Paying with Chip & PIN in Stevenage (UK)

The increasing security requirements to cashless paying by debit and credit cards are a response to the high crime and fraud rate in the handling with these means of payment. The major payment card organizations Europay International, MasterCard International and VISA International have, in a joint effort, developed the EMV Standard identified by their names. For its further development, the EMV name sponsors in 1999 founded an own company, the EMVCo LLC. By the procurement of Europay by MasterCard in 2002 and the entry of JCB International into the organisation in 2005, the current shareholders of EMVCo LLC are JCB International, MasterCard International and VISA International.

The objectives of the EMV Security Standard are to minimize the card misuse, to limit the credit risks and multiple applications on a card. This standard assumes the following minimum conditions for payment with debit and credit cards:

- A chip according to EMV standard in the debit and credit cards.
- A card terminal certified according to the EMV standard.
- A PIN input (Personal Identification Number) except for small amounts of money.

These criteria are met by the cashless payment method Chip & PIN, which is currently implemented in the Scheidt & Bachmann systems at Stevenage, UK. The data is read from the chip on the debit or credit card and processed. The payment procedure is inevitably coupled with the input of a PIN. The card is processed in an EMV-conforming terminal.
In cooperation with our partner 3C as a Payment Service Provider, this procedure was further developed and the corresponding interface between Scheidt & Bachmann software and 3C was adapted. This solution has been certified now for the United Kingdom. On principle, however, it can also be adapted to other countries, after a corresponding certification.
In future, 26 terminals (of the company Thales) equipped with ChipCoin systems by Scheidt & Bachmann, supporting this method of payment, will be in service in Stevenage, UK. The payment procedure is straightforward for customers. On insertion of the ChipCoin into the coin slot, the display shows the amount to be paid. Now the customer inserts his debit or credit card into the card slot provided for this purpose on the EMV terminal. An instruction now appears on the terminal display to enter the PIN that is valid for the debit or credit card. On entering, the data is transferred and the payment transaction starts. The debit or credit card can be removed. The chip coin falls into the issuing tray and can now be used for leaving the parking area through the exit.