Other payment terminals
Cashless payment systems (BZV) allow payment transactions to be carried out at the checkout with the help of standard payment systems such as Girocard (so-called credit- or debit cards), credit cards, fleet cards, payment by app or mobile phone by corresponding providers (mobile payment). We generally refer to the different devices for this as payment terminals.
In the context of change through digitalisation, you can use providers that also serve eSolutions and other channels. For this and as a basis for this chapter, first see the chapter Hypersoft Pay.
This and the following chapters deal with connections via the standard ZVT interface and similar techniques. In addition, Hypersoft Pay powered by Adyen is also available as an alternative.
Ingenico Move 3500
Hypersoft EC and credit cards in Full-Service with epay
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Basic knowledge of payment terminals
In order to use cashless payment transactions at the checkout, a so-called EFT or POS terminal (i.F. POS terminal) is required. The media or devices used for payment (magnetic or chip cards, mobile phones, Smart Watches, etc.) of the customer liable for payment can be read and, depending on the model, any necessary PIN and/or signatures can be entered.
The POS terminal is connected via the Internet to a computer centre (often also called acquirer or network operator). The POS terminal processes payment orders at the POS terminal after the payment transaction has been completed. The account or credit card of the customer liable for payment is debited and the operator of the POS terminal or the operator of the cash register (i.F. operator) receives the amount at the agreed value date credited to an agreed account. A contract must be concluded between the operator and the corresponding computer centre. It regulates on the one hand the conditions that apply to the provision of the settlement service by the computer centre and on the other hand the selection of the payment procedures supported by the respective POS terminal (e.g. Girocard, direct debit, VISA credit cards, Master Card credit cards, MAESTRO, V-PAY, SHELL/ARAL/AGIP fleet cards etc.).
Depending on which one of the above If the customer wishes to use payment methods to settle an outstanding amount, or if the operator wishes to offer these methods, the processing procedure initiated by the POS terminal in the subsequent payment process at the computer centre differs.
In Germany, the majority of cashless payment transactions are processed using the Girocard procedure (formerly EC-Cash). In order to be able to participate in this German debit system, the computer centers and POS terminals you use for this purpose must be released for general use on the German market by a joint institution of the credit institutions in Germany (Die Deutsche Kreditwirtschaft [DK]). Therefore it is not possible to use every POS terminal available worldwide on the German market without restrictions.
Methods for using payment terminals
In general, the integration of POS terminals in the way Hypersoft does it is the maximum possibility to connect payment terminals. We do this for our clients, who prefer controlled and at the same time legally secure solutions.
The use of payment terminals at the POS system can be differentiated into two methods:
- POS terminals not connected to the cash registers
- POS terminals linked to the cash register. With Hypersoft we have method 2. of the connected terminals are still differentiated into two classes:
- Connected terminals for retail and Quick-Service (market standard)
- Connected terminals for Digital Services and Full-Service Restaurants with Pay@Table (Hypersoft Standard)
A. Unconnected terminals...
POS terminals that are not connected act independently of the entries at the POS. Transactions that are entered at the POS and are to be settled using the POS terminal, for example by credit card, must first be completed at the POS with a corresponding payment type. The amount to be paid must then be entered manually in the POS terminal. Only then can the transaction be initiated by the POS terminal. There is therefore no communication between POS terminals. Any corrections due to tip payments or changes to payment methods, for example for customers whose transactions were initially concluded with a cash payment but who then paid cashless, must be subsequently entered in the cash register.
The untimely, sometimes incorrect recording of manual entries can lead to these negative consequences:
- Audits cannot be carried out smoothly, and the entire cash register data may even be discarded.
- In Germany it can lead to the loss of tax exemption for cashless tips (see Teutemacher "Handbuch zur Kassenführung 2. Edition 2018).
- The operators cannot be billed correctly (fraud).
- Your accounting department can hardly or not allocate the payments of credit card institutions and banks, tips do not split from sales. Here, too, there is often unwanted taxation of income from tips.
