Testing Credit Cards

[bigleo48]

All,

At my wash I have a Unitec WashPay server with WashPay CC terminals in all my bays and petwashes and a WSII entry unit for the IBA.

As we all know, there are many ways cards are used (Magnetic Strip, Chip, RFID), but my terminals only use Magnetic Strips.

So sometimes, my system rejects cards. Mostly bad swipes, some are the cards themselves (Mercury seems to reject some high reward types like Capital ONE), some have bad mag strips. Rarely I lose internet and so the ability to clear the card. Finally, the card might get rejected if its maxed out.

But what I'm after is a somewhat easy way for my attendants to determine if the card is the problem or our system. This is when a customer swipes the card properly and nothing happens (system doesn't really tell us anything and no log entry). Have any of you developed a procedure for your attendants for this scenario that doesn't delay the customer but ables us to determine the problem?

 

[JMMUSTANG]

Ask for another credit card

 

[mjwalsh]

Big Leo,

I know that it has happened to me a bunch of times going through the grocery supermarket store checkout .... where the checkout clerk uses a plastic bag covering the magnetic strip & then slides with the brand new thin plastic between the reader & the strip. I suppose if the attendant got it to work that way it would be conclusive that the problem was the strip???

For awhile I was carrying too many credit cards & failed to use a few of them for over 6 months. Lo & behold when I tried to swipe at the supermarket several of those activated but "not used often enough" ... they no longer worked even though their expiration date was within range. I kind of wish I would have had some warning that there was an inactivity auto stop from the bank to let me know ... maybe that is an explanation of some of your rejects.

just another mike

 

[washme1]

While not a perfect solution, one thing I've done has enabled many of those sales I would have lost due to card problems.

I ordered a free SQUARE card reader which you have probably seen advertised on TV. You download a free app, then plug it into your smart phone. I could get it to read the card most of the time if my Wash
Select II failed. Sometimes it took a few swipes which convinced the customer it was time to replace the card.

The only fees for SQUARE is the 2.75% of purchase. It's the only way I accept American Express.

 

[whitescout]

You could order some of the VIP cards , ( I think that's what Unitec calls them). Then program the card with money or services, and then use this card to verify the mag reader.