Understanding the unattended payment process

Most of us have used an Unattended Payment Terminal before purchasing items from vending machines or paying for an EV charge; however, have you ever stopped to consider all that goes on in the background as you pay?

As you might expect, many quick data checks and verifications occur across secure encrypted networks. But what exactly is happening with the consumer’s payment details? 

Let’s first discuss the different parts of the flow.

Cardholder

Payment Terminal

Gateway

Card Acquirer

Card Issuer

Merchant Bank

The cardholder is the consumer initiating the transaction with the payment terminal. The payment terminal then securely sends the card telemetry through the gateway to the card acquirer for verification. The data is sent to the card issuer, where if the purchase is approved, the card issuer notifies the payment terminal. The card issuer then sends the money from the consumer's account to the merchant's bank account.

Now, let’s dive deeper into the payment process.

Initiating the transaction

Once the consumer selects the items or services they wish to purchase, they will be prompted to pay, which is when the transaction is initiated by the consumer tapping, swiping, or inserting their payment method.

There are a number of different payment methods available at most payment terminals. The Payter Apollo series can accept: All major credit and debit cards Contactless NFC Apple Pay and Google Pay Charge cards RFID QR code

Technology the Apollo uses to read payments: Near Field Communication (NFC) for smartphones, credit, and charge cards Chip and PIN reader for credit cards (Apollo Polar) Magnetic stripe reader for debit cards (Apollo Polar) Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) for tokens, tags, fobs, and cards QR code reading camera

Telemetry data transmission and verification

Several processes happen next, depending on the payment method.

If the payment were made by a closed-loop method such as a charge card or RFID, which can only be used by certain specified retailers, the integrator, such as an EV Charge Point Management System (CPMS), would receive the details and verify the transaction.

Suppose the transaction uses an open-loop payment method such as debit/credit cards or contactless. In that case, the encrypted data is quickly and securely sent through the gateway to the card acquirer for verification, and the terminal is notified of the transaction outcome.

Gateway examples partnered with Payter:

Card acquirer examples partnered with Payter:

 USA only:   

Finalising the transaction

If the transaction is successful, the terminal notifies the user the payment has been accepted. It alerts the machine that it can issue the customer’s product or service, such as charging a vehicle or vending a beverage. 

The card acquirer will then notify the card issuer to transfer the funds to the merchant bank account so that the business can be paid for the purchase.

A speedy and safe process

It’s important for the transaction process to be quick and secure to ensure the consumer's experience is convenient and reliable. The intention of unattended services is convenience, so offering the best payment journey possible alongside your quality products and services is how you effectively build and retain customer loyalty.

Did you know

The Apollo and Apollo Polar are fitted with several different network connection options to allow for speedy transactions, and the security protocols ensure the safety of the customer’s card details.

Learn more about the Apollo series and how it can improve the consumer experience.