What Does The EMV Liability Shift Mean For Your Property?

Mayela lozano
January 24, 2019
5
min. read
Credit Card with a Padlock representing the EMV Chip _ pms software

TL;DR

  • EMV (Europay, MasterCard, and Visa) technology uses chip-enabled cards to enhance transaction security and reduce fraud risks.
  • The 2015 EMV liability shift makes hotels financially responsible for card-present fraud if they have not implemented EMV systems.
  • To ensure full protection, hotels should also use point-to-point encryption (P2PE) and tokenization to remove card data from their networks.
  • Begin implementation by consulting your Merchant Service Provider (MSP), confirming your payment application’s PA-DSS certification, and verifying that your payment gateway supports encryption and tokenization.
  • Though the initial setup can be costly, EMV adoption significantly lowers fraud liability, enhances guest trust, and aligns your property with global payment security standards.
  • As technology evolves, expect improvements in EMV speed, mobile payment integration, and emerging features like biometric verification.

Everywhere we go we see EMV chip readers; the grocery store, big box retailers, gas stations even our favorite hotels. EMV which stands for Europay, MasterCard and Visa, is a solution that relies on a consumer having a special chip in their credit or debit card that makes credit card transactions more secure. However, for real protection from credit card fraud, you need to also have point-to-point encryption (P2PE) and tokenization which removes all credit card data from your network, computers and server. This security extends from your hotel booking engine through to final payment processing, protecting both online and in-person transactions.

What are you waiting for?

EMV provides your property with protection from fraudulent credit card transactions where the guests physically present their credit or debit cards. In fact, once your property implements EMV you will not be liable for card-present fraudulent transactions. Effective October 1, 2015, card present counterfeit fraud liability shifted to the merchant if they have not adopted EMV chip technology. Why risk your property’s reputation and hurt your bottom line when you could easily implement EMV?

What are the next steps in implementing EMV?

There is obviously no “one size fits all” way to implement EMV at your property. But a great place to start would be with your Merchant Service Provider (MSP) to see what information they can provide. MSPs are required to stay up-to-date on EMV technology and would also be able to provide you with rates for processing via EMV. Your next step is to be sure that your Payment Application is PA-DSS certified. roommaster PMS is a PA-DSS certified payment application. The last step prior to migrating to EMV is to ensure that your property's payment processing gateway encrypts and tokenizes credit card data. Additionally, if you use a hotel channel manager to process OTA bookings, verify that it also meets security compliance standards for handling payment information.

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Should you move forward with EMV?

If your property hasn't yet upgraded to EMV technology, you should consider doing so as quickly as possible. Ensuring your property management system is EMV-compatible is a critical step in this process. While it can be expensive to migrate to EMV technology, the risk your property is facing from the liability shift is far greater if you're potentially stuck with outrageous credit card charge-backs. Although EMV technology can’t protect your property from all credit card fraud, it is still a strong deterrent to would be fraudsters. Regardless of the upfront challenges you may face when implementing EMV, it is still the credit card processing technology used around the world and the only way to manage the liability shift to the merchant.

What’s on the horizon for EMV?

Like all advances in technology, EMV challenges will improve over time. As more merchants continue to implement EMV it will ease guests’ mindset about using chip readers. In addition, MSPs are attempting to notify their merchants on best practices surrounding EMV. Of course, as EMV technology continues to advance, we can expect to see faster authorizations, mobile payment platforms, and perhaps biometric EMV chip cards.

Finishing up

As hotels follow suit and adopt EMV there are a few benefits that can be seen right away. Of course, there is the financial impact from reduced card present fraud but maybe even more important is the security and good will you are providing your guests.

Considering the move to EMV? Contact our Sales Department to review your options.

roommaster Software is a leading hotel management software provider for the hospitality industry. For over 25 years, roommaster has combined hotelier experience with innovative technology to deliver an all-in-one solution that empowers hotels to attract guests, drive customer loyalty, and increase profits. Our flagship property management software, roommaster, helps manage over 5,500 properties across 100 countries. roommaster develops scalable solutions ranging from a Hotel PMS, Cloud PMS, Channel Manager, Hotel CRM and helps properties enable guests to Book Direct. We believe that everyone deserves a great guest experience, whether they’re staying at a small B&B, a thousand-room resort, or anywhere in between.

Call us today at 1.813.288.4900. We will be happy to walk you through roommaster's solutions.

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Mayela lozano

Mayela Lozano is a content strategist with a passion for hospitality and technology. She collaborates with roommaster on content creation, highlighting how technology can streamline hotel operations and enhance guest satisfaction. When she’s not creating content, Mayela loves to travel and spend time with her two little ones, discovering new adventures and making memories along the way.

Join Thousands of Hotels Thriving with roommaster

The transition to roommaster is straightforward and efficient. Our implementation team handles data migration including reservations, guest profiles, and historical information.

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Join Thousands of Hotels Thriving with roommaster

The transition to roommaster is straightforward and efficient. Our implementation team handles data migration including reservations, guest profiles, and historical information.

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