POS Offline Mode: Everything You Need to Know About Offline Payments

A big challenge for small and medium-sized merchants related to payment acceptance is losing internet connectivity just as you’re about to process a transaction at your point of sale (POS) system. 

It’s not only frustrating when you lose internet access. It’s also a major loss of potential income earned. The good news is that technology is advancing. And with POS offline mode, you can accept payments in offline mode without an internet connection through your offline POS system. 

Does this mean that you need to purchase a special POS terminal? No. With myPOS Offline Mode, merchants across the UK can accept offline payments during internet outages on various myPOS card machines. Ready to learn more? Let’s get started. 

What Is POS Offline Mode? 

From debit to credit card payments, your point-of-sale system allows you to quickly accept card payments at your store, ensuring greater speed of service and higher customer satisfaction. But when your internet is down, this means frustration and loss of sales. Enter POS offline mode. 

In short, it is a way for merchants in the UK to accept card payments on their POS device even without internet connectivity. 

According to card scheme guidelines, these transactions are referred to as “deferred payments.” What this means in terms of the rules is that these transactions are processed when internet connectivity returns and they must be cleared within 24 hours after they take place. 

To make sure you get the most out of your payments, myPOS is rolling out the POS Offline Mode for merchants in the UK. Initially, the two major card schemes that will be supported are Visa and Mastercard. 

Additionally, myPOS Offline Mode will be available for both contact and contactless payment methods, with the latter available only where an offline PIN entry is supported. 

Wondering if your device offers this function? If you have any of the following smart or classic myPOS devices, you’re good to go: 

• Smart POS: 
  • myPOS Carbon 
  • myPOS Ultra 
  • myPOS Pro 
  • myPOS Slim 
• Classic POS:  
  • myPOS Go 
  • myPOS Go 2 

Also worth noting is that the transactions that will initially be possible with the new POS offline mode technology are sales with card payments. 

How Does myPOS Offline Mode Work? 

If you’re ready to accept payments through a robust offline mode functionality, myPOS Offline is for you. The offline POS software allows you to accept offline transactions even when your POS system is offline. 

So, how does POS offline mode work? It’s really simple. It operates through data synchronization once your POS is back online. 

Here’s the breakdown of the process: 

• Activate or deactivate Offline Mode on your myPOS terminal. You will see a visual indicator when this mode is active. 
• Your offline payment sessions or transactions will be securely stored locally on the POS until they can be cleared. 
• You will have access to a special menu that will allow you to access your list of offline transactions. From here, you will have the option to delete them if you choose. In addition, a warning screen will appear to periodically remind you about pending offline transactions that need to be cleared. 
• A great feature of myPOS Offline Mode is that your POS device will periodically check for internet connectivity and attempt to clear the stored transactions automatically. 
• However, you can also manually trigger a connectivity check and initiate clearing. 
• Once the transaction clearing procedure is completed, the POS screen will display a message indicating the number of offline transactions successfully cleared. 
• If there is a connectivity issue and no transactions are cleared, a notification on the screen of your POS device will notify you of this status. 

That’s it. It’s that simple. With sophisticated cloud-based POS systems at your fingertips, you can process transactions, better manage inventory and enhance your retail operations even if you lose internet connectivity. 

Such an offline functionality allows you to continue providing essential functions when you want to process payments. This way, your business doesn’t lose out but rather gains a continuity of service while creating a seamless customer experience. 

Merchant Risks of Offline Payments 

Offline debit and credit card processing requires some effort before being put to good use at your business when you process sales transactions. Without clearing your transaction data, you may end up losing out. That’s why it’s important to ensure your business operations run as smoothly as possible without incurring any of the associated risks. 

For example, by choosing to use offline mode, the liability for the transactions falls on you, the merchant. That’s because it’s possible that once your point of sale (POS) reconnects to the internet and attempts to process a stored transaction, the payment may be declined. This is especially true for vouchers. When an Offline Mode payment with a voucher is made, it is possible for the payment to first be approved but later denied. To make sure that you don’t lose out on such payments, it’s vital that you double check the card you are accepting. 

Some of the reasons for a declined payment relate to: 

• Insufficient funds 
• Card restrictions on the card issuer side 
• Customer has exceeded their spending limits and the transaction is declined 
• The payment is declined for some reason by the card scheme or credit card processing company 
• The customer’s card is blocked 
• The customer’s card has expired 
• You have accepted payment with a voucher, which Offline Mode will later reject 
• And others 

While Offline mode facilitates smoother and uninterrupted payment processing, the onus is on you to double-check the customer’s card before accepting it for payment. You also need to be aware that there are risks involved in processing sensitive data offline. 

Conclusion 

POS offline mode is a game-changer for UK merchants who need to process sales without interruption. By allowing offline point transactions through mobile devices and cloud-based POS systems, myPOS Offline ensures continuity even when internet connectivity is lost. 

While it’s essential to understand the risks and ensure payment data can sync online promptly, the benefits include better inventory management, secure data storage and improved service. As such, the advantages far outweigh the challenges. 

The myPOS Offline payment service enables your business to stay operational, protect customer data and keep transactions flowing. 

Frequently Asked Questions