"After only one successful transaction, consumers understand how to use their new chip cards. We want to make their first impression with chip technology a positive one, and make paying with chip the 'new normal' this year," said Randy Vanderhoof, director of the EMV Migration Forum. "To meet this goal, the EMV Migration Forum and the Payments Security Task Force are asking the industry to expand education efforts by participating in the new CHIP IN Education Initiative."

GoChipCard.com is a comprehensive site providing instructions for successful chip card transactions along with information about what chip cards are, the security they deliver and reference materials for consumers, issuers and merchants.

What Is the CHIP IN Education Initiative?

The same cross-industry organizations that delivered the GoChipCard.com educational website are now asking industry stakeholders to chip in and help expand efforts to educate consumers and small businesses about the new cards appearing in their wallets and their stores.

How Can Industry Participants Help?

The initiative provides issuers, merchants, acquirers and others with educational messages and materials that can be shared through social media and other channels.

For those that sign up to join the initiative, participants will receive a weekly email which includes:

Pre-drafted social media posts and hashtags
Free educational downloads including useful visual aids, training guides, FAQs, infographics and more
Ways to use resources to maximize educational value
Media interview tips
Methods to encourage visits to GoChipCard.com

"Awareness and these resources help make that first chip card transaction a positive experience, whether you're shopping or helping your customer," said Carolyn Balfany, senior vice president, MasterCard. "This is the latest in a series of steps that we're taking to help all U.S. customers and cardholders to understand the many benefits of the upgrade to chip."

"The CHIP IN Education Initiative is another tool we can use to support the transition to chip technology in the U.S. All of those in the payments ecosystem have demonstrated a shared commitment to easing the transition to chip technology, and, through continued collaboration on initiatives like CHIP IN, we can help educate consumers and small businesses as to how chip technology can help reduce fraud and increase payment security," said Stephanie Ericksen, vice president of Risk Products at Visa, Inc.

Join the CHIP IN Education Initiative here: www.emv-connection.com/chip-in.

The first weekly email will be sent during the week of August 24th, so industry participants are encouraged to join before then.

"We look forward to seeing everyone chip in to make the U.S. EMV chip migration a success," added Vanderhoof.