How to Operate a Credit Card Machine

Credit card machines can making paying for just about anything more convenient.

If you want to pay for something in a store, you have one of three options: cash, check or credit. If you use credit, you have to use a credit card machine. Knowing how to operate one correctly will not only save you time, but it will also save you embarrassment. If you have to spend time fiddling with the machine to get it to work, before you know it, you'll have a line of angry customers waiting behind you at the cash register.

Instructions

1. Select "credit" on the key pad. You'll notice a large number pad at the register when you are about to pay for your purchase. Out of the two payment options available, debit or credit, select credit to let the machine know you will be paying by credit card.

2. Swipe your card. Take your card and swipe in the direction toward your body. Usually you'll need to make sure the stripe is facing inside, toward the buttons on the machine, not away from them. If the first swipe does not work, swipe the card again to makes sure the machine can read the magnetic stripe on the card. There will generally be a small picture icon on the machine indicating how to position the card to swipe successfully.

3. Press either enter or cancel. For some machines, pressing the enter button will make the credit transaction go through. On other other machines, just swiping your credit card will automatically take you to the debit/pin transaction screen. In that case, you will have to press the "cancel" button to let the machine know you would like to process the transaction as "credit."

4. Wait for your receipt. When the machine prints a receipt, you'll know your transaction has completed. If a receipt does not print, you may have to start all over again.

References

• Flagship Merchant Services: Credit Card Machines