Contactless card machines 

Contactless card readers interact with a contactless card through a chip built into the card. The chip sends out a radio wave which creates a connection with the contactless card reader through RFID  (Radio Frequency Identification) technology to process payments.

To make a contactless payment, your customer simply needs to place their card close to the contactless card reader (within a few centimetres), which will pick up the RFID signal and process the payment instantly.

You will receive a notification on the card machine to let you know if the payment has been successful or not.

If it hasn’t, you can simply ask your customer to tap their card or contactless payment enabled device against the contactless card reader again.

The in-store contactless payment can be completed within a couple of seconds.

Once the contactless card or payment device has been tapped against your contactless card reader you will receive a notification almost instantly as to whether the transaction has gone through.

If it hasn’t you can simply ask the customer to try again or the customer may need to use Chip and PIN if they have reached the maximum of five contactless transactions in a row.

For authorised contactless payments, the payment will settle in your bank account according to your settlement timescale.

Yes, all our card machines are plug and play with simple to follow instructions allowing you to fully complete the set up in just a few minutes.

Yes. Contactless card readers and contactless payments are secure.

Contactless payment cards use the same high level security as Chip and PIN cards.

While payments are made over contactless radio signals, they are Near Field Communications (NFC) based, meaning the payment device must be placed within extremely close proximity to the card reader (within a few centimetres) to pick up the signal.

All contactless cards are built with robust security features that will protect both your business and your customers from fraud.

Every now and then your customers will be automatically asked to enter their Chip and PIN details (even when trying to pay via contactless) to verify their identity, while all transactions made via contactless card machines are recorded so you have a transparent audit trail of all contactless payments made to your business on a given day.

All of our new Spire contactless card readers are also certified to the industry’s latest security standard - PCI PTS 4.0.

Earlier this year the limit on contactless payments was increased from £30 to £45 to help encourage customers to use contactless payments to increase safety in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

There has been no further information released as to whether the limit will be increased further in the future.

Customers using contactless payment devices such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay do not have a limit on the number or value of transactions, however some retailers may choose to have a limit in place as with standard contactless payments.

No. Your contactless card reader will interact with and process payments via any contactless payment device that emits the same RFID signal as a contactless card.

If they’re not using a contactless card your customer will typically be paying using a smartphone, but many other mobile smart devices can now be used with contactless card readers such as smart watches.

Whatever payment device your customer is using, the payment process is the same. Just ask them to place their device close to your contactless card reader and the payment will be processed in the same way as if they were using a contactless credit or debit card.

Once you’ve spoken to one of our advisors and we’ve helped figure out which contactless card machine is best for your business, we can have your new card machine with you, and working, typically within three business days.

This includes setting up your merchant account, providing you with your card machine, and making sure you have everything in place to start accepting card payments (either contactless or via Chip and PIN).

When you start accepting payments, you can expect to see money settling into your merchant account in three working days after the payment is made.

Accepting contactless card payments in your business, whether through a countertop, mobile or wireless card machine, will allow you to serve customers quicker, so you can serve more people during the day.

You’ll make more profit, and remove the need for time consuming till settling and cash counting at the end of the day.

Contactless card payments are also more secure than cash payments, removing the risk of counterfeit notes and scams.

At Handepay, we tell you exactly what you’ll pay as part of your decision to move to using contactless card machines.

There are no hidden joining fees, no PCI DSS compliance or non compliance fees, or any other fees that you won’t know about before signing up with us.

The cost you’ll pay for a contactless card machine depends on a few factors specific to your business:

• The type of machine you use
• The number of machines you decide you need
• The number of transactions you process during the day
• Your business’s turnover

With Handepay, you’ll pay a monthly rental for your card machine and then a small percentage of each transaction value. You won’t pay a minimum monthly service charge (MMSC) or PCI compliance and non-compliance fees.

Increased profits and savings are two of the major benefits of switching to contactless payments.

The actual profits you can expect to see vary from business to business.

They depend largely on the number of customers you currently serve today, compared to the number you could serve by completing transactions quicker using contactless card machines.

But, businesses which choose Handepay for their contactless payments have typically saved 36% on their card processing costs, compared to other providers.

So if you do decide to adopt contactless card readers, we’ll help you do it in the most cost effective way possible.

All of our countertop, portable and wireless card machines allow you to accept payments from all major debit and credit card providers as well as payments from contactless devices or apps such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay.

It’s a new cashless world out there, but we won’t give you your contactless card machine and leave you to fend for yourself.

We have a technical helpdesk, staffed by experts who can help you solve any problems you have with your card machine, or arrange for a new machine to be sent out if we can’t fix it.

We’ve also got a UK-based help desk with a team ready to walk you through any process or problem you have with accepting card payments.

And be assured, we’ve been doing this for a long time, so we’ve helped people solve all kinds of problems. There’s not much we won’t be able to help you out with - at least with your contactless card machine.