As the global outbreak of COVID-19 persists to evolve, merchants are encountering challenges responding to the changing necessities and concerns of customers and communities. One of the essential points of focus is reducing the necessity for customers to interact physically with POS terminals. The ensuing options are available to merchants to minimize interaction. 

Moving away from cash

One of the most influential impacts COVID-19 has had on expenditures is a rejection of cash. Globally, a lack of accessibility to cash (due to travel restrictions) and a disinclination to utilise cash due to a concern about its potential to transmit disease has indicated a wave in contactless payment methods. Handling the POS terminal to the customer raises the potential to do business during COVID-19 especially for businesses across numerous sectors; a mobile POS terminal with the flexibility to offer contactless payments as well helps an instantly growing requirement of customers and taps into a future payment trend.

Use of terminals

Card terminals have also been recognised as a potential transmitter of COVID-19, dozens of customers per hour can handle the buttons of a payment terminal.

There is no reason to bypass or fear payment terminals, of course. Simply getting coronavirus on your fingers does not yet direct to infection, as it cannot pierce the skin. It is important to wash hands, though, before touching your mouth, nose or eyes. Regardless, business owners should assist their customers to avoid both bacterial and viral infections. Payment terminals need to be maintained clean, and hand sanitisers should be available at payment points.

Contactless

Contactless Merchants leveraging tap to pay, or contactless, technology, which utilises short-range wireless technology to make a safe payment between a contactless card or payment-enabled device and a checkout terminal, can offer customers a quick, comfortable, safe and secure payment experience at checkout. Tapping to pay permits customers to pay with their contactless-enabled cards or payment-enabled devices (i.e. phones, watches, etc.), thereby facilitating the physical dealings with the POS terminal. Merchants that have already facilitated tap to pay may facilitate consumers to pay with a tap to lessen exposure for their employees and customers to each other. Merchants should also ensure contactless POS terminals are placed in a customer-facing orientation and within leisurely reach of the customer, to enable a contactless transaction without the necessity for the merchant’s staff to endure the customer’s card.

Viruses hate contactless payments

CONTACTLESS payments are set to rise and evolve a more preferred payment method in countries where these methods were not very famous earlier, things have transformed amid the spread of COVID-19. Contactless and digital payment methods need less physical interaction and are more protected.

People can even set a contactless payment limit on their bank cards. People are still required to enter their PIN occasionally when they surpass a certain number of transactions or the total sum of payments. Here, there may be differences from bank to bank because the conditions for using card-based payment limits and contactless mobile apps differ from bank to bank.