JHA Payment Processing Solutions said it will begin offering chip-and-signature debit and credit cards to its credit union customers, enabling them to better serve members who live or work abroad.
EMV (Europay, MasterCard and Visa) cards have been widely adopted in international markets and are expected to gain traction in the United States because of their enhanced security, said the payments division of Jack Henry & Associates in Monett, Mo.
In addition to the embedded microchip that meets the EMV standard, the Visa-branded cards have the standard magnetic stripe for use in any traditional card reader in the United States, the company said.
The $5.6 billion Star One Credit Union in Sunnyvale, Calif., is beta testing the card, the company said.
John Postle, general manager of JHA Payment Processing Solutions, said, “Frequent overseas travelers represent an important membership segment for many credit unions.”
The company said in addition to overseas use, domestic retailers including Home Depot, Walmart and Best Buy also are preparing to support hybrid chip and magnetic stripe cards.
“There are only a few institutions in the nation currently issuing microchip cards, and we believe PPS is ahead of the curve and well-positioned to take advantage of the growing demand for this technology,” Postle said.
The PPS division sells ATM, debit and card solutions – including card manufacturing, processing and fraud prevention services – to financial institutions regardless of core processing platform, including the more than 700 credit unions using the Symitar platforms, the company said.
