Frequently Asked Questions

It is now mandatory for all gas stations to have EMV readers at their pumps, as of April 2021. The push to support EMV came from a change of rules in 2015, where merchants and acquirers are liable for all applicable counterfeit fraud associated with EMV chip transactions if their inside POS terminals do not support EMV technology. However, the mandate was pushed back for pay-at-the-pump at gas stations due to the extra complexity to support it.

Now, any chargeback that happens at gas pumps, the station owners are responsible for if they do not have EMV readers. Even if there is video evidence of the fraudster signing, your claim will be denied every time. Your business is something you have worked hard for. Like locking your doors at night, upgrading for EMV is a security measure to protect your business.

We built the Sound Easy Pump model to provide a cost-effective option. The cost to upgrade with Sound Easy Pump is significantly lower than other options in the market (see the pricing question below for more details). The direct-to-processor transaction connection uses point-to-point encryption to be more secure and eliminate many types of fraud that are common today. In addition, the platform is flexible, so it can easily support future innovations.

Installation involves only one power cord and eliminates the need to purchase new pumps and close stations for installation. The direct to-processor transaction connection uses point-to point encryption, which is more secure and will eliminate many types of fraud that are common today. In addition, the platform is flexible so it can easily support future innovations. The semi-integrated approach minimizes downtime because you can upgrade one pump at a time. Each pump’s upgrade process takes one hour to complete. You don’t need to take the whole station down to convert to EMV. There is no ripping up concrete and construction mess. Our retrofit kits are in stock and there are no delays for installation because of supply chain issues.

Sound Payments solutions are cloud-based. Once a petroleum industry marketer/jobber is trained and fully educated, they can sell our product to a station. Onsite installations are completed by the fuel jobber or pump servicing company. A majority of the installation (as well as updates) is done remotely via the cloud. Retrofit installations are simple and involve only one power cord. It eliminates the need to purchase new pumps and close stations for installation. Only 1-2 people are required onsite at an install, meaning you can have a faster turnaround and schedule more appointments as an installer. The direct-to-processor transaction connection uses point-to-point encryption to be more secure and eliminate many types of fraud that are common today. In addition, the platform is flexible, so it can easily support future innovations.

Just because you are currently not receiving any chargebacks does not mean that will always be the case. As we move farther from the deadline and more stations are upgradeed, the pool fraudsters can target becomes smaller. It is more likely that your unupgraded station will become a target. When you do begin to receive chargebacks and try to fight them, if you do not have EMV in place, you will lose the chargeback case every time. In addition, you will start to see fines from your processors for not having EMV readers in place. Upgrading your business will save you more money in the long run.

Sound Easy Pumptm is a low-cost, semi-integrated, simplified option for
stations to become EMV compliant. Our product eliminates the need to replace
pumps and tear up concrete by using the existing pumps at your stations.
What is the difference between full integration and semi-integration?

Full Integration
Most existing U.S. implementations in petroleum are a full integration, where the payment application runs on the forecourt controller, separate from the payment terminal. The payment terminal receives the cardholder data and passes it to the payment application for processing, bringing the entire solution into PCI scope for auditing.

• • • Integration: Keeping full integration may not continue to work with your existing equipment, and any time something changes, it can require a new certification across each piece of the solution affected.

Semi-Integration
With semi-integration, the payment application runs on the payment terminal. Card processing is handled by the payment terminal, which links directly to the payment processor.

• • • Simplified integration: Since the payment application is separate from the payment terminal, this implementation also puts the station in PCI scope. Thus, system security becomes an important issue, as this configuration is responsible for much of the card skimming.
    • End-to-end Security: It is also more secure, since cardholder data goes directly from the reader to the payment processor/host and is PCI-certified. In addition, the payment device at the pump is a PCI certified payment terminal, so if anyone tries to tamper with the device, it will stop working
    • Supports Future Innovation: Creates a flexible platform to support future innovations by separating the payment terminal from the rest of the system. Provides more flexibility because it’s compatible with many pumps and forecourt controllers and does not require new certifications for each. Contactless Capabilities: It supports QR code scanning, PIN-on-glass, MSR, EMV chip and PIN, NFC , Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and includes a built-in security camera. Contactless capabilities are a major benefit for the purpose of eliminating touch points but also convenience for customers.
    • Simplified Installation: Semi-integration minimizes downtime because you can upgrade one pump at a time. You don’t need to take the whole station down to convert to EMV.

Stations have few options and they are looking to their merchant services and/or pump servicing companies for a solution. These solutions are based on three factors: what equipment you currently have; what you want to do in the feature; and what your budget is. Here’s a comparison:

1. Buy a new pump and complete system: Of course, this is what the pump manufacturers want you to do, and you may not have a choice if your pump is too old to support EMV technology.

• Benefits: You know your new system should work.
• Cons: Cost; it can be costly for the new hardware, software and downtime to upgrade.
• A four-pump C-Store to upgrade equipment this way:

• Downtime, up to 1 month for infrastructure adaptation.
• The cost of 4 new fuel dispensers @ $15,000 = $60,000.
• Monthly SaaS ≈ $1,000 depending on your software provider.
• This does not include hoses, nozzles and plumbing fixtures and pump software configuration services. Inground tanks and construction costs that can reach upwards of ~$140,000.
• This does not include labor, permits and other incidentals.
• Lost in-store revenue and customer satisfaction due to outage from ongoing construction -incalculable!

Total cost to the gas station owner to
convert: >$200,000

2. Retrofit your existing pump and system: A retrofit involves upgrading your existing pump and system to accept EMV.

• Benefits: The major pump manufacturers have retrofit kits that work on some of their newer pumps.
• Cons: These kits are relatively expensive and require you to upgrade your payment and potentially your POS software. They don’t work on all pumps.
• A four-pump C-Store to upgrade equipment this way:

• Cost can be between $5,000 – $8,000 per side of the pump.
• Monthly SaaS ≈ $1,000.

Total cost to the gas station owner: >$50,000

3. Sound Easy Pump Retrofitting: Third-party companies like Sound Payments have developed less expensive retrofit kits. Our retrofit solution doesn’t involve closing the station or ripping up concrete or other potentially extraneous costs associated with other solutions. Best of all it is 1/3 of the cost of other solutions!

• Benefits: Semi-integrated, independent of the pump and POS provider, and separates the challenges of PCI for payments from the in-store systems, providing a safer solution securitywise via end-to-end encryption.
• A four-pump C-Store to upgrade equipment this way:

• Costs can be $3,000 or less per pump.
• Retrofit to existing equipment (works with most pumps & forecourt controllers).
• Use existing POS software.
• Ability to phase upgrades to EMV by individual pump fueling position.
• Eliminate PCI Scope by removing sensitive data from your in-store system.

Total cost to the gas station owner: 1/3 the cost of comparable solutions