Credit-card issuers are racing to get new cards with embedded chips into customers’ hands. But merchants aren’t ready for the shift.
If you live in the U.S. and have a credit card, you’ve almost certainly received a replacement card out of the blue in the last three months, often paired with an elaborate explanatory booklet. Your new card, the booklet explains, features a special chip that will protect your transactions more effectively, reduce fraud, and make your life better. The first two parts of that statement, at least, are true.
