Recently, the card brands surprised many in the industry by announcing the decision to delay the forecourt EMV liability shift to October 1st, 2020 from the original October 2017 date. While this delay provides retailers with additional time to upgrade to EMV, EMV upgrades are likely to continue at a rapid pace given the potential risks to a retailer of waiting and because of some of the unique opportunities that EMV upgrades present.
This viewpoint is echoed in NACS’s recently published podcast, “EMV Implementation Extension—But Don't Put Off Upgrades” in which Kara Gunderson, a point-of-sale Manager at Citgo, describes the reasoning behind the shift and what it means for the industry. The podcast’s core message emphasizes that despite the delay in the liability shift date, the industry will continue to move forward with EMV implementation and that retailers should continue to upgrade as soon as possible.
There are three core reasons why petroleum retailers should continue to be aggressive with their EMV upgrade plans:
Additionally, the delay of the liability shift will also provide retailers more time to strategically plan how to deploy new dispensers versus upgrading older dispensers with payment-retrofit kits.
“Fuel pumps will continue to age and will be further depreciated as 2020 approaches,” states W. Capra Consulting Group in a recent blog. “The timing of full AFD replacements will be on retailer’s minds as they will be making decisions to upgrade or replace.”
New dispensers offer a wide range of benefits that do not come with payment-upgrade kits, including new metering and fuel-security features, remote monitoring of flow rates and pump electronics and an overall improved site image that can boost consumer traffic. The liability shift delay certainly creates additional considerations for how retailers can approach their EMV upgrade plans, and Gilbarco remains committed to helping our customers navigate this new landscape.