The largest competitor to Wal-Mart, Target Corporation, seems to have weathered the catastrophic data breach they experienced two years ago. But in a move announced this week, the retail giant has proven that they learned the lessons of the cyber attack that threatened to erode the trust their customers have with them.

Already a financial standard throughout much of the world, the EMV chip + PIN technology helps to ensure that a customer is who they say they are, significantly diminishing in-person credit card fraud while also vastly improving the protection of the cardholder’s personal data. Target Corporation announced their branded store credit cards will be reissued to all current cardholders under the MasterCard logo, and featuring the new microchip that all banks embraced as the new standard earlier this month. Target, however, is taking it a step further and will require their cardholders to select a PIN to be used in conjunction with their new chipped card. 

This move comes on the heels of a recent FBI warning to consumers that they should elect to use a PIN with their new EMV chipped credit cards at any point-of-sale (POS) terminal. They explained how using a PIN instead of a signature is the ultimate level of protection available to consumers today. One problem with the FBI warning: with the exception of Target’s branded credit cards, the PIN option is not available to America’s consumers. It should be noted that the FBI has since removed that consumer warning from their website at FBI.gov.

When you consider the amount of damage caused by their earlier data breach, Target may be the vanguard for the protection of consumer data going forward. If your business has yet to update your equipment for the new EMV chipped credit cards, take just a moment to fill out the form above and a member of our team will reach out to you and assist you in tailoring a Merchant Services Account that perfectly suits the needs of your business.