Published · 5 min read
What is actually happening when the terminal refuses a payment
A card terminal decides nothing by itself. When a card is tapped it sends the request to the bank over the internet, waits for the answer, then prints the receipt. Any fault along that path shows up as an error message on the screen.
The message itself tells you where the problem is. No connection or timed out means the terminal cannot reach the internet, and that is your network. Declined or insufficient funds means the request reached the bank and was refused there, and that is the customer's card, not your machine.
So before you do anything, read the message carefully and take a photo of it. It saves you time, and it saves us half the questions if you need us later.
Check these first, in this order
- 1
Restart the terminal
Hold the power button for ten seconds until it switches off, then start it and wait for it to connect fully. This alone fixes a third of cases.
- 2
Look at how the terminal connects
Network cable? Check the light next to the port is blinking. Wi-Fi? Check the signal icon is showing and the network name is the shop's, not the guest network. SIM card? Check the signal bars.
- 3
Restart the router and switch
Unplug them for thirty seconds, plug them back in, and wait two full minutes before you test. A router needs time to get back online.
- 4
Test the internet from another device
Open any website from the till PC or your phone on the same network. If it does not load, the whole internet line is down, not the card machine.
- 5
Try a different network
Turn on a hotspot from your phone and connect the terminal to it for now. If it works, the fault is in the shop network, and you can keep selling until we fix it.
- 6
Check paper and battery
On portable terminals, a low battery or an empty paper roll stops the transaction completing even when the connection is fine.
The five causes we see most
The router restarted after a power cut and the terminal did not reconnect by itself. Fix: restart the terminal once the router is back.
The terminal is on the guest Wi-Fi, which drops connections after an hour or blocks some ports. Fix: move it to the staff network.
The network cable was pulled out of the switch during cleaning or when the counter was moved. Fix: secure the cable and label it.
The internet line itself is down at the provider. Fix: call the provider, and use the terminal's SIM or a phone hotspot until it is back.
An outage at the bank or the payment provider. Rare, but it happens, and it hits every shop at the same time. Nothing at your end needs fixing.
How to stop it happening again
Connect the terminal by cable instead of Wi-Fi if it sits on the counter, and give it a fixed address in the router so it is not lost after a restart.
Put the router and switch on a small UPS. A one-second power flicker restarts the router and stops payments for five minutes.
If the terminal supports a SIM card, enable it as a backup line, so it switches over by itself when the network drops.
Print these steps on a small card and keep it next to the till, so any member of staff on any shift can try them before calling anyone.
When to call us
If you have tried the steps and the terminal is not back within ten minutes, or the problem comes back more than once a week, the fault is in the network rather than the machine and needs a remote check. Send us a photo of the error message and how the terminal connects, and an engineer replies within 5 minutes.
Common questions
How do I know if the problem is the bank or my shop?
No connection or timed out means the request never left your shop, so the problem is your network. Declined means the bank received the request and refused it, so the problem is the card or the bank. If terminals in neighbouring shops stopped at the same time, the fault is at the payment provider.
Can a card terminal run on a SIM instead of Wi-Fi?
Yes, on most modern terminals. The SIM works as a backup line when the network drops, and it is the best option for portable terminals that move between tables. Ask your bank or the terminal supplier for it.
Why does the terminal work and then stop roughly every hour?
That is the pattern of a guest network or a router that hands out IP addresses for a short time. Move the terminal to the staff network and give it a fixed address, and the drops stop.
Related services
If the terminal is part of a till or POS system, that is covered by POS installation and support in Madinah. If the problem is the router, the Wi-Fi or the cabling, it belongs to network installation in Madinah.