Target Turns to Chip and PIN

Effort to enhance customer data security will switch all REDcards to less vulnerable technology.

May 01, 2014

MINNEAPOLIS – Target announced earlier this week that beginning next year, it will issue its branded credit and debit cards as MasterCard chip and PIN cards, USA Today reports.

The switch will apply to the retailer’s REDcard portfolio, which includes a Target-branded debit card, credit card and a co-branded card with Visa.

Target has begun replacing and updating its store registers to accept chip and PIN cards as it works to beef up security after suffering one of the largest retail data breaches in history. According to Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder, the company has already replaced 12,000 registers and plans to have all updated by September.

"Establishing a clear path forward for Target following the data breach has been my top priority," CEO Gregg Steinhafel said in a company statement. "I believe Target has a tremendous opportunity to take the lessons learned from this incident and enhance our overall approach to data security and information technology."

For more on chip and PIN and NACS’s efforts on behalf of retailers to ensure greater data security, read the May issue cover story Half Covered.

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