Virtual Terminal takes a keyed card payment for the business you have selected. The transaction types are Sale, Pre-auth, and Return.
Who can use this. The menu is shown when virtual terminal is visible for the business and you have the virtual terminal permission, or you are a super admin. The address is /dashboard/virtual_terminal.
Before you start. Have the amount, the card, and the customer. You may select an existing customer. Card details can be a new card or a saved card.
Steps
- Open Virtual Terminal.
- Choose Select Transaction: Sale, Pre-auth, or Return.
- Enter the amount, invoice number, description, and internal notes if you use them. The invoice number and description tooltips explain whether the customer sees them on the receipt.
- Choose New card or Saved cards, and complete Customer information.
- Submit the payment. The button uses the pay label and can show a processing state.
- Open Transaction History and set the source to Virtual Terminal to confirm the status.
| What you see | Meaning | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Sale | A card sale. | An AA result is an approval. Settlement is still separate. |
| Pre-auth | Authorization only. | Capture it later with Force on the transaction. It is not a completed sale by itself. |
| Return | A refund keyed on this screen. | Use it when you intend a return. The transaction list also has Refund on an eligible original sale. |
| Saved cards | A card already stored for the customer. | You do not see the full card number. |
| SERV NOT ALLOWED | The service was not allowed for that card. | The screen explains the transaction was declined because the service is not allowed. |
| Internal notes | Notes for your staff. | The internal description tooltip says it is not shown to the customer during payment. A different receipt tooltip applies when the text is meant for the receipt. |
After you save or submit. A successful sale can email a Virtual Terminal notification if that subscription is on. The payment record is the transaction, not the email.
Example. Example only: Example Cafe runs a Sale for 60.00 on a new card for fictional customer Riley Chen. Transaction History shows source Virtual Terminal and status APPROVAL. A second Sale that returns SERV NOT ALLOWED is declined. Cafe does not fulfill that second order.
Troubleshooting
- Virtual Terminal is missing. The business flag virtual terminal visible is off, or your user lacks the permission.
- You wanted a recurring charge. Use Recurring Payments. Virtual Terminal is not the subscription schedule.
- You wanted to refund. Open the original APPROVAL and use Refund if it is offered, or use Return only for a new return you intend to submit.
Related
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