Payments and POS: from checkout to daily close
A payment needs to work at the counter and make sense in the books afterwards. Start with the problem in front of you: an unexplained fee, a new till, an outage or a closing difference.
These guides use fictional worked examples and provider documentation. They help you check your own setup without assuming every plan, terminal or payment method works the same way.
Understand payment costs
Read the bill, compare equivalent quotes and choose the payment methods your business can support.
Read your merchant statement: work out the real card cost
Use a worked merchant statement to separate transaction fees, terminal rental and other charges, then calculate the card acceptance cost for your business.
3 min readFlat card rates vs itemised pricing: compare your payment mix
Compare flat and itemised card pricing using the same sales, transaction counts and card mix. Includes worked costs and a low-ticket sensitivity check.
3 min readLeast-cost routing: check what your provider enables
Check least-cost routing on your actual merchant account. Ask about eligible payments, enabled settings and pricing, then compare matching statement data.
3 min readChoose payment methods around how your customers buy
Match counter, mobile, remote and repeat sales to practical payment methods. Use a worksheet for confirmation, customer access, costs and fallback options.
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Test the checkout
Try the awkward sales, plan the changeover and prepare for an interrupted connection.
Integrated EFTPOS or separate terminal: test the workflow
Compare integrated EFTPOS with a separate terminal using checkout steps, measured staff time, refund checks and outage dependencies before you commit.
3 min readChanging POS systems: export and check data before switching
Prepare a POS migration with checked product exports, sales records, customer credits and gift balances. Use a cutover worksheet before ending the old service.
3 min readPOS trial checklist: test awkward sales before committing
Test a shortlisted POS with realistic split payments, discounts, returns and closing reports. Record observed results and unresolved limits before buying.
3 min readOffline card payments: check limits and later-decline risk
Understand offline card capture, provider time limits and later declines. Use a settings checklist and recovery timeline before enabling offline payments.
3 min readPayment outage checklist: record sales and recover once
Prepare for an EFTPOS or POS outage with tested fallback methods, clear customer wording and a recovery log that prevents duplicate payment processing.
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Close the trading day
Match incoming money, trace each terminal and resolve cash or split-payment differences.
Bank transfer payments: confirm receipt before releasing goods
Check customer bank transfers against your own account records. Match amount, reference and order, and handle partial payments without relying on screenshots.
3 min readMultiple EFTPOS terminals: map devices, locations and payouts
Map each EFTPOS terminal to its location, merchant account and payout destination. Use a register and worked closing totals to trace combined bank deposits.
3 min readCash drawer reconciliation: explain the closing difference
Balance a cash drawer using the opening float, sales, refunds, paid-outs and physical count. Includes a till-close sheet and a clear difference investigation.
3 min readSplit-tender payments: reconcile one sale paid several ways
Follow one sale paid in cash and by card through the receipt and daily close. Check remaining balances, refund records and duplicate sales before finishing.
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Compare the broader system
Use the product overview when you are ready to shortlist a replacement.