Are There Risks to Offline Transactions?

It’s important to note that offline processing is reliable and safe, but not risk-free. As we just mentioned, you may lose a sale if your system does not reconnect within a set safety window. You may also lose inventory and money if transactions are ultimately declined when your internet connection is restored. When operating online, your system can automatically check and authorize cards. When you process offline, you won’t get this immediate check to verify whether or not a card is invalid or stolen, but this will happen once you reconnect. If the card isn’t valid, the transaction won’t complete.

You may also encounter some types of cards that can only be processed online, and you might experience slower deposits than you would if you were operating online.

How To Limit Your Risk

Your payment processor likely has some rules in place that mitigate the risks of offline transactions, such as limiting transaction totals, checking expiration dates, comparing the cardholder name and signature with a photo ID, or using a verification code. Exatouch has built-in features that allow you to set acceptable transaction parameters in offline mode.

Furthermore, systems like Exatouch are safer than alternative means of taking card information offline, such as taking physical copies of the card or card info. Exatouch users can rest assured their cardholders’ sensitive information is protected through encryption whether the POS is in offline processing mode or connected to the internet. This is critical for maintaining PCI compliance.

Benefits of a POS with Offline Processing

Exatouch Point of Sale’s offline processing mode enables you to:

• Take credit card payments when your internet connection fails
• Continue accessing the hardware you need to do business, including your cash drawer, barcode scanner, and receipt printer
• Give patrons a uniform customer experience, allowing them to use their preferred method of payment
• Automatically sync transaction data once connectivity is restored—there’s no need to manually update inventory or add purchase histories to your customer database later

Plus, the system checks for internet access while POS stations are in offline mode once every minute until access is restored. You’ll even see a red banner that indicates when you’re in offline processing mode to ensure there’s no confusion. When a check restores internet access, the system returns to online processing of credit card transactions automatically.

Additionally, Exatouch offers expanded settlement options when closing a batch, including an Offline Sales Report that details which transactions were approved, declined, or failed.

Watch this video to see how offline processing works in Exatouch POS: