Americans are quickly embracing EMV chip cards, just six months after the latest milestone in the migration timeline. While consumers increasingly dip their cards to pay in-store, progress has been made by both card issuers and merchants.

MasterCard provided an update on how its cardholders, partners and customers are adopting the safer, more secure EMV chip technology:

More than two-thirds – 67 percent – of U.S.-issued MasterCard-branded consumer credit cards now feature chips.

This represents a 51 percent increase in the number of consumer credit cards with chips in market since the October 1, 2015 liability shift.

Consumers can use their chip cards in more places, as 1.2 million U.S. merchant locations – an increase of 121 percent – have turned on their terminals and are accepting chip card payments.

In addition to national retail chains, approximately one million local and regional merchant locations are accepting chip cards.

“Chip technology is an essential upgrade to better protect consumers and businesses,” said Catherine Murchie, senior vice president of North American Enterprise Security Solutions for MasterCard. “Other countries that have already adopted chips have seen significant reductions in counterfeit card fraud over time – as much as 60, 70 or even 80 percent. The U.S. industry continues to work together on EMV to generate similar results.”