an EMV enabled Debit Card this month!  Please watch for your new card in the mail and activate as soon as possible.  Your new card will be the same card number but have a different expiration date.  Be sure if you have any automatic payments connected to your card that you update the expiration date.

The new debit cards look just like a regular debit card except they will be a new color and have a small chip embedded in them that securely encrypts your information making it that much harder to copy. Have no fear, there will still be a magnetic stripe on the back of the card, and you can still use the card at any merchant that accepts cards whether they are EMV enabled or not. 

Now I know you have mastered the perfect way to swipe your card, your wrist held just so, but using an EMV chip card at a store is a little different. If the merchant is EMV enabled you will no longer swipe your card. You will insert your card into a slot on the card reader and wait for the transaction to process. It takes a few seconds longer than a swiped transaction, but it is a much more secure way of processing your transaction; protecting you, your information and your hard earned money. The card does need to stay in the machine for the entire processing, if you pull it out too quickly it will tell you to reinsert the card or the transaction may be denied.

The question you may be asking yourself now is how in the world do I know if a merchant is EMV enabled or not? The great thing about this technology is that if you swipe your EMV card and the terminal is an EMV terminal, it will tell you! You will get a message on the screen telling you to insert your card into the slot. If the merchant is not EMV enabled when you swipe your card the transaction will process just like before.

If you have questions there are various resources available. You can contact your local FNBRF banker at 715-425-2401 in River Falls or 715-262-5000 in Prescott.  Or a very helpful website if you are a consumer or if you are a small business owner with questions is www.gochipcard.com, check out the FAQ section.

Stay Connected,
Amanda Huppert
FNBRF Debit Card Specialist