The looming switch to ‘chip’ credit cards is upon us

Pretty soon, ‘swiping’ will be so 2014. But there’s still a lot of confusion over these new “chip cards.”

They’re technically called EMV cards, which stands for Europay, Mastercard and Visa, the three companies behind this new technology.

Franz Brazil received his in the mail just a few weeks ago.

“Should have been done a long time ago,” Brazil said. “Really should have. Europe has been using it for years.”

Europe has benefited, with a sharp decline in credit card fraud.

The new cards are all about adding security, as consumers deal with more and more scammers and data breaches. The shiny chip generates a special code every time it’s used. So even if criminals get that code, it’s useless because it only works once.

But banks are a bit behind in replacing all of America’s credit and debit cards. Don’t worry too much if you don’t have yours yet. A report by CreditCards.Com finds 6 in 10 Americans still don’t have them.

If you are worried, call your bank and request the upgrade.

As for the retail side, most big retailers are ready to go. However, many independent stores are still playing catch up.

The new systems are in place at Star Market in Salinas, but they’re not ready just yet.

“There’s a lot of logistical things that need to be done through our transaction company,” Star Market Managing Partner Chris Reyes said.

There’s no fine for missing the deadline, but starting Thursday, liability for fraud will fall on the party that hasn’t upgraded.