How Do Banks Make Money From a POS Machine?

2023/06/23

Businesses, especially small and medium-sized businesses, are looking for reliable business solutions to operate successfully.

One cutting-edge technology that businesses are employing these days is the retail POS

Considering the shift from traditional payment services like cash payments via cash registers and the like, there are now payment services provided by banks that are digitally powered and that they are happily benefitting from it.

Banks nowadays are making the most from the growing demand for smart retail POS systems and this is the way it will go in the next couple of years.  


How Does Retail POS Machine Work In Banks?

Now you might ask, how does a retail POS work and how do banks make good money from the retail POS machine?

First, let us discuss how the retail POS works. 

Retail POS terminals have slowly turned to become the central point of most retailers’ business operations.

What started out as a simple terminal at the checkout counter accepting card payments has transformed into something more enhanced over time.

Retail POS devices have now been improved and enhanced to take into account other methods of contactless payments like mobile wallets.

This was proven to be very effective when the pandemic struck.

Today, there have been technological modifications that have led to having ePOS, meaning there is software that does payment acceptance and it is being run coming from a smartphone.

Imagine what else can arise with these modes of payment in the future!

Today, modern retail POS systems come in various shapes and sizes, and are capable of accepting all forms of payments that would include the following:

  • Cash and cheque
  • Debit, credit, and prepaid cards with a magnetic strip
  • Debit, credit, and prepaid cards with an embedded chip
  • Contactless payments through mobile wallets, or a quick response code (QR code).

There are ways in which a retail POS accepts card payments from issuing banks. These are:

  1. Swipe

    The cards containing the magnetic stripe are swiped into the card reader to begin the payment transaction.
  1. Insert

    The cards with the microchip are inserted into the POS machine it stays there while the transaction is taking place. 
  1. Tap

    There are other cards like Europay, MasterCard, and Visa with (EMV) chip cards that allow for contactless payments by tapping on the POS terminal.
    This is the safest way.
    The data in the card that is needed for the transaction is transmitted in encrypted form over radio waves that make the connection and the transactions easy, reliable, and secure.
    This eliminates the need to swipe or insert the card or even hand over the card to the merchant.
EasyPOS Logo

BIR-accredited easyPOS is your all-in-one solution to manage your sales, inventory, and customer data in real time!

Click to Learn More.
EasyPOS Logo

BIR-accredited easyPOS is your all-in-one solution to manage your sales, inventory, and customer data in real time!

Click to Learn More.

After swiping, inserting, or tapping and when a payment is initiated in a retail POS terminal, this is what transpires:

  1. The retail POS machine connects to the issuing bank that provides the banking and card services to the business owner.
  1. The retail POS machine then requests authentication by the customer. 
  1. Next, using the payment centers like Visa or Mastercard, the card issuing bank is being contacted to seek approval.
  1. Then, the card-issuing bank does some quick review to make sure that the payment transaction is acceptable and 
  1. Then the bank issues an approval response.
  1. The next important step is that it is transmitted back to the retail POS terminal and the software to show that the payment transaction has been approved and the purchase is successful.
  1. The receipt is now generated and given to the customer.

These things happen when we purchase and make a transaction. 

So how can the issuing banks make money from POS and inventory management software?

The answer is simple. Every time a shop cashier accepts payment by credit card, he or she agrees to pay to the card issuing bank around 2% of the swiped amount.

Of the 2%, a certain percentage goes to the bank, another part goes to Visa or Mastercard and the rest goes to the bank that has installed the retail POS terminal.

The amounts and percentages mentioned are not as accurate as charges vary depending on the volume of transactions that the seller can generate.

But basically, this is a rough estimate. 

The bank charges the merchant. That is how they earn.

And the bank gets its share at the end of every cycle.

So, this would mean that banks would want to promote themselves to be reliable card issuers.

While business owners and sellers are looking for a trusted bank partner that can help them with their business, banks are also preparing sales teams for value creation to help strengthen their relationship with their business clients. 

Banks can now use their expertise in payment services and partnerships with technology companies to help their business clients automate their services.

Banks need to provide this technology that is resilient and workable enough to meet the growing needs of different customers and integrate with their IT departments.

In turn, they can also assist their clients to choose the most suitable application to use for their retail POS.

With the growth of retail POS happening in the market today and with the rising demand of business owners for new digital services, banks are exploring new things and forge partnerships. 

Are you looking for a BIR-accredited POS and inventory management software that is user-friendly and reliable?

Here is EasyPOS, the best POS system for retail in the Philippines.

Avail of the 65-day free trial or schedule a demo to find out the amazing benefits it can bring to your business.

Check out, https://human-incubator.com/easy-pos/.

EasyPOS Logo

BIR-accredited easyPOS is your all-in-one solution to manage your sales, inventory, and customer data in real time!

Click to Learn More.
EasyPOS Logo

BIR-accredited easyPOS is your all-in-one solution to manage your sales, inventory, and customer data in real time!

Click to Learn More.

Chat with HII Easy Series

Typically replies within a few hours

Hi! How can we help you