First, a customer inserts their credit or debit card into the Chip and PIN machine and enters their 4-digit PIN (Personal Identification Number) on the terminal’s keypad. This allows the machine to read the information stored on the card’s computer chip in order to securely process the transaction.

Most modern Chip and PIN machines not only allow customers to insert their card and PIN to process a payment, but they are also equipped with NFC technology, allowing customers to make contactless payments instead if they prefer.

A Chip and PIN machine can also be called a card terminal, card machine, PDQ machine, or card reader.

Chip and PIN is a payment processing option. The ‘chip’ part refers to the computer chip contained in the customer’s credit or debit card which stores the relevant payment processing information linked to the card holder’s account. The ‘PIN’ part is an acronym that stands for ‘Personal Identification Number’. Interestingly, this means that when people say “PIN number”, they are effectively repeating the ‘number’ part.

A Chip and PIN transaction is arguably more secure than the somewhat dated “swipe and sign” magnetic stripe payment processing option. This is because the information is more securely stored and therefore less likely to be subject to fraudulent activity.

If you’d like to purchase one of our Chip and PIN machines, or if you’d like further information about our products, simply contact our Sales team today.

To get a quote for any of our Chip and PIN machines, simply contact our Sales team today.