What is a Keyed Transaction?

Sometimes, when running a credit card transaction, a consumer will not have a card that works. Other times, when using the terminal, the card won’t work if the magnetic strip is damaged, which occurs often. While true, one can fix the issue if they manually enter the...  

 

Sometimes, when running a credit card transaction, a consumer will not have a card that works. Other times, when using the terminal, the card won’t work if the magnetic strip is damaged, which occurs often. While true, one can fix the issue if they manually enter the information and run the card in that manner. With this in mind, here is a short guide on what a keypad transaction is.

Why:

First and foremost, as mentioned, when using a damaged credit card, it won’t work, and the transaction won’t go through. When this happens, a person will have a hard time making a purchase, and the store will lose a client. To combat this, when running credit card transactions, one should go out of their way to make sure that the magnetic strip works. By cleaning it and trying again, the store owner can run the transaction cleanly. But, if there are issues, one will have to use the method known as keyed in transaction.

How:

To get started, once a person determines that the transaction cannot be run in a typical manner, it’s wise to do one of two things. One can either enter the information manually or send the transaction over. Or, if the store owner knows and trusts the client, he or she can do the credit card processing at a later time. Yes, by using a machine, one can note the information, then they can call the credit card company with this method, it will take a little longer, but one can ensure that everything is under control and the transaction is a clean one.

Longer:

As mentioned, it’s not a fast way to run the transaction as a user will have to note the information and use the machine to manually input the information. For this reason, when using merchant accounts, one should only use them when they have no other choices. Yes, merchant accounts are tricky, and it’s not easy to getting things moving if you do them slowly. For this reason, when working with the client, it’s wise to try another card or try again. Then, one can move on quickly and with ease.

When working at a store and running a transaction, some people will have to deal with a broken or badly functioning machine. To combat this, one needs to run the card as a keyed transaction as it’s the only solution sometimes.

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