Card Briefs: Program Helps Retailers Avoid '2000' Troubles

Hypercom Inc., No. 2 to Verifone Inc. in the manufacture of point of sale terminals, is launching a nationwide program to help retailers make sure their equipment will accept credit cards that expire in the year 2000 and beyond.

As is possible throughout the computer industry, the two-digit code for 2000-00-could cause systems to go haywire. Equipment could reject cards with expiration dates of 00 and beyond.

As of March, most major credit card issuers will require point of sale terminals to accept and process cards with expiration dates of 2000 and beyond, Hypercom said.

The company is distributing test cards encoded with expiration dates in 2000 and 2010. Retailers need only swipe the cards through the terminal to see if it needs to be upgraded or replaced.

The test cards will work in any brand of terminal.

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