Overview

Developers integrating payments into Point of Sale (POS) applications for the restaurant industry can quickly code wireless smart terminals or mobile devices to accept pay-at-the-table transactions by leveraging a variety of solutions, such as mobile SDKs for Android or PAX Smart Terminals, or Semi-Integrated APIs like the Ingenico Semi-Integrated API. Developers looking to use the PAX SDK for a Semi-Integrated solution can get started with the PAX Semi-Integrated SDK. Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) and merchants will find that today's smart terminals increase payment security, improve efficiency in restaurants, and help with payment fraud prevention.
What is Pay-at-the-Table technology?
How Pay-at-the-Table Works
Devices can be equipped with near-field communication (NFC) technology so that the customer can tap or wave a contactless payment card or smartphone with a mobile wallet app near the device to make the payment, creating a quick and easy way to pay.
Restaurants also have other options for creating a pay-at-the-table experience. For example, some restaurants deploy tabletop devices that customers can use to pay, disinfecting them between uses. This option gives guests the convenience to pay and leave the restaurant when they’re ready, rather than waiting for restaurant staff to help them settle their checks. Additionally, it eliminates the need for staff to handle transactions, giving them more time to spend on other aspects of their jobs.

Alternatively, restaurants can print QR payment codes on their customers’ receipts. Then, to settle a check, customers can simply scan the code with a smartphone camera to open the payment page and complete the transaction, much like paying for an online order. The downside to this payment method is that transactions are processed as “card-not-present” payments, and the merchant pays higher processing fees. Fortunately, innovators are working to address that issue so that QR code payments accepted in the future can be processed at “card-present” rates.
Benefits of Pay-at-the-Table Solutions
Faster, More Efficient Checkout
Increased Table Turns
Free Up Staff for Other Tasks
Contactless Checkout
Lower Risk of Fraud
Fewer Chargebacks
The Cons of Pay-at-the-Table Solutions
Reservations about New Technology
Setup Costs
How To Choose the Right Pay-At-The-Table System for Your Restaurant
ISV and Developer Opportunities
Learn More
North provides its ISV partners with solutions that enable restaurants to accept card-present payments through the ISV's custom app paired with a payment device, such as the PAX A920. The Payanywhere Android SDK is pre-certified to accept pay-at-the-table EMV transactions, enables tokenized data, and makes embedding payments into POS software easy.
Contact us to learn more about how to connect your system to the North payment gateway.