What is a payment card?

A payment card is a plastic card – physical or digital – that customers use to pay for their purchases directly from their bank account or through a credit facility. The most common types of payment card are debit cards and credit cards. When a guest in a café or restaurant pays with a payment card, the amount is either taken directly from their account (debit card) or added to a monthly bill (credit card).

In practice, payment cards are used together with a POS system (till system) that lets the transaction be completed quickly and securely. The system accepts the payment, records the sale and prints a receipt for the customer if required.

An example from a restaurant:

A guest has been served lunch and wants to pay. The waiter rings up the bill in the POS system. The guest pays with their payment card – for example a Visa or Mastercard. The card is read by the card terminal, and the POS system records the payment directly against the sale. The transaction is completed in seconds, saving both the guest and staff time and hassle.

Why is it important to know this term?

As an owner or employee of a restaurant or café, it is crucial to understand what a payment card is and how it works with your POS system. Today, most guests prefer to pay by card rather than cash. If you cannot handle payment cards correctly, you risk losing revenue and frustrating your guests.

Card payments must also be recorded correctly in the books, and you should know which types of card you accept – for example the difference between a credit card and a debit card. You can read more about the two types here:

Read about credit cards

Read about debit cards

How are payment cards used in Flexybox?

The Flexybox till system accepts several types of payment card. This means guests are free to choose whether to use a debit card, a credit card or other card types. Flexybox makes sure the transaction is recorded correctly and quickly and that the payment appears in your sales reports. This makes things easy for both guests and staff and ensures efficient operations.

Frequently asked questions

A credit card is one type of payment card. Credit cards let the customer pay “on credit” and settle later, while payment card is a general term covering both debit and credit cards.

It depends on your agreement with your acquirer and your POS system. With Flexybox you can, as a starting point, accept the most common card types such as Visa and Mastercard.

Yes, if you use an approved, up-to-date POS system like Flexybox, both data and payments are secure for you and your guests.

It depends on the card type and the country. In general, no fee may be charged for using ordinary consumer payment cards in the EU; outside the EU the rules differ.