The reasons card machines are down include outdated software, fraudulence, power outages, internet issues, battery issues, and many more. From this, a general question arises – what can businesses do when card machines go down?
To put it simply, they should come up with effective solutions without closing down or making customers angry. In this guide, we will highlight what causes card machines to go offline and how to solve them.
The reason card machines down
Card machines can be down for many reasons. Damaged batteries, unavailability of the internet, faulty payment processors, etc are the most common issues that a card reader faces.
However, sometimes card machines could be faulty despite being in perfect condition. Expired cards, inactive cards, wrong card pins, insufficient funds, etc are the potential reasons for that. Most of these solvable problems are caused by individuals.
Next, we are going to explain the common potential reasons for card machine failure.
1. Card machine malfunction
Card machine malfunction indicates a totally out-of-order card machine or some damaged parts of it. Partial damages may include broken card insertion point, a software glitch, or a broken screen.
When a card machine malfunctions, it shows messages like ‘invalid transaction’, ‘other error’, ‘issuer system unavailable’ on the screen.
2. Bad internet
Most of the card machines depend on the internet to make payments. A slow or disrupted internet connection hampers the activities of the card reader.
When the internet is slow, the transaction also becomes slow. Eventually, this may hang the card reader. A widespread blackout also causes the unavailability of the internet as well as card reader failure.
3. Battery issues
From reading a card to finalizing a payment, card machines do a lot of work. Obviously, all these actions require full charge.
Without doing anything, a card machine could stay awake even with 1% of battery life. However, making payments requires at least 30% of the battery life. So, a below 30% charge stops the card machine from working.
Besides, the battery no longer takes charge or works even after charging full. It means the battery is damaged, which leads to a disabled card terminal.
4. Payment processor issues
Sometimes, the problem is not the faulty battery, bad internet, or the broken card reader, but rather the payment processor itself.
A payment processor works as a mediator in making transactions. If the server it uses goes down, it makes certain card machines unable to accept card payments. For example, if PayPal experiences a server problem, the businesses who use it will also suffer.
5. Empty cartridge
Each time a client pays, the card reader paints a receipt. To generate the receipt, the card reader must have its cartridge full. When there is no till roll inside, the card reader will decline the transaction.
6. Old version of the software
If the technology or POS software a card reader uses is outdated, it will cause a mismatch between the hardware and software, followed by bugs, security risks, and payment errors.
Other potential reasons of why the card machine is not working
1. The card is not activated
What if the card that the card reader is going to read has not been activated yet? As a card machine starts working after receiving a card, the card owner must activate his card correctly beforehand.
2. Card machine ate card
If the card somehow gets lost or stuck inside the terminal, the terminal won’t work. This way the present cardholder as well as the other cardholders behind will have to stand long in the queue.
3. Account not found
When processing a payment, the card machine contacts the cardholder’s account via a payment processor to transfer funds. If the cardholder’s account does not exist, the card reader won’t be able to do its work.
4. The card is expired
Every card comes with a period of validity. After that period, the card no longer works. Using an invalid card can cause a temporary card machine issue.
5. Fraud alert
Fraudsters can go to any extent to steal money. Manipulating a card reader or a card or both is one of their crimes. So, their attempts are one of the reasons for the card machine malfunction.
6. Limitations and insufficient funds
This is common in ATM booths. Insufficient funds make a card terminal temporarily inactive. Again, if the device works on a daily transaction limit, it won’t work after reaching the threshold.
7. Wrong entry of card
A chip-and-pin card’s chip should be facing up while inserting it in the machine. Likewise, a RFID card should be held a few millimeters away from the terminal. If none of these happen, the card machine will fail to detect the certain cards and transact. Again, the card terminal won’t detect the card if it is entered into the terminal before time. Wrong input of the card pin can be another potential reason.
What can businesses do when card machines go down?
They should take necessary steps to fix the card machine and use alternative methods of card payments. How? Let’s elaborate.
Fix the problems
If the aforementioned problems are the reasons for card machine down, the seller or merchant should –
- Update the software when needed.
- Fix the malfunctioned card machine as soon as possible.
- Contact the internet service provider to solve internet issues.
- Keep the card machine battery fully charged, or change it when necessary.
- Restart the card machine if there is any sudden disruption.
- Fill the card machine cartridge.
- Be aware of suspicious activities.
- Contact the payment processor company to know what is the best support they can provide.
- Have a commercial backup generator ready to solve power outages.
Use alternative methods
When the digital method is out of order, the manual method is the only solution. Merchants can accept cash payments during the card machine crisis. They can suggest their customers to get money from the nearest booth and pay for things.
Again, instead of cash, merchants can accept online payments. There are plenty of apps or payment gateways that allow direct transfer of funds to merchant accounts.
Likewise, since the card reader is not working, payment details and customer data should be recorded with pen and paper.
Have more talk with customers
It’s really frustrating, for both the seller and the customer, if the card machine goes down during the hectic sales period. To keep things under control, the seller should talk with customers.
He should let the shopper know what is going on, how he is trying to solve the problem, etc. Just a gentle tone with a little smile will help shoppers to calm down. If necessary, the seller at the cash terminal should double-up support to help shoppers.
Additionally, a detailed talk with customers can solve other problems. If the card is expired, inactive, has minor damages, or the customer’s account has issues, the seller can request the customer to pay with another card or cash.
Summing up
Card readers are digital devices, and devices are prone to damage. Other than transaction problems, an untreated malfunctioned card reader can cause major accidents too. Moreover, it will have a big impact on the business. Therefore, a malfunctioned card reader must be fixed as soon as possible.
