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Most credit or debit cards support offline transactions, so a shop can keep a battery powered terminal that reconciles when it comes online. Imprinters don't e

by tazjin 5y ago

Most credit or debit cards support offline transactions, so a shop can keep a battery powered terminal that reconciles when it comes online. Imprinters don't exist in Europe to my knowledge - the first time I saw one was on a visit to NYC a few years ago and I thought they were pranking me.

unnah 5y ago
There are a lot of different cultural practices in Europe, and unification is a slow process. I for one have seen many imprinters in use in Europe, although it has been years since I last saw one. An online terminal used to be significantly more expensive than an imprinter, so small shops would prefer the imprinter, especially in rural locations with bad connectivity.
Symbiote 5y ago
My employer has (or had) one. They used it a couple of years ago when they sold some stuff to staff (old furniture etc). The usual fraud risks don't really apply in this case. Other than that, it must be over 20 years since I saw my parents pay using one, and that was unusual enough that I remember it.
traceroute66 5y ago
> Most credit or debit cards support offline transactions, so a shop can keep a battery powered terminal that reconciles when it comes online. Almost.... Its been a while since I have been involved in POS payments, but IIRC there is a clear protocol which goes something like this: 1. If the card machine is online and working, use that 2. If the card machine is not working *AND* the business is willing to take on the risk, record an offline transaction for later reconciliation 3. If the card machine is not working *AND* the business *IS NOT* willing to take on the risk, call bank $phone_number for manual transaction validation and record the validation code provided at the end of the call.
- anticensor 5y ago
  4. If the card machine is not working and your business requires automated immediate finalisation of payment, refuse all cards altogether

by tazjin 5y ago

unnah 5y ago

There are a lot of different cultural practices in Europe, and unification is a slow process. I for one have seen many imprinters in use in Europe, although it has been years since I last saw one. An online terminal used to be significantly more expensive than an imprinter, so small shops would prefer the imprinter, especially in rural locations with bad connectivity.

Symbiote 5y ago

My employer has (or had) one. They used it a couple of years ago when they sold some stuff to staff (old furniture etc). The usual fraud risks don't really apply in this case. Other than that, it must be over 20 years since I saw my parents pay using one, and that was unusual enough that I remember it.

traceroute66 5y ago

> Most credit or debit cards support offline transactions, so a shop can keep a battery powered terminal that reconciles when it comes online. Almost.... Its been a while since I have been involved in POS payments, but IIRC there is a clear protocol which goes something like this: 1. If the card machine is online and working, use that 2. If the card machine is not working *AND* the business is willing to take on the risk, record an offline transaction for later reconciliation 3. If the card machine is not working *AND* the business *IS NOT* willing to take on the risk, call bank $phone_number for manual transaction validation and record the validation code provided at the end of the call.

anticensor 5y ago
4. If the card machine is not working and your business requires automated immediate finalisation of payment, refuse all cards altogether