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Taking a Card Payment at the POS

Taking a Card Payment at the POS

ProcessingWhen 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 PointPOS through NMI: using a physical card terminal or manually keying in card details.

Authorize.net does not support POS payments. If you need to take card payments at a physical counter or over the phone through the POS, you must use NMI. Authorize.net only works for invoice payments and website payments.

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 Salethe 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 fastideal andfor straightforward.phone orders or as a backup when the physical terminal isn't working.

Step by Step

  1. Ring up the customer's items in the POSPOS.
  2. Click Payment (or press the payment shortcut key).
  3. Select the CreditNMI CardKey-in (NMI) payment methodmethod.
  4. TheA paymentsecure terminalCollect.js orpopup appears on your screen with fields for card entrynumber, screenexpiration appearsdate, and CVV.
  5. The customer swipes, taps, or inserts their card (or you keyType in the numbercustomer's forcard phone orders)details.
  6. WaitClick forPay authorizationto —process the POS will show "Approved" or "Declined"charge.
  7. If approved, the POS completes the sale and the order is completemarked —as printpaid.

Perfect for phone orders. Key-in mode is great when a customer calls to buy ammunition, a holster, or any other item. Ring it up in the receiptPOS, select NMI Key-in, and type in their card number while they read it to you over the phone.

Split Payments (Part Cash, Part Card)

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

  1. OnClick Payment after ringing up the payment screen, select Cash first and enter the cash amount
  2. The remaining balance updates automaticallyitems.
  3. Select Credit CardCash (NMI)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.
  4. You'll see a remaining balance. Now select NMI Reader or NMI Key-in for the rest.
  5. The card is charged only for the remaining amountamount.
  6. ProcessThe POS completes the cardsale once both payment parts are collected.

What Happens When a Card Is Declined

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

  • Ask the customer to try another card. CommonSelect 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.

Declined doesn't mean "broken." A decline reasons:usually means the customer's bank said no — insufficient funds, dailyexpired spending limit reached,card, or the bank flagged the transaction fora fraud (hold. It's between the customer may need to calland their bank).bank. Your system is working fine.

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