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American Express intros Small Merchant EMV Assistance Program

The nationwide campaign is intended to help U.S. small merchants fight fraud through a $10 million reimbursement program designed to accelerate adoption of EMV payment terminals.

March 5, 2015

American Express officially launched its Small Merchant EMV Assistance Program, the company announced. The nationwide campaign is intended to help U.S. small merchants fight fraud through a $10 million reimbursement program designed to accelerate adoption of EMV payment terminals. It will also provide small merchants with knowledge about EMV’s security benefits.

Eligible merchants that have upgraded to an EMV terminal can request a one-time $100 reimbursement from American Express by visiting www.americanexpress.com/fightfraud. Small merchants can receive resources about EMV through email, a telephone hotline, and a website. The American Express Fraud Squad will also visit New York City, Atlanta, Miami and Houston to meet with small merchants and spread the word about EMV benefits. 

"Fraud is a growing problem and the move to EMV is an important step towards stemming payment card fraud in the U.S.," said Anré Williams, president, Global Merchant Services, American Express, in the announcement. "Unfortunately, many small merchants do not know about EMV or what they need to do to take advantage of it. We created the Small Merchant EMV Assistance Program to help them. By providing financial and educational assistance, we hope small merchants more quickly adopt EMV so they can ensure their customers feel safe when shopping at their stores."