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EFTPOS (Electronic Funds Transfer Point
of Sale) is a device by which sales transactions can be directly
debited to the customer's bank account at the point of sale,
through the use of a debit card (generally the same card used
with Automatic Teller Machines). Merchants using EFTPOS can
also offer cashout facilities to customers, where a customer
can withdraw cash along with their purchase. EFTPOS are sometime
also called POS Terminal or Payment Terminal and must not
be confused with traditional Point of sale.
The customer's card is swiped through a
card reader and the merchant usually enters the amount of
the transaction before the customer enters their account and
PIN. There is usually a short delay while the EFTPOS terminal
contacts the server (over a phone line or mobile connection)
before a message of Accepted or Declined is returned. Often,
at peak shopping times (for example the last shopping day
before Christmas), the system can become overloaded and the
delay will become extended or even time out.
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