Beginner's guide to card payment terminals in the UK

A card payment terminal is an essential tool for U.K. businesses, facilitating seamless electronic transactions.

For beginners, it's important to understand the different types, such as countertop, portable and mobile terminals, each with unique benefits, as well as how to integrate them with your business system, the associated costs and the necessary compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

If you’re accepting payments in person, you’ll need to select a card machine. You’ll want to choose equipment that’s right for the way you do business – both today and into the future. Let’s take a quick look at a few typical business scenarios to see which type of card machine offers the best fit.

Scenario #1 – Countertop machine with a separate PIN pad

Synopsis: “I own a shop, and I want to take payment at the counter. I also want to reduce the queue time of my customers at the checkout."

Solution: You can get a countertop card machine and a separate PIN pad to enhance the checkout experience for your customers.

A countertop card machine provides a reliable, robust way to take payments at the till. Many countertop machines offer a wide range of features that make in-store payments a breeze for your customers ─ such as helpful touchscreen capabilities and acceptance of multiple payment options, like contactless and chip-and-PIN for fast transactions ─ all while remaining PCI DSS compliant. Plus, you can add a separate PIN pad to make it even easier for customers to pay in your shop to help cut down on wait times and the likelihood of queues.

Scenario #2 – Mobile machine

Synopsis: “I own a lawn maintenance company, and my customers want to be able to pay me by card right on the spot.”

Solution: You need a mobile card terminal.

A mobile card terminal provides your business with maximum flexibility, as you can accept card payments wherever your customers are. You can get great coverage from a built-in SIM card that connects to major 4G providers. It can also be connected through Wi-Fi and accepts contactless payments, including Apple Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay, as well as credit and debit cards.

Scenario #3 – Use an integrated payment solution

Synopsis: “Our new shop is extremely busy and our ordering and checkout system can’t keep up. Plus, our systems don’t talk to each other and after a long day we’re up late reconciling accounts.”

Solution: You need the help of a fully integrated point-of-sale (POS) system.

An integrated POS system offers the functions of a smart-card terminal combined with other essential business systems, like ordering, accounting and inventory. POS systems integrate the hardware, software and support, so you can focus on growing your business. POS systems are highly customizable and can evolve as the business grows and changes.

POS systems are designed for virtually every type of shop to help you manage inventory, delivery schedules, employee hours, sales analytics and more. Integrated payments can help save time by streamlining your back-end business operations and can even help reduce queues with options like self-checkout, online checkout, mobile checkout and payment acceptance throughout your business.

Offering alternative methods for your customers to pay remotely

Many businesses don't need a card machine at all to accept electronic payments. Virtual terminals allow businesses to easily accept card payments over the phone with nothing more than a computer, a web browser and an internet connection. You can also accept payments online from a payment gateway or using a hosted payment page directly integrated into your e-commerce website.