FAQ: EMVCo Associates Programme – General & Technical Questions

EMVCo Associates Programme Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 1. What is the EMVCo Associates Programme (EAP) and why was it established? EMVCo facilitates worldwide interoperability and acceptance of secure payment transactions. To achieve this objective, EMVCo actively engages the payment community in developing, enhancing and evolving the EMV^® Specifications. The EAP was established in 2010 to facilitate this engagement and enable the broader payments community to play an active role in its strategic and technical direction. The EAP provides anyone with an interest in EMV with opportunities for dynamic and early engagement on specification development beyond those offered to the general public. Many payment community stakeholders are active participants within EMVCo’s initiatives and have a significant influence on the work efforts of the organisation. 2. What are the benefits of the EAP Associates Programme? The EAP:

• Facilitates early and inclusive engagement for all stakeholders committed to EMV payment technology.
• Provides flexible participation options to meet the needs of various industry stakeholders and expand the opportunity for engagement.
• Delivers a worldwide schedule that offers face-to-face meetings and networking opportunities in every global region annually. For further information on the various benefits of EAP participation, download the EAP summary sheet. 3. Who can participate as an EMVCo Associate? To participate as an EMVCo Associate, the applicant must be a stakeholder in the payment card industry or a representative association of a type of such industry stakeholders and have a commercial or technical interest in monitoring the EMV Specifications. 4. What is the EMVCo Board of Advisors? Copyright © 2020 EMVCo – All rights reserved. The EMVCo Board of Advisors provides EMVCo with input on strategic and business topics related to the use of the EMV^® Specifications. The Board of Advisors meets twice annually, giving them the opportunity to communicate with EMVCo executives. Input from the Board of Advisors is extremely valuable. EMVCo has expanded the Board of Advisors to include those Associates demonstrating a commitment to EMV deployment and interoperability to enable broader industry input on the strategic direction of EMVCo’s increasingly diverse initiatives. 5. What is the annual participation fee for Associates? The annual participation fee for an Associate is $27,500 payable in advance. Fees are payable on an annual basis and prorated for those organisations that join mid-year. The annual participation fee for an Associate who participates as a Merchant or Industry Group is $15,000, payable in advance. Fees are payable on an annual basis and prorated for those organisations that join mid-year. Restrictions apply; please click here for more details on these categories. Copyright © 2020 EMVCo – All rights reserved. 6. Does EMVCo actively promote Merchant and Industry Group engagement? Yes. The EAP includes targeted Merchant and Industry Group participation categories Having broader industry input benefits the development of the EMV^® Specifications and provides additional insight to all EMVCo Associates. As EMVCo specifications continue to grow in scope, it is important to understand the merchant acceptance use cases to make sure EMV Specifications are flexible enough to meet multiple card payment scenarios. Direct merchant insight is critical to this understanding. However, EMVCo recognises that membership organisations traditionally do not have extensive revenue resources and this may be a barrier to their participation. Accordingly, EMVCo has established an incentive rate for Merchants and Industry Groups with the goal of providing these important payment partners flexible options for engagement. 7. For the purposes of EAP participation, how is an organisation defined as an ‘Industry Group’? An ‘Industry Group’ is defined as a body composed of members (individuals, companies or other bodies) for a common industry purpose, such as an association, council or similar representative body. Individual incorporated or private companies do not meet this definition. 8. For the purposes of EAP participation, how is an organisation defined as a ‘Merchant’? A ‘Merchant’ is defined as a company that accepts EMV products and whose primary business is the selling of goods or services. If the company has multiple divisions, to qualify for the merchant fee, those attending EMVCo meetings need to work in the division responsible for the acceptance of EMV products for the purpose of selling goods or services. 