Note: Payment methods should be congruent and booked immediately according to the specifications of the tax offices. For this reason, a group of auditors, with whom we regularly exchange information, approached us with the request to inform our customers that the frequently applied practice of first closing all transactions in cash and then deducting the sales made with the POS terminals as non-cash at the end of the day is not correct when dealing with the POS system. This incorrect handling of the POS terminals alone can, under certain circumstances, lead to a distortion of the cash register records.
B. Connected terminals...
Connected terminals have a bidirectional communication channel to the cash register. This can be set up with the help of a LAN cable via IP or also via W-LAN (serial connections are no longer recommended). In this way, a transaction to be carried out using a POS terminal can be included in the workflow for completing a transaction at the POS. Direct data exchange enables transaction data to be used directly to complete transaction data within cash register accounting. For example, any overpayments are automatically transferred to the corresponding operator account as tip payments. The payment types of the individual postings are automatically taken into account.
| Terminals connected to Hypersoft (Class II) | Without cash register interface |
|---|---|
|
Tipping overpay possible. The overpayment is automatically recognized by the POS system, separated from the turnover and the tip can be shown in the operator account. Tax exemption can be supported for cashless tips. Further documentation: Book a tip |
Overpayment of tips possible. Loss of traceability, as invoice amount and payment differ. Risk of the tip being taxed. (Substitution of the pronounced ban on tip-taking annoys customers and employees.) |
| Separate tip payment can be automatically assigned to the process and settled as above. | Separate tip payment gives the negative impression after "2. Checkout". |
| Extensive tip evaluations and accounting interface. | No tip evaluations and no information for the accounting interface. |
| Several cards and cash for one invoice traceably possible. | Several cards and cash possible, but leads to loss of traceability. |
| Failed payments are also detected at the POS terminal and offer the operator simple solutions. | Failed payments may not be recognized (loss), or at least manually incorrectly posted. |
| The turnover can be transferred automatically to the cash book in myHypersoft separately according to payment method. | The turnover can be transferred as a sum to the cash book in MyHypersoft and there the payment methods can be supplemented manually. |
| Support also at mobile cash terminals. | - |
|
The ability to take the cash out is retained. Further documentation: Cash and cash equivalents |
The statutory cash audit is largely incorrect. |
| A conclusive booking and review of the payment methods is simply possible. | An error-free booking of payments is almost impossible. |
| Short processing time for matching incoming payments from data center and credit card company. | Protracted and particularly unpleasant reconciliation of accounts. |
Connection of the POS terminals via WLAN
In contrast to many market competitors, the Hypersoft solution also provides POS terminals connected via WLAN with a bidirectional communication channel to the selected checkout. Therefore, even in full-service gastronomy, data from terminals that are often taken to the table for payment are taken into account in the accounting of the corresponding cash register. Other manufacturers often also offer POS terminals which can be taken to the table, but these often do not have a data interface to the cash register, but only to the computer centre.
Please note that this communication preferred by us is a communication between POS System. payment terminal and data centre. These "three worlds of their own" have to coordinate themselves, sometimes several times, within conditional time windows. In this context, a WLAN must function much better and more securely than for surfing the Internet and also be more available. An in improvement from non-connected payment terminals to Hypersoft integrated payment terminals should therefore be installed in an optimal WLAN. An existing WLAN that was previously operated with non-integrated payment terminals (without simultaneous POS communication) should therefore always be checked for extended use. It becomes particularly critical if the POS system itself is also to be addressed via WLAN, which we strongly advise against in this context.
Supervision and safety regulations with payment terminals
Important note for your IT security.
The standard payment terminals are intended for supervised operation. They also differ in terms of construction from, for example, devices that are installed in ATMs.
As a business owner, you must ensure that the devices cannot be exchanged or manipulated, because in many cases they have been manipulated by criminals in order to spy on the payers' data.
Through new procedures, such as the self-order terminals, your customers partly become self-service. This does not change their duty of supervision.
Further documentation:
Compatibility of the payment terminals
Hypersoft Pay general questions & answers FAQ
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