A system and method for enhancing functional interoperability of contactless payment devices that are used for conducting electronic payment transactions between consumers and merchants. The contactless payment devices include RFID-embedded cards issued to consumers and proximity coupling devices such as RFID-enabled readers deployed by merchants. The system and method involve use of a reference card and a reference reader to establish acceptable specifications for issued cards and deployed readers, respectively. The reference card and reference reader are cross-calibrated to link the operational specifications for the cards and the readers. A suitable selection of overlapping specification ranges or tolerances for proper card and reader functions, the enhances the interoperability of the issued cards with a deployed reader, and also the interoperability of deployed readers with an issued card.