Why Do Merchants Want EMV?

In 2016, credit card standards changed so that in the case of a fraudulent transaction, if a merchant was not using EMV the liability would fall on the merchant. Many shops are now looking to switch to EMV so they can avoid that liability.

Liability does not matter for non-swiped transactions, so the customer can avoid this liability by keying in credit cards (though this is not a perfect solution, as it takes more time and is often subject to higher processing rates with third-party processors).

Further, EMV readers are significantly more expensive than the swipers we usually use and there may be an additional per transaction fee, so this may dissuade some customers from switching despite the liability advantages.