Walgreens stores now accepting EMV-chip credit-card payments

Walgreens drugstores nationwide are now accepting new credit cards containing Europay, Mastercard and Visa (EMV) chips, touted as higher-security technology, which means things will be a little different at registers.

When consumers make a purchase at Walgreens pharmacies, instead of swiping their credit card in the terminal, they will have to insert the card into a slot in the terminal. The card must remain in the machine until a screen prompt tells the customer whether to provide a PIN or a signature. The card and amount of the transaction will likely determine whether a PIN or signature is required. For those who use debit cards or ask for cash back, transactions will require that customers swipe the card in the point-of-sale terminal.
 
EMV chip cards can be programmed to require a PIN or a signature, but many banks, credit unions and credit-card issuers are getting new EMV chip-equipped cards that require signatures from their customers. The difference between PIN cards and signature-verification cards is that the cards that require a PIN can guard against a forged signature. Walgreens is among major retailers that can accept PINs or signatures. The company is urging card issuers to offer chip-and-PIN technology instead of chip-and-signature.

Walgreens has been transitioning to accept EMV-chip cards for several years, installing approximately 60,000 new point-of-sale terminals in the company’s 8,200 stores over the past three years.