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De-branding longer being associated with a major
brand can have serious financial
gas stations: implications, but it can also mean
having to think about many aspects
of running a gas station operation for
What happens the first time.

When operating under a partnership
next? with a brand, much of the nuts and
bolts of running a business is overseen
By Lori Griboski by the brand, so it is understandable
that newly independent gas stations
Petroleum Card Services, Paysafe have a lot of questions and are looking
for answers. The good news is that
he implementation of new rules shifting the liability for non-EMV gas stations that find themselves
enabled card payments to gas stations is already having a significant in this situation have options, and
impact on the industry. It has only been a few months since petro- there are specialists in the petroleum
T leum merchants began taking financial responsibility for fraud that industry that they can turn to.
occurs at the pump using cards where the payment terminal doesn't require
chip and pin EMV verification. Why gas stations are de-branding
Typically, gas stations have long-
Yet many of the long-term consequences, particularly for those that are yet to term contracts in place with major
install new payment terminals, are becoming clear. One of these consequences petroleum brands, and there are
is that the rate of gas stations de-branding is increasing. often good reasons for doing so.
These include increased consumer
And this can be a confusing and often worrying time for gas station owners. No recognition and trust and sometimes
more economical access to fuel.

However, the introduction of the
EMV liability shift left both parties
considering their options when a gas
station is yet to convert its at-pump
payments authorization to chip-
and-pin. Many brands simply do not
want to be liable for at-pump fraud,
and this discomfort is only going to
grow with fraudsters increasingly
targeting these vendors.

The result is that many brands are
strongly considering terminating
the contracts of gas station owners
that haven't installed chip and pin
terminals for being in breach of its
terms and conditions.

And where they haven't ended their
relationships with gas stations that
are yet to implement EMV-enabled
at-pump payments altogether, it is
becoming increasingly common for
brands to charge a monthly non-
compliance fee. In many cases this fee
is increasing every month. With the
cost of non-compliance escalating, but
the industry remaining backlogged
by a lack of technicians and months
of hardware orders that haven't been
fulfilled, gas stations' only choice is to

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