When looking for a credit card terminal for your business, how do you know which one you should buy or lease. Think about it this way, a credit card terminal is a mini computer whose main job is to authorize and settle electronic payments that your business receives to your credit card processor. The credit card terminal will dial out to check if your customer’s bank will approve the transaction. Once the transaction is approved the credit card terminal sends all of your transactions to be settled at your credit card processor. The authorization happens within a matter of a few seconds. All credit card terminals do this. So how do you pick which one to buy.
Also, the credit card terminal you buy has a lot to do with the program on the terminal which is governed by your credit card processor. Depending on what you want your credit card terminal to do will depend on which one you get.
As computers, credit card terminals differ on manufacturer, speed, memory and durability.
Here is a review on the Hypercom T7PT (Thermal Printer)
Benefits: Easy to learn, Easy to Use.
Speed: Fast Receipt printing, Fast authorizations
Memory: 512K- enough memory to run gift cards, checks and process Level II qualifications.
Durability: Very Durable under harsh conditions. (not including water).
Sensitivity: Not very sensitive to telephone line noise. Recommended to work on only analog telephone lines but in testing works well with digital phone lines (like cable phone lines)
