In order to accept American Express Chip and PIN cards you need to obtain American Express EMV Certification. Before you begin the certification process we need to confirm that your IPOS has EMVCo level 1 and level 2 approval. This shows your compliance with the EMV specifications, which is the industry standard for Chip and PIN, and with this approval, you are less likely to encounter any problems during certification. For more information, please refer to the EMVCo Website at www.emvco.com.

American Express has some specific requirements for Chip and PIN that are not fully covered in EMV. Certification is important because it ensures the EMV payment processing equipment you use every day is fully compliant with our specifications. The main aims of the certification process are:

• To assure you and your customers that transactions conducted on your equipment using American Express chip cards will work as you expect them to.
• To ensure cards issued overseas will still be accepted in your business.
• To ensure customers receive a consistent Cardmember experience so they always feel comfortable using their card in your business.
• To enable us to identify the cause of any processing problems, thus making it easier to resolve them in the shortest possible time.

The software within your Point Of Sale terminal will feature the following three components:

• The Application layer. This provides the transaction processing software, interfaces with the drivers for the screen display, printer, PIN pad, etc, and handles the acquirer message interface.
• The EMV kernel. This provides the EMV capability and may be developed by you, or bought in.
• The telecommunications software for handling modems, LANs, etc.

In line with EMVCo, American Express requires re-certification if changes are made to either the Application layer and/or the EMV kernel. All merchants either changing to or currently using a Chip and PIN-enabled system require certification with American Express. Separate Chip and PIN certification is required for American Express, even if certification has already been obtained through your main acquirer.

If you are unsure whether re-certification is required, please contact the American Express EMV Certification Unit at emvcertificationunit@aexp.com