Taking a Card Payment at the POS

Taking a Card Payment at the POS

When a customer is standing at your counter ready to pay, the Point of Sale (POS) is where you'll process their card payment. CloudFFL supports two ways to take card payments at the POS through NMI: using a physical card terminal or manually keying in card details.

Option 1: NMI Terminal Mode (Physical Card Reader)

This is the most common way to take payment at the counter. The customer uses a physical terminal to insert, tap, or swipe their card.

1. Ring up all the items in the POS as you normally would.
2. When the order is complete, click Payment at the bottom of the screen.
3. Select the NMI Reader payment method.
4. The physical terminal activates and prompts the customer to insert or tap their card. The terminal screen will say something like "Please Insert or Tap Card."
5. The customer inserts their chip card or taps their contactless card. The terminal communicates with NMI to authorize the charge.
6. The terminal displays Approved or Declined.
   • If Approved — the POS completes the sale automatically. You'll see the order marked as paid.
   • If Declined — see the troubleshooting section below.
7. Hand the customer their receipt and they're on their way.

Option 2: NMI Key-in Mode (Manual Card Entry)

Key-in mode lets you type a card number directly into the POS screen. This is ideal for phone orders or as a backup when the physical terminal isn't working.

1. Ring up the items in the POS.
2. Click Payment.
3. Select the NMI Key-in payment method.
4. A secure Collect.js popup appears on your screen with fields for card number, expiration date, and CVV.
5. Type in the customer's card details.
6. Click Pay to process the charge.
7. If approved, the POS completes the sale and the order is marked as paid.

Split Payments (Part Cash, Part Card)

Sometimes a customer wants to pay part of the total with cash and put the rest on a card. The POS handles this easily:

1. Click Payment after ringing up the items.
2. Select Cash and type in the amount the customer is paying in cash. For example, if the total is $350 and they want to pay $100 cash, type 100.
3. You'll see a remaining balance. Now select NMI Reader or NMI Key-in for the rest.
4. The card is charged only for the remaining amount.
5. The POS completes the sale once both payment parts are collected.

What Happens When a Card Is Declined

If a card payment is declined, don't worry — nothing is charged and the order stays open. Here's what to do:

• Ask the customer to try another card. Select the NMI payment method again and run the new card.
• Check the amount. Make sure the total is correct — sometimes a typo in quantity can inflate the price beyond the card's limit.
• Try key-in mode. If the physical terminal is having trouble reading the chip, switch to NMI Key-in and type the card number manually.
• Accept another form of payment. You can always switch to cash or a different card.