Guide for Short Term Card Machine Hire
Get ready for your Event!
Find out why Short Term Card Machine Hire is the best card payment solution for Shows & Events! There are a number of reasons why a business would want to hire card machines on a short term basis. These include attending an exhibition or trade event, organizing a festival, opening up a pop up shop on a temporary basis or even a summer ball at a University. Whatever the reason it is important to understand what the process is to take card payments and make sure you are organized and plan well in advance.
In our two previous blogs we looked at why any business cannot afford to be neglecting card payments as a form of tender. You should also be aware of obtaining a merchant account number which you need to in order to take debit and credit card payments. Other popular terms for short term card machine hire are Card terminal Rental, Card Machine hire, PDQ hire, and PDQ Rentals so you may find these terms more useful despite them all meaning the same thing.
Our comprehensive guide will now talk you through exactly what you need to do, the pitfalls to avoid and how at New Horizon Systems we provide competitive Card Machine hire service and can take all the pressure of you and make sure your event goes smoothly.
The first step is to identify how much time you have and if you have a UK Merchant account number already. You will require this information for card machine hire.
Let’s go through the options in more detail.
Option 1
You have an existing UK Merchant Number with an existing bank and have used our service before to hire a PDQ Machine
If you already rented a PDQ Machine from us before then we can process your order within 3-4 working days. We use your existing account number and you complete our order form and we will process your order as soon as we receive it.
Option 2
You have an existing UK Merchant Number with an existing bank but are a new customer
You will need to allow 7 working days as before you can use this account number it needs to be approved by your bank. The time this takes depends upon your bank and often any delay is caused at this stage.
Our Tips: Firstly check what type of merchant number you have. Is it set up for online use only, or transactions via phone or mail order? If so it may not be suitable to be used. If you are unsure you can always phone your merchant acquirer and ask if the number is suitable for VeriFone use. Another advice we can give is that if your event is 3 or more weeks away provide us with your merchant number complete an order form and let us process your order. It is free to do this and you are under no obligation.
Option 3
You don’t have a UK Merchant Number and your event is 3-4 weeks away.
We are able to organise a UK Merchant number for you through our partners. We offer very competitive rates but allow about 10 days for this to arrange. You also will need to allow additional time to place the order for hire of PDQ Terminal.
Option 4
You don’t have a UK Merchant Number and your event is less than 1 week away
Help I need to take card payments immediately and don’t have time to set up a merchant number. In this situation it is very unlikely that you will be able to hire a PDQ Terminal.
Our Izettle solution may be for you. Izettle connects with any Bluetooth compatible IOS or Android device to enable you to take payments. We include a Bluetooth compatible printer as well. With IZettle there is no need for a merchant account or separate contract with a merchant services provider. You just need a bank account registered in the name in your business, in case of a business account, or in your own name for a private account. See our blog on taking card payments using this solution.
Choose best solution for your Business!
In summary the key to successfully hire a PDQ terminal is how much time you have before your event, and if you have a UK Merchant number or not.
Now you are aware of the options let us look in more detail at the type of card terminal you can hire and how it works.
The PDQ machines that are available for rent are the latest VeriFone VX680 terminals. These terminals are both contactless and Apple Pay Ready. They work via the mobile signal and are referred to as GPRS terminals. One of the issues with using PDQ machines via GPRS has been the strength of the signal. In the past you would have a choice of network providers say either O2 or Vodafone so a lot would depend upon the coverage in the area. However our terminals now come with roaming sim which means that if you lose the strength from one provider the machine will automatically switch to the next signal.
Need an Expert Advise?
Please be aware we are experts in PDQ hire so please contact us for advice and we will be happy to help.
Our next blog will go in more detail about our Izettle Solution and how this was implemented at Dartford Football Club and how we were able to replace their existing terminals by using an Izettle reader and Bluetooth Printer.