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Close-up of a computer chip on a credit card

As credit cards become more and more complex more and more things can go wrong with them. Sounds just like your car doesn’t it? The technology that goes into our EMV cards today are complex and sophisticated and everything needs to work together. One of the more common issues is a chip error and the good news is that it can be worked around.

The chip on an EMV card is a bit sensitive. It can be damaged by being scratched, by having a liquid poured on it or from contact with any other foreign substance. Sometimes it can even fall off by itself. The damage can be obvious and sometimes it is not so. When dipped the POS terminal will display an error and the customer will have to remove their chip and try again.

The good news is that after the third failure the POS terminal will ask the user to swipe the card and the transaction will be processed like normal. Sure it may take a bit longer but it will still go through, a good thing for both the customer and the merchant! Both could be thankful that the magnetic strip is still on the card.

For the card user there is very little that they can do other than to have a new card issued. The process is straightforward and every card issuer has a process to replace broken or damaged cards. Before the customer does that it would be a good idea to try the card elsewhere just to make sure it is the card causing the issue.

If no damage is visible there are a few quick fixes there is a quick fix that the customer could try. Pull out a dollar bill and rub the chip with it for a few seconds. A dollar bill is abrasive enough but it will not damage the chip. Just remind your customer that no matter what it will not load any money into your account so keep the higher bills in the wallet. (Bada ching!) At home a bit of rubbing alcohol can work as well, just use a product with a higher concentration of alcohol.

If you have never seen this or if the customer has never seen it there is also the possibility that the POS terminal could be the problem as well. You may be able to rule it out if other customers have dipped their cards successfully or if another customer comes along and dips their card.