Backend POS Payment Processing Details

Modified on Tue, 10 Jun at 1:15 PM

On the Point of Sale, there are three payment workflows available: Classic, Contactless, and Tab. Each of these workflows interact with the payment processor differently. 


Table of Contents

Definitions

Before going into a description of the workflows, here are some important definitions:


Sale

A sale is when a single call to the payment processor is made which closes the transaction. This means that once a credit card is read, the transaction is finalized. 


Preauth + Capture

The other transaction type is split into two parts. The preauth happens when the card is read. The transaction is preapproved for a certain amount. This is the first call to the payment processor. The transaction is not finalized until the capture, which is the second call to the payment processor. The capture may sometimes be for more money than originally preauthorized for. 


Potential Risks with Preauth + Capture

Since this transaction type utilizes two calls instead of one, there is a doubled risk of something going wrong. Network issues, payment processor outages, or power failure could potentially cause problems with each call. Much of this risk is avoided if single call sales are utilized. 


Additionally, there are situations when an order's preauthorization is reversed, and a new transaction is made. These are situations described below. When this happens, the bank might hold the pending charge for some time before it is finally cancelled, even though OrderPort has already cancelled the initial transaction. This may appear to your customer as two charges. 


Settings, Workflows, and Payment Types

Depending on your backend settings, the workflow used will vary. For more information about the setting and where to change it, please see the Contactless Checkout Workflows


Contactless

The Contactless workflow is the simplest, and it is the recommended workflow. When the Contactless setting is turned on, payment is taken in a single sale. This means that the tip must be selected prior to the card being read. This way, both the order total and the tip are charged from the card at once.


Classic

The Classic workflow uses the preauth and capture type. When the card is initially read, a preauthorization is sent to the payment processor with the initial order total. After that first call, the tip is selected, then the funds are captured. If a tip was added, the capture amount will be higher than the preauthorized amount. 


Special note for OrderPort Payments: If you utilize OrderPort Payments as your payment processor, Amex cards will be treated differently. If a tip is added to the original preauthorization, that preauthorization will be reversed, and a single call for a sale will close the order.


Tab Payments

Regardless of your settings, tab payments utilize a preauthorization and a capture. When you start a tab, the order will be preauthorized for current order total. You can then add products and modify the order, then close the tab. 


Closing the Tab with the Same Card

In the Point of Sale settings, (OrderPort Admin -> Services -> Point of Sale -> Settings) there is an option for tab percentages. 


 

If the modifications to the order don't make the order total exceed the set percentage, then the original preauthorization will be captured. For example, if the tab was started at $100, then closed at $110, that would be a 10% increase. 


Special note for OrderPort Payments: If you utilize OrderPort Payments as your payment processor, Amex cards will always reverse the preauthorization and utilize a single call sale, regardless of the percentage increase. 


If the total does exceed the percentage, the original preauthorization will be reversed, and a single call sale will be made to close the order.  


Closing the Tab with a Different Card

If you close the tab with a different card, the original preauthorization will be reversed, and the transaction will default to either contactless or classic, depending on your settings. 

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