Offline payments and backup
Keep taking payments when the store network, the internet or a part of the payment chain is down.
A checkout that stops is a sale lost. Aera terminals are built to keep taking payments when something goes wrong: in the store, on the way to Aera, or further down the payment chain.
Merchant: Set it up · ECR provider: Build it
Four layers of backup
When the terminal can't reach Aera, it approves payments offline and stores them until they can be sent.
In Norway and Belgium, BankAxept and Bancontact payments continue when authorisation isn't available.
With IP over USB, the terminal keeps taking payments even if the store network fails. The portable terminal also has 4G.
If the connection breaks during a payment, the ECR checks the result, so the customer is never charged twice.
How it works
flowchart LR
P[Customer pays] --> T{Terminal reaches Aera?}
T -->|Yes| O[Normal online payment]
T -->|No| F{Card scheme allows offline?}
F -->|Yes| S[Approved offline<br/>stored on the terminal]
F -->|No| D[Not approved offline]
S -->|Connection back| A[Sent to Aera]
Offline payments on the terminal
When the terminal is temporarily offline, it can approve a payment without contacting the card issuer. The payment is stored on the terminal and sent when the terminal can reach Aera again.
- You choose which card schemes allow offline payments, for example Bancontact, BankAxept, Visa or Mastercard. This is set in your payment acceptance profile in the Aera portal.
- Bancontact and BankAxept have their own offline settings. Aera uses default values for them, if relevant for you.
- The terminal shows how many payments are waiting. See Stored offline transactions in Operate terminals. You can also send them from the terminal menu with Send stored transactions.
- The receipt shows it was approved offline, with the masked card number, the card brand and messages such as "Pending authorization". See Generate receipts.
- Your reports show it too. The Daily Transaction Report has an Offline/online column for every transaction.
Never delete offline transactionsStored payments are money you haven't collected yet. When you replace or reset a terminal, select Send stored transactions first. See Replace a terminal.
BankAxept backup solution
For BankAxept cards in Norway, the BankAxept backup solution (reserveløsning) lets merchants keep taking payments when BankAxept authorisation isn't available.
- Payments above the voice authorisation limit (currently NOK 2,500) need a phone authorisation. The ECR shows the cashier a phone number, the merchant's BankAxept number, the amount and the account number. The cashier calls, gets a 6-digit code, and types it in the ECR or writes it on the receipt.
- If a backup payment isn't possible, the terminal returns response code
323. See Response codes.
The merchant must have the BankAxept backup solution in their agreement.
Backup network connection
- IP over USB: the terminal shares the ECR's network through one USB cable. Unlike Ethernet or Wi-Fi only, the merchant can still take payments if the store network fails. See IP over USB.
- 4G on the portable terminal: the AXIUM DX4000 Portable has 4G with fallback to 3G and GPRS, as well as Wi-Fi.
- Local integration: the ECR talks to the terminal through AIC in the store. Best for large stores that need top speed and uptime. See Plan your integration.
No double charges
If the connection between the ECR and the terminal breaks during a payment, the ECR asks the terminal for the result with TransactionStatus before it tries again. The customer isn't charged twice. See Handle responses and timeouts.
Who does what
| Who | Does what |
|---|---|
| Merchant | Chooses which card schemes allow offline payments. Gets the BankAxept backup solution in the agreement, if needed. Never deletes stored offline transactions |
| ECR provider | Shows the BankAxept voice authorisation request, prints offline receipts from Aera's receipt data, and checks the result after a lost connection |
| Aera | Sets up the offline settings in the payment acceptance profile, with default values for Bancontact and BankAxept |
Set it up (merchant)
- Decide which card schemes should allow offline payments, and tell Aera when your payment acceptance profile is set up. See Features and configuration options.
- In Norway, ask your Aera contact about the BankAxept backup solution.
- For a backup network, connect the terminal with IP over USB, or use the portable terminal with 4G.
- Teach store staff to never delete stored offline transactions.
Build it (ECR)
- BankAxept backup: handle the terminal's Input request for voice authorisation. See BankAxept voice authorisation.
- Offline receipts: print the receipt data Aera sends, including the offline approval message. See Generate receipts.
- Lost connection: check the result with TransactionStatus before you retry. See Handle responses and timeouts.
Offline payments on the terminal need nothing else from the ECR.
Updated 6 days ago