POS Terminals

• Easy to use - always on quick navigation

• Typically already in use in stores for taking credit/debit card payments

• Clerks use logins that allow managers to track and report on sales

• Inexpensive to purchase or lease

• Durable

• Small so require little counter space (many stores will have multiple terminals)

• Can support multiple wireless carrier and other prepaid products on the same terminal

• After handing the card to the store clerk, they will usually ask you for payment first.  

• Then they'll use the menu on the POS terminal to select the product (i.e. wireless carrier).

• The terminal will prompt them to swipe the card.

• The swiping process basically transmits the card serial number to the correct technology provider requesting that the card be activated (i.e. turning the card from cold to hot).

• The technology provider has a database that tells them which PIN is printed on that card.

• Knowing the PIN, the technology provider requests that the wireless provider activate the PIN immediately.

• Now if you scratch the back of the card and trying adding the PIN to your account, it will work properly.

• Note that this all happens in a matter of seconds, often under two seconds, and rarely longer than eight!

• You'll either have what's called a dummy card, which looks like a replenishment card but has no PIN (it's just for looks/marketing), or you'll simply tell the clerk that you want to buy a replenishment PIN.

• Then they'll use the menu on the POS terminal to select the wireless carrier, and then the product.  For example, electronic PIN, then $25.

• The terminal will then connect to the appropriate technology provider to request that a $25 PIN be sent to the terminal and printed on a receipt.

• Assuming you've successful paid, the clerk will then hand you a paper receipt that will have the date and time of the transaction/sale, as well as the PIN (no scratch off), value of the PIN, and instructions on how to add the PIN to your account (also referred to as redeeming the PIN).

• As for card activations, this occurs in a matter of seconds.  The only difference here is that you won't have a nice pretty card to take home with you (unless they let you keep the dummy card), but rather, you'll have a PIN on a receipt.  So be sure not to lose it!

• There's typically no dummy card for topup sales, but you'll probably see a poster or some other indication that the store sells replenishments.  You may not know that it's going to be a topup (instead of a card or PIN) until you talk to the clerk.

• The clerk will ask you for your wireless phone number of the account to which you want to add money, and the amount you want to add.

• Depending on the store and the functionality offered by the wireless provider, you'll either be offered a choice of denominations (ex. $10, $20, $30, $50, $75), or you'll be able to add any amount within the allowed range (ex. between $10 and $99).

• The clerk will typically ask that you pay first before processing the topup transaction.

• Once they receive your money, the clerk will select the right product on the terminal (ex. Verizon Topup).

• The terminal will prompt the clerk to enter the 10-digit phone number of the account to be replenished.  They'll typically be asked to enter the number twice or verify that the number entered is correct.  This is just an extra step to help avoid errors from entering in a wrong digit.

• The terminal will then prompt to either select the amount of the topup or to enter the amount.

• With the phone number and amount, the terminal will now be able to complete the topup transaction.  This is done by having the technology provider use their connection with the wireless provider to verify that the phone number is valid (i.e. it's a real number and the account is not canceled or suspended for some reason).  If the number is valid, the topup is completed immediately, and the terminal receives a success response.

• The clerk will then print out a receipt that has a number of things, including date and time of the transaction, phone number replenished, amount added, new account balance, and new account expiration date.

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