Tips to Choose the Best Card Swipe Machine

As the world goes cashless, swiping cards is becoming a more popular mode of payment than ever before. At least everyone owns a card, be it debit, credit, or both. So as a merchant, if you are still not accepting card payments, you are taking your business at huge losses. 

You can prevent that from happening by investing in a card swipe machine.

What is a Card Swipe Machine?

A card swipe machine is a device used by merchants to receive card payments. It is also known as a Point of Sale machine, card reader, or sometimes a PDQ (Process Data Quickly) card machine.

Card swipe machines are of many types, and they all come in different shapes, sizes, designs, and functionalities. Some are just as a slotted device, where customers can insert in a chip and a pin card before entering their pins to authorize a transaction. Some others are fully equipped and can offer readability for all payment modes, including:

• Chip and PIN
• Card swipes
• Contactless
• Scan and pay for dynamic QR code and static QR code
• Mobile payments such as Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and Apple Pay

Why Invest in a Card Swipe Machine?

Nowadays, customers aim to exercise flexibility for making a purchase, including transactions. In addition, failing to ensure customer satisfaction by providing a seamless transaction experience may result in loss of business. 

In this case, your customers should be able to use their preferred mode of payment to pay for the purchase. So, invest in a Point of Sale machine to help you make your customers happy and boost sales.

Having established that, the next thing you need to do is to choose a card swipe machine. But how will you know which one suits your business when so many are available in the market?

Acceptance Range for Card Payments

Before you know a swipe machine price, the first thing you need to do is find out the range of card payments it can accept. There are 4- options here. These include RuPay, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. Choose a machine that can accommodate all of these card payment options to maximize your advantage.

Nature of Your Business

What is the nature of your business and transaction activities? Finally, and most importantly, how does the card swipe machine fit into the equation?

• You can also think about it in terms of location. For instance, is your business outdoor or indoor? If it’s outdoor, connectivity and portability are things you might need to put into consideration. 
• It is best to consider the sales channels, such as face-to-face, phone, a website, a static QR code, or all of the options.
• Ensure that the card swipe machine is compatible with the existing equipment, like a tablet, phone, etc.
• Assess the options for buying or leasing the Point of Sale machine, the solution that works best for your business.

Support

Another crucial factor to consider is the support you get from your card machine provider. Your ideal card swipe machine provider should be:

• Able and willing to provide the kind of support you need
• Readily available whenever you need them
• Should make your work easier among other things

You can also assess the providers’ credibility by asking yourself: 

1. Do they offer any form of training for my staff members and me?
2. How do they handle payment disputes, upgrades, repairs, or terminal malfunctions?
3. Do they have any marketing materials, signage, or tips to inform customers of my card payment services?
4. What options do they have for my business and others like it?
5. Are there any applications available to link card payment services to the other features of my business, Ie., staff rotas, accounting, and inventory management, etc.?

Conclusion

To most people, choosing a card swipe machine or epos is not an easy thing to do. So, employ the tips outlined in the article to make a concrete decision and find the suitable device that accommodates your business requirements.