Nearly every practice will have a card transaction machine. Many clients prefer to pay with a debit or credit card rather than carrying large amounts of cash. Cheques are generally only guaranteed for up to £100 and therefore the card transaction facility is not only convenient, but also prevents the problem of bounced cheques.
The most commonly accepted cards are: MasterCard, Visa, Switch, Electron and American Express. The practice is usually charged a fee per card transaction, so it is therefore wise to set a lower limit (usually £5 or £10). Electronic card machines automatically authorise an approved transaction, but every so often the attached telephone may ring requesting verbal information. This is simply a routine security check and does not necessarily mean that the client has engaged in any fraudulent activity!
If a card is declined, be discreet. A declined card does NOT necessarily mean that the client has insufficent funds in their account - it may just be a glitch in the system. But 'insufficient funds' is what everyone (you, the client and anyone within earshot) will assume, and that's embarrassing. So just quietly explain that the card is not working and request an alternative method of payment.
Very occasionally, you may be advised via the machine to withhold and cut off the corner of an abused or stolen card. You must then return the card to the bank and a reward of £50 will be forwarded!
If your card transaction machine fails to operate, check the following:
At the end of the day, a reconciliation process is performed. This involves tallying up the card payments taken and checking that your figure agrees with that of the card machine.