Payment & ID Terminals in a wide range of applications
The wide range of applications for Payment & ID Terminals continues to grow. More and more retailers, processing companies, insurance companies and government agencies are taking advantage of the benefits of Payment & ID Terminals.
Payment & ID Terminals for cashless payments
A so-called POS terminal is used to receive payment information at the point of sale (POS). They read both debit and credit cards and provide customers with an easy, hassle-free shopping experience. As a result, merchants can satisfy existing customers and attract new ones. By using POS terminals, retailers also benefit from reduced cash holdings at the till, which in turn makes theft less attractive to criminals. Especially when using less experienced cashiers, payment terminals can improve the checkout process. In addition, sales generated by POS terminals can be clustered and statistically analyzed. As a retailer, you can use this information to gain important insights for your future marketing strategy.
Payment & ID terminals for reading loyalty cards
Loyalty programs are valuable tools for generating recurring revenue and ensuring future sales. One of the most important requirements for this is ease of use for the customer. Quick scanning when paying at the checkout is a must. As a retailer, you are therefore well advised to scan loyalty cards with a POS terminal. Payment & ID Terminals of this type are also used in frequent flyer programs. They are also a cost-effective alternative to merchant applications that use QR code technology for loyalty programs.
Payment & ID Terminals in Banks
Banks use payment and ID Terminals to dispense cash and verify the identity of individuals. Identity verification can be used when signing a contract for banking products, exercising a power of attorney, or providing a guarantee. Instead of typing in ID card data, it can be quickly read by Payment & ID Terminals. Some insurance companies use the same principle.
Payment & ID Terminals for access control
In some organizations, building security reaches a level that requires access control. In particular, ID Terminals offer high efficiency in larger companies, manufacturing facilities, and government facilities such as air traffic control. Access control is also required in consumer goods manufacturing industries with age restrictions (e.g. tobacco and alcohol production companies). An ID Terminal can be used to read the information stored on employee badges and allow or deny access. Another application is access control at events. ID Terminals verify actors such as accredited personnel and members of the press. They are therefore a fundamental security tool.
Payment & ID terminals for public identification in government
Electronic technology is increasingly being used to reduce bureaucracy in public offices to check official documents. In addition to the electronic ID card, the biometric passport is a high security-solution for identity verification. A person’s unique characteristics are stored on a chip and read out by a suitable terminal. Other ID Terminals used by government agencies include those that recognize an electronic visa and an electronic residence permit. The use of ID Terminals replaces the time-consuming and often error-prone manual entry of the number-letter combinations used in ID documents.
Payment & ID Terminals in healthcare facilities
At the first quarterly visit to the primary care physician, the office staff electronically reads the patient’s insurance card. The same is true for licensed healthcare professionals such as physical, occupational and speech therapists. Nutritionists and podiatrists also use it to bill the health plan for prescription refills. In these cases, as well as for admission to hospitals and specialty clinics, ID terminals are often required to read the insurance card.
Some of PCP’s ID terminals are already capable of biometric matching, such as a fingerprint. This allows the user’s data to be compared with that on the card’s chip and verified or legitimized on the spot.
Payment & ID Terminals with classic and innovative technologies
The technology behind payment & ID Terminals is constantly evolving. While magnetic stripe and chip technology has a long history, NFC and biometric fingerprint scanners are rapidly gaining ground.
Payment & ID Terminals with Magnetic Stripe and Chip Technology
A POS or ID Terminal based on magnetic stripe or chip identification can be used for card insertion or as a swipe reader. The read head in a swipe reader reads the data stored on the magnetic stripe and emits a visual and/or audible signal. For chip-based cards, this occurs when the card is inserted into the device. When the card is scanned, the customer is usually prompted to enter his or her PIN or to confirm the charge by signing on the display.
Payment & ID Terminals with NFC Technology
Known simply as NFC, Near Field Communication enables payment and verification processes to take place without contact with the storage medium. Payment cards can now be equipped with NFC technology and no longer need to be manually inserted into a reader or passed through a swipe reader. As an alternative to using cards, NFC technology can also be used in conjunction with smartphone apps. Instead of using a debit card, the smartphone is held in front of the payment terminal. The integrated NFC chip initiates the data transfer inductively and couples it with the NFC terminal. The technology uses an electromagnetic field for this purpose. For reliable recognition, it is important that the distance between the smartphone/card and the NFC terminal is less than 4 cm.
Security of Payment & ID Terminals with NFC Technology
Payment & ID Terminals using NFC technology are considered highly secure and have a significant advantage over magnetic stripe and chip technology. Instead of being transmitted directly, data is encrypted and often transmitted as a token. The customer only releases this token for payment or identity verification. Data theft (technically easier with magstripe and chip) is not easily achievable with NFC.
Benefits and decision support
Use NFC-enabled payment and ID Terminals to present yourself as a modern institution that delivers the best possible customer/patient/citizen experience. Near Field Communication is much faster. Customers do not even need to enter a PIN to pay for small amounts of money. Since the process is contactless and there is no button to push, you can offer a highly hygienic solution to the user. As a retailer, you enable your customers to make impulsive purchases even when they don’t have a wallet with them. The digital smartphone wallet takes care of the payment and secures additional sales for you. Use NFC-based payment and ID Terminals if you value innovative technology and want to be future-proof.
Payment & ID Terminals for fixed and mobile applications
At PCP Europe, you can get Payment & ID Terminals that can be used at a fixed or mobile POS (Point of Sale).
Stationary Payment & ID Terminals (including Decision Support)
A stationary POS terminal is suitable for a traditional supermarket checkout, a gas station or a stationery store. It can be connected to the POS cable via the ZVT/OPI interface. If you do not want to use the POS connection, you can use a device with a thermal printer. Once the payment process is complete, the device issues a thermal receipt. For corporate customers, however, such a device is more expensive because thermal receipts fade over time and must be duplicated for financial accounting purposes.
Mobile Payment & ID Terminals (including decision support)
Your POS is not always in the same location, and you want a flexible solution? Portable terminals make it possible. Powered by either a Bluetooth cradle or a Wi-Fi network, they are ready to go wherever you need to sell or verify identities.
Buy Payment & ID Terminals online – from the experts at PCP Europe
It is already clear that the future of payment and identification will be electronic and increasingly contactless. To invest economically in the long term, we recommend that you buy payment & ID Terminals instead of renting them.
PCP Europe offers a wide range of devices and will advise you on the most suitable model. Contact us and tell us what you want to use a terminal for, and we’ll be happy to advise you. Just give us a call or send us an email.
PCP Europe is an experienced specialist partner and a leader in the field of modern and cost-effective payment and ID terminals. Take the next step with us today.