We hear a lot about Year 2000 compliance issues and problems with credit card expiration dates, but not many specifics about software and hardware.
Now, VeriFone has a web site that is very helpful to ISOs and merchants. (To access the site go to http://www.verifone.com/solutions/html/year_2000.html or visit The Green Sheet on-line and click on the Year 2000 link.) It deals with a variety of Y2K aspects specific to the POS industry. You might even consider giving the site address to a merchant whom is asking you this question, and by getting the answer right from the horse's mouth, they will find you even more credible, and seek your assistance.
For example, did you know that all VeriFone terminals support cards with expiration dates 2000 and beyond but not all applications running on the terminals support Y2K?
It's true. Half the battle of correcting Y2K problems is defining exactly what the problem is. Many of the applications were written by third party organizations that may not have been aware of the Y2K problems at the time. So, even if the terminal reads the card, the software residing on the terminal may not. That's why it's important to check with the software provider to determine if the software is Y2K compliant.
What if you don't know if your software is compliant? VeriFone can help. Their web site has an Adobe Acrobat document that provides data sheets for First Data, Global Payment Systems, and VisaNet. (Click on Year 2000 Report.I ) Each sheet lists all the Year 2000-capable applications from each company. VeriFone will also provide special application modification services to large organization to help amend and download new applications. Call (800) 233-0522 for details.
The web site also has links to other helpful Y2K resources, such as the Year 2000 home page, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, as well at the department of commerce's "Millennium Rollover".
(I You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to access this document. Go to http://www.adobe.com to download it free.)
