If you have a question that is not covered in the sections below, please e-mail a request to our customer service/technical teams who will respond to you as soon as they can.

Click on the relevant liks on the right, or alternatively browse the list below.

General FAQs

1. Do I need a telephone line?
2. Do I need to have access to mains power?
3. How many transactions will I be able to process from a single battery charge?
4. Can I process Euro payments?
5. Can I process Cash back payments?
6. Can I process Gratuity payments?
7. Can I have a surcharge facility? 
8. Does the terminal print out a receipt for the customer?
9. Can my mobile terminal process Mail Order / Cardholder Not Present (CNP) transactions?
10. How many transactions per till roll?
11. Do I need to use my own mobile phone?
12. Do I need to carry out any reports on the terminal?
13. What is the difference between a fixed, portable and mobile card payment terminal?
14. What is GPRS? 
15. Will my GPRS terminal work anywhere?
16. What do I do if there is no GPRS coverage?
17. How can I check the coverage at the event I am attending?
18. Which networks can my terminal be connected to? 
19. What do I do if the network I have chosen is not suitable?
20. Can I use my own SIM card in the GPRS mobile terminal?
21. Can I take a mobile terminal without an account with a UK acquirer?
22. What do I do if my customer does not know their PIN number?
23. Does chip and PIN guarantee payment?
24. How secure are Cardholder Not Present (CNP) transactions?
25. How does the money get into my bank account?
26. What happens if I change banks?
27. What happens if I change Acquirers?
28. What is the length of the agreement?
29. Can I purchase a terminal?
30. Can I have a terminal for just a few days? 
31. How long is the warranty on my mobile terminal?
32. Is theft/loss covered under the rental contract or warranty?
33. Can I cancel my agreement with 123 if I decide I no longer need or want my mobile terminal, or if my business closes?
34. What accessories are available?
35. What happens if my terminal is lost/stolen?
36. What happens if I break my terminal?
37. What happens if my terminal is faulty?
38. What does the 'Repair Option' cover?
39. Does the terminal need to be installed upon delivery? 
40. Is there a back-up facility? 

Answers to questions in GENERAL section:

1.Do I need a telephone line?
No telephone line is required with our mobile terminals, they communicate using the GPRS mobile network.

2. Do I need to have access to mains power?
No mains power is required for our mobile terminals, they are battery operated.

3. How many transactions will I be able to process from a single battery charge?
You should be able to process 150-200 transactions on a full charge with continuous use. With intermittent use the terminal should hold its charge for several days.

4. Can I process Euro payments?
YES - Our terminals have the capability of processing transactions in Euro's. However, to be able to process transactions in Euro's you must have a Euro Merchant Account with your acquirer. Please contact our sales team for more information.

5. Can I process Cash back payments?
YES - It is possible to process cash back payments on the terminal. Your Merchant Services Agreement must be set up with the cash back option to take advantage of this facility.

6. Can I process Gratuity payments?
YES - The terminal can be programmed with a Gratuity facility, please contact our sales team for more information.

7. Can I have a surcharge facility?
YES - The terminal can be programmed with a surcharge facility, this can either be set as a flat fee or a percentage of the sale. Please contact our sales team for more information.

8. Does the terminal print out a receipt for the customer?
Yes. The terminal will print a copy of the receipt for both the merchant and customer.

9. Can my mobile terminal process Mail Order / Cardholder Not Present (CNP) transactions?
Yes, as long as the CNP facility is set-up with your Merchant service provider.

10. How many transactions per till roll?
You should be able to carry out between approximately 60-80 transactions per roll. 

11. Do I need to use my own mobile phone?
No, the terminal is set up with its own SIM card which we provide. The terminal is delivered to you ready to use.

12. Do I need to carry out any reports on the terminal?
At the end of each day you should carry out a banking report on the terminal. This will confirm the payments you have taken that day with your acquirer and also complete any transactions that may be stored in the terminal.

13. What is the difference between fixed-line, portable and mobile card payment terminal?
The main difference between the fixed-line, portable and mobile terminal are the communications that are used to connect to your acquirers banking system. The fixed line terminal is connected directly to a telephone line, the portable terminal also connects to a telephone line but can be taken up to 100 metres from its base and the mobile terminal uses GPRS technology (not a telephone line) which enables the user to take payments away from a fixed location.

14. What is GPRS?
GPRS stands for General Packet Radio Service. GPRS works by sending data in 'packets'. This allows users to stay connected, saving time as there is no need to repeatedly dial in.

15. Will my GPRS terminal work anywhere?
As long as you are in an area that receives GPRS coverage on your network you should be able to use your mobile terminal. Go to our coverage page to find out more about coverage in your area.

16. What do I do if there is no GPRS coverage?
If your terminal is not picking up any GPRS coverage you should give our helpdesk a call. If the problem cannot be resolved immediately you should fall back to your manual back up swipe machine.

