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POS Terminals
POS terminals are the classic/original point of sale terminals that are
used to
activate POSA cards and to retrieve and print PINs on receipts.
The easiest way to think of these is that they are the small
physical terminals on the counter that you see clerks using to process
credit or debit card payments. When prepaid wireless (and
other
prepaid programs like long distance) first started, these credit card
terminals were upgraded to enable card activation and PIN dispense.
Some benefits of POS
Terminals include:
- 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
- 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
So how do POS Terminals work?
1.
For Card Activations
- 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!
2.
For PIN Sales
- 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!
3.
For Topup Sales
- 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.
Return from POS Terminals to Point of Sale Technology
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