What does EMV (Contactless Bank Card Payment) mean?

Explanation

EMV stands for Europay, Mastercard, and Visa, the three companies that originally developed the chip card standard. When a charger has an EMV payment terminal, you can tap your regular bank card (credit or debit) to pay for charging without needing a charging account, app, or RFID card.

EU regulations are pushing for all new public chargers above a certain power level to include EMV payment terminals. This is a major improvement for drivers because it eliminates the need to download yet another app or sign up for yet another account. You just tap and charge, the same way you pay at a shop or petrol station.

EMV terminals on chargers typically place a pre-authorization hold on your card (often 50 to 100 EUR) and then settle the actual amount after the session ends. The hold is released within a few days. This can temporarily reduce your available balance, which catches some people off guard.

For current specifications, see European Alternative Fuels Observatory.

Where you'll see this

• On the charger screen

Common confusion

People sometimes think EMV and RFID are the same because both involve tapping a card. EMV uses your bank card for direct payment. RFID uses a charging network card to identify your account. Different cards, different systems.

Example

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