An EMV chip is a small microchip embedded in your credit card. Not all credit cards have EMV chips, but issuers will be strongly incentivized to issue cards with chips by October 2015, when a liability shift for fraudulent transactions will occur.
EMV chips have two major card verification methods (CVMs) — chip-and-signature and chip-and-PIN. Chip-and-signature cards, which are most popular in the U.S., use signatures to verify ownership for purchases. Chip-and-PIN cards are more popular in Europe, and use a four- to six-digit PIN for verification.