Smart Card Machine / Card Payment Apps

In the past, card machines used to just take card payments. However, with evolving technology card machines are now capable of doing so much more. Businesses are increasingly asking for additional features & seem willing to pay more for them.  

A smart card machine, otherwise known as an app based card machine, offers businesses the chance to take card payments quickly & easily with a range of additional features that a standard card machine wouldn’t provide. All you need to do is download an app onto the card machine and it instantly provides a host of intelligent features.  

So, how exactly could a smart card machine benefit your business?  

• A card machine that can track both cash & card sales  – Business owners like to be able to see how much they’ve taken on card as well as in cash – all in one place.  You used to need an Epos system to do this, but many modern smart card machines now offer this ability.  

• See live transactions on your card machine – with a standard card machine, you’d have to print an end of day report to see transactions from the day. But with a smart card machine, you can see these live on the card reader screen.  Access to this live reporting is really useful as it allows you to quickly check transactions have gone through & re-run them if needed – so you won’t lose sales on card declines.

• Check card machine sales & transactions remotely via an app or browser – If you have multiple outlets or are not in the business every day, then the ability to view transactions remotely can help you keep an eye on things wherever you are.  

• Track sales by staff member on your card reader - Running staff reports is usually a feature offered by an Epos system. But with a smart card machine, you can now get this break down at the touch of a button & create some insights, at no extra cost. 

• Track VAT on your PDQ machine – You can easily manage taxes / VAT & other transaction data on your smart card machine & can even set up employees with certain roles to view your tax reports. Your accountant will love you for this & it may speed up the end of quarter reporting.  

• Manage tips on your card reader – Tipping is a hot topic right now with the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 now stating that businesses’ must pass 100% of tips to their workers. With this change, it has become increasingly important for business owners to be able to easily manage & track tips without having to pay for 3rd party software. Yet another feature that a smart card machine can provide. 

• Save money – By removing the need for third party systems such as tipping apps & critically, eliminating the need to buy a much more expensive Epos system. In many contexts a smart card machine will absolutely do the job you need.   

We’ve partnered with Quantic to launch an app that does all of these things.  It sits on our card machines to provide the features you need & allows remote access to view transactions & control your card machine.  There’s even a lite version that allows you to add a menu & turn your card machine into an all-in-one Epos card machine that you can link to main tills or run solo. 

You may or may not need these all these features, so it’s worth thinking about how you might use them before making any decisions. The key things worth considering are: 

• Do you want to be able to check card & cash payments in one place? 

• Do you want to save time & energy with better data access & instant reports? 

• Do you need to instantly access sales & staff reports? 

• Do you need to pay for third payment integrations, or can this be handled with a smart card machine? 

Do you actually need an Epos system instead?  

As a growing business you want to make sure you’re not paying for systems you don’t need. However, for many businesses an Epos system is a necessity.  For example, if you need to access a menu or manage tables, then an Epos system makes sense.  If you n

eed help choosing the best Epos system, read this blog: Poynt61 | Epos systems | Breathe Payments  

If you’re not sure whether you need a smart card machine or Epos system, feel free to give us a call.  We offer various smart card machine brands & can assess your business needs & recommend the best card machine and/or Epos software solution.  

0203 985 9080 / info@breathepay.co.uk.