Apparently, there's an optimization that needs to get done with the retailer's bank. Big retailers have this completed so their chip transactions are very fast. Smaller ones either don't or need to go through a middle-man servicer which adds time and god knows if the middle man has completed this optimization. Subway restaurants, which are individually franchised, are like this. They just have one of those cheap chip terminals and the transactions can take 30+ seconds. Meanwhile at Walgreens it only takes a few seconds.
A lot of this has to do with Quick Chip, which forgoes writing the host authorizer ID to the credit card's chip thus simplifying and shortening the transaction. QC rollouts happen at whatever pace retailers want, so you'll see some shops using QC and others that don't.
A lot of this has to do with Quick Chip, which forgoes writing the host authorizer ID to the credit card's chip thus simplifying and shortening the transaction. QC rollouts happen at whatever pace retailers want, so you'll see some shops using QC and others that don't.
https://www.cardfellow.com/quick-chip-slow-chip-card-transac...