17. How can I check the coverage at the event I am attending?
Please see our coverage page in our technical section. This will give you a guide to coverage strength in the area you are looking to use the terminal. If you are going to be accepting transactions inside a particular building, it is recommended that you speak with the organiser to check they can receive the specific network coverage inside.

18. Which networks can my terminal be connected to?
We can set your terminal up on either the Vodafone or 02 network. If you have a preference you can indicate this on the order form. Please see our coverage maps for a guide to network coverage where you would be using the terminal.

19. What do I do if the network I have chosen is not suitable?
When ordering your GPRS mobile terminal from 123, you have a choice of either the Vodafone or 02 network. If when you receive your terminal you feel that you are not getting adequate service, we can swap the network for you. Please see the coverage page in our technical section to check the coverage where you anticipate using the terminal.

20. Can I use my own SIM card in the GPRS mobile terminal?
No, your terminal will be provided with a GPRS SIM card which you must use to process secure transactions.

21. Can I take a mobile terminal without an account with a UK acquirer?
NO - To be able to process card transactions using our mobile terminals, you will first need to have a merchant service account with a UK Acquirer. If you do not currently accept card payments, 123 can make all of the arrangements for you. Please see our Getting Started section for more information.

22. What do I do if my customer does not know their PIN number?
Provided the transaction is electronically authorised and the required security checks are carried out, the transaction can be completed using signature. This will however increase the risk of a chargeback on this transaction.

23. Does chip and PIN guarantee payment? 
Any payment made using Chip and PIN is guaranteed against fraud.

24. How secure are Cardholder Not Present (CNP) transactions?
CNP transactions are less secure than chip and PIN as no PIN number is being entered. Our GPRS terminals do however have as standard the Address Verification (AVS) and Cardholder Security (CVC) to help protect against Cardholder Not Present fraud.

25. How does the money get into my bank account?
You will need to have a merchant account to process card transactions. Whichever acquirer you set up a merchant account with, they will pay the money directly into your designated bank account. If you do not currently accept card payments, 123 can make all of the arrangements for you. Please see Accepting Card Payments section for more details

26. What happens if I change banks?
You will need to inform us if you change who you bank with so that we can set up a new Direct Debit through your new business account.

27. What happens if I change Acquirers?
If you change your Merchant Service Provider, you will need to contact us first to see if your terminal is compatible with the acquirer you are looking to change to. The terminal would need to be re-configured to your new Merchant Account Details and this can only be processed through our helpdesk.

28. What is the length of the agreement?
We have contracts for both short and longer term periods, please click here to order a request form or call our sales team for more information.

29. Can I purchase a terminal?
Yes - our terminals are available to either Purchase or Rent. Please click here for more information.

30. Can I have a terminal for just a few days?
Provided you have an existing merchant account, then YES!  Go to our 'Short Term Hire' page for more details.

31. How long is the warranty on my mobile terminal?
If you purchase a terminal it comes with a 12 month warranty, during which time we will repair or replace the terminal for any technical fault. If you are renting the equipment, your terminal is covered against any technical fault for the length of the rental agreement.

32. Is theft/loss covered under the rental contract or warranty?
Loss/theft is not covered within the contract or warranty. We would advise you to include the terminal within your business insurance to guard against such eventualities.

33. Can I cancel my agreement with 123 if I decide I no longer need or want my mobile terminal, or if my business closes?
If you are renting the equipment then you are liable for the remainder of the agreement period. It may be possible to transfer the agreement to a different business. Please contact us if you would like to know about this in more detail.
If you have purchased the equipment then you will initially sign a minimum 12 month air time contract.

34. What accessories are available?
We have a range of accessories available; please see the products and accessories section on our website.

35. What happens if my terminal is lost/stolen?
If your terminal is lost or stolen you should contact us immediately, we will disconnect it for you.

36. What happens if I break my terminal?
In the first instance you should call our helpdesk. In most cases a query can be resolved over the phone, if however it has been physically damaged it may need to be  repaired/replaced. This will be done without charge if you have a repair option otherwise there will be a charge to cover the costs.

37. What happens if my terminal is faulty?
If you have any queries with your terminal or how to use it please give our helpdesk a call on 0870 20 30 123 option 1.

38. What does the 'Repair Option' cover?
There are two repair options and they cover against accidental damage and also give a guaranteed replacement within either 1 or 2 working days.

39. Does the terminal need to be installed upon delivery?
NO - Your mobile terminal will be delivered fully configured to your merchant account and ready to accept card payments.  All you will need to do is charge the terminal for an initial 4 hours, or simply connect to the mains and start taking payments!

40. Is there a back-up facility?
YES - as part of your Merchant Service Agreement you will have been provided with a manual swipe machine. In the event of the mobile GPRS terminal being unavailable you can use the back up manual swipe machine. Please note that you should call your acquirer for authorisation on all manual transactions.

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