With technological growth and advancement, there has undoubtedly been much progress when it comes to credit card terminals. However, do we really need to upgrade our credit card terminals just because there are new features available, regardless of whether we need them or not? I think not! It does not take much technology to process credit cards.
Unless you are processing credit cards over an Ethernet / IP connection, the simplest terminals are still the best choice for most businesses. The latest terminals with loads of features and abilities also come at a high price. Unless all those features are going to be of good use to you, a huge investment close to $500 is a sheer waste of money. Instead, older and simpler terminals that are available for less than $200 cater to almost all credit card processing requirements, are durable and perfectly acceptable. These terminals all have thermal printer, can accept PIN pads, smart card readers, check readers, contact-less readers, and just about any other peripheral that you need.
Here are two terminals under $200 that can do everything except processing over an IP connection,handling some more advanced processing applications which most businesses will never need.
Nurit 2085:The Nurit 2085 is exceptionally user friendly and very fast due to its high-speed built-in thermal printer that eliminates the need for costly ribbon replacement, thus substantially reducing mechanical malfunction and increasing transaction speed. The NURIT's large, high-contrast alphanumeric LCD display and menu-driven software, together with four programmable function keys, allow the user to access every feature of the terminal easily and quickly.
Hypercom T7P / T7 Plus: The HypercomT7P is designed for merchants moving to data capture and debit applications. It features an integrated modular impact or quiet thermal printer. The T7P can read all types of credit, debit, check and charge cards and an external PIN pad can be attached for supporting cardholder entry of PIN numbers. Dedicated function keys allow one-step operation of everyday processes. The price/performance benefits of the T7P include savings on user training, reduced telephone line costs and shorter processing and settlement times. The T7P also accommodates new software applications demanded by the marketplace which can be remotely downloaded from a sophisticated Terminal Management System.
