Why your business depends on this gas station technology

In 2015, consumers at major retailers faced a unique shopping experience. Financial institutions began issuing EMV chip cards for the first time. Rather than swiping a debit or credit card and then entering their pin or signing their name at the point-of-sale, shoppers "dipped" their card into the reader and removed it when – or ideally, before – the card reader emitted an obnoxious beep.

The new EMV technology elicited much confusion at checkout counters. People entered their cards backward or upside-down forgot to remove the card after the transaction, or worse, became frustrated when the glitchy new technology failed to read the chip.

Payment technology has progressed today, where mobile wallets and cards you can tap for contactless payments make checkout a breeze. But EMV technology also improved with time. Shoppers became familiar with the process, and it remains a popular payment method.

In the U.S., more than 89% of all point-of-sale transactions take place using EMV chips, according to data from EMVCo, a worldwide consortium of credit card issuers.

What Is EMV Technology?

For those unfamiliar with the term, EMV stands for EuroPay, Mastercard and Visa. These companies spearheaded magnetic chip technology and introduced it as the new standard for card payments. Other credit card companies, including Discover and American Express, also use EMV chips for security.

If you own or operate a gas station, this technology has probably been on your radar. Either you recently completed an EMV upgrade at your gas station payment terminals, or you know it’s a necessity and it’s weighing heavy on your mind.

But why is EMV technology so important? It all has to do with financial security – for your business and for your customers.

Why Are EMV Purchases More Secure?

Data cannot be stolen from an EMV card as easily as it can from magnetic stripe cards. Scammers and credit card thieves can hide secret “skimmers” at the point-of-sale, designed to extract information from the magnetic stripe on the card.

When you swipe your card, the skimmer may steal the credit card number, expiration date, and the CVV number on the back of the card, along with your personal information. The thief then creates a second card using that data or uses the information for online shopping. Purchases they make with that new card are charged to your account. The FBI estimates that skimmers cost consumers and financial institutions more than $1 billion annually.

EMV chips aren’t vulnerable to skimmer technology. Plus, when you dip your EMV-enabled card, the chip creates a unique, one-time-use code to process the payment. It’s similar to a virtual account number you might generate from your credit card for online purchases. Even if a thief could obtain the code, they couldn’t use it.

Today, chip transactions are commonplace, resulting in a reduction of counterfeit fraud. EMV transactions have all but replaced magnetic stripe transactions at most retailers – with one exception. Legislation mandating upgrades to EMV technology in gas stations faced several delays.

Why Were Gas Stations Off the Hook for EMV Upgrades Until 2021?

Visa, Mastercard and American Express, the three major U.S. credit card issuers, delayed the EMV migration deadline for gas stations from 2017 to October 2020. But as the pandemic lingered on, that deadline was further extended to April 2021.

Upgrading to EMV technology at gas pumps is more complicated and costly than upgrading other point-of-sale systems, according to CSOOnline.com, a publication for security professionals. However, it remains an important step toward payment security in gas pump wiring systems.

Why Is EMV Migration Important to Gas Station Owners?

Even though the April 2021 deadline has passed, many fuel stations in the United States have not upgraded their technology to be EMV compliant. To be fair, other retailers also failed to integrate EMV chip readers into their point-of-sale systems until recently.

For the protection of their customers and their own business interests, gas station owners can no longer ignore this technology innovation. Visa reported that credit card counterfeit fraud dropped by 70% in the first two years after the EMV technology roll-out.

Now that the EMV compliance deadline has passed, if a customer suffers from credit card fraud, liability shifts from the credit card company to the gas station owner. Previously, the credit card companies took that loss.

Gas station customers experience roughly $400 million in counterfeit card fraud per year, according to statistics from the petroleum industry association Connexus. With so many other retailers now using EMV chip technology, gas stations have become even more enticing targets for thieves looking to steal card data from magnetic stripes.

Challenges of EMV Gas Station Innovations

Several roadblocks existed to EMV technology adoption in gas stations. As CSOOnline.com pointed out, customers at fuel pumps don’t have the benefit of a cashier to guide them through chip use. This is less of a problem today, when most people know how to use their EMV card for payment processing.

However, upgrading fuel pumps to EMV technology remains expensive and complicated, with specialized equipment that must be certified. Fuel pumps sit in outdoor environments, so payment systems must be weatherproof.

Cabling must be fuel-resistant, fire-resistant, and water-resistant, right down to the electrical cables necessary to connect the new EMV terminals to the computers that process transactions.

You can purchase a new fuel pump from a manufacturer that already supports EMV within its terminals, purchase a retrofit kit from your pump manufacturer, or purchase a retrofit kit from a third party. Whatever you choose, you’ll need the right Ethernet and electrical cables for the installation.

Choose the Right Gas Station Cables for EMV Upgrades

Whether you upgrade your existing fuel pumps or purchase new pumps with EMV card readers, you’ll need new electrical cabling to power the pumps and chip readers. You’ll also need Ethernet cabling to connect the EMV-enabled pump terminals to your fuel dispensers.

Integrating new cable is not a cheap nor easy task. Your contractors may need to break up the concrete, lay new conduits, and pull all new cables. You can simplify the process by choosing the right cable provider for your EMV compliance project.

Secure Electrical Wiring for Payment Terminals at Gas Stations

Electrical wiring for payment terminals at gas stations is different from the electrical wiring used in other commercial applications. Low-voltage cabling must withstand wind, rain, and harsh sun. They must also be fire-resistant, fuel-resistant and oil-resistant for safety. Additionally, gas station cables must withstand electromagnetic interference (EMI), which can come from the vehicle motors in and around the gas stations, as well as the technology within the gas station. Our SmartWire Shielded cables withstand EMI and the harsh effects of weather over time.

Ethernet Cable for Gas Station Applications

Your new EMV upgrade also requires Cat6 or Cat5 Ethernet cable for communication between the pumps and fuel dispensers. Windy City Wire’s solutions offer high transmission speeds, reliability, and durability. They are able to withstand gas, oil, and fire, as well as natural elements.

Ethernet technology is also necessary if you also want to offer mobile payment options, such as contactless payments through mobile wallets or an EMV card equipped with RFID or NFC technology. RFID and NFC technology make using an EMV card even easier for consumers; they can pay with one tap.

Advantages of Working with Windy City Wire

Many gas stations failed to upgrade to EMV systems previously due to supply chain issues and high costs. They couldn’t get the proper equipment to complete the upgrade.

When you work with Windy City Wire, we promise fast shipping times and prompt, accurate delivery. Our SmartWire cable solutions are designed to streamline installations, with the product data for each cable printed right on the RackPack box.

The RackPack Field Systems Solution also includes Perfect Pull tearaways for easy horizontal or vertical cable pulls. Our Glide Technology, a dry lubricant, reduces pulling friction by up to 70%. Together, these features enable faster and easier cable pulls. Faster installation means less downtime for your gas station.

Don’t Put Your Gas Station at Risk Any Longer

If you’ve been putting off EMV upgrades for your gas station, there’s no reason to wait any longer. Let a Windy City Wire representative provide you and your contractors with the right cable solutions to complete the job quickly.