9. What meetings can Associates attend? The EAP comprises various meeting types to enable broad, flexible industry engagement: Board of Advisor Meetings – enable Associates participating on the Board of Advisors to engage in the strategic direction of EMVCo. Copyright © 2020 EMVCo – All rights reserved. Board of Advisor Interim Calls – provide additional touchpoints throughout the year to discuss topics raised at BoA meetings. Business Special Interest Meetings (SIM) – enable Associates to review and validate the business rationale driving new initiatives and major updates. Technical Meetings – enable Associates to engage in the technical direction of EMVCo. Technical Special Interest Meetings – enable Associates to provide feedback on a defined technical topic. Targeted Technology Engagement – enables Associates from a dedicated vertical to provide highly-specific feedback on a focused topic. User Meeting – offers a high-level insight into EMVCo’s mission, structure and technical priorities. Educational Sessions – offer all interested parties a high-level overview of key EMVCo initiatives. Non-Associates also are welcomed. Webinars / Presentations – provide industry participants with additional resources. All Associates can attend the two Technical Meetings held each year, as well as any Special Interest Meetings that are scheduled. Associates who serve on the Board of Advisors can attend the Board of Advisor meetings held twice per year, as well as the interim update calls that are held twice a year. The EMV^® User Meeting, held mid-year, is open to all Subscribers and Associates. Associates may send up to three representatives free of charge. Additional attendees will be billed at the normal meeting cost. To view upcoming EMVCo events, click here. 10. Is there a registration or attendance fee for any of the Associates Meetings? There is no registration or attendance fee payable for any of the Associates meetings for up to three delegates (two for Merchants and Industry Groups), but it should be noted that Associates are responsible for their own travel expenses and accommodations for in-person meetings. 11. Whom can I contact for more information on the Associates Programme? Copyright © 2020 EMVCo – All rights reserved. For more information on the benefits and opportunities of EAP participation, please contact Brian Byrne, EMVCo’s Director of Engagement and Operations (brian.byrne@emvco.com). If you have any questions that are not addressed in the FAQs or the EAP Policy and Procedure document, please send an email request to associatesupport@emvco.com. 12. How do I join the Associates Programme? Registration can be done by following the link from the EMVCo home page to the EAP page. After reviewing the information provided, select "sign up now" and fill out the information requested on the "sign-up" page. 13. What if I am a Subscriber and wish to sign up as an Associate? EMVCo strongly encourages Subscribers to consider joining as an Associate to maximise their ability to engage at an earlier stage and be part of shaping the future of the EMV payment technology. If you are already a Subscriber, sign in as a subscriber. Under the "My Account" header click "Click here" and then choose "Status Upgrade". Follow the on-screen instructions to upgrade to the appropriate Associate level. Note that you will receive a prorated credit for Subscriber fees already paid and an invoice for the additional programme fees will be sent to you. 14. How do I know if my company has already joined the Associates Programme? You may confirm your company's participation by checking the Associates Programme Participants Page. You may also send an email to associatesupport@emvco.com. 15. How do I login as an Associate? On the EMVCo website homepage, select 'Login' located at the upper right corner of the page. 16. I forgot my user ID. Whom can I ask for the information? Please send an email request to associatesupport@emvco.com. 17. Would joining the Associates Programme allow me to use EMVCo logos in marketing material for my EMVCo approved product? Copyright © 2020 EMVCo – All rights reserved. The EMV^® and EMVCo logos are for exclusive use by EMVCo LLC. They may not be used by anyone other than EMVCo. However, the EMVCo Approved Certification Mark is available for use in respect of EMVCo-approved products subject to eligibility and signing a Trademark License Agreement. Please check the Trademark Centre for details. 18. Is the Associates Programme participation fee refundable? The annual Associates Programme fee is not refundable, except as stated in the EMVCo Associates Programme Participation Agreement. 19. What payment options do I have? EMVCo will issue an invoice to you for the appropriate participation fee. Payment for Associate participation can be made by wire transfer or credit card. Subscribers may pay via credit or debit payment cards (American Express, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, UnionPay and Visa). EMVCo does not accept checks. 20. Whom do I contact for problems with payment processing? If you have trouble processing payment, first contact your bank regarding authorisation, reserved funds or any other issue that may prevent payment from being processed. Also ensure that the payment information has been entered correctly. If these steps do not correct the problem, contact the Associates Programme staff at associatesupport@emvco.com. EMV^® is a registered trademark in the U.S. and other countries and an unregistered trademark elsewhere. The EMV trademark is owned by EMVCo, LLC. Copyright © 2020 EMVCo – All rights reserved.