Operating Instructions
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Merchant Operating Instructions: If Your Terminal Fails
You should always use your electronic terminal to process card transactions. If your terminal stops working temporarily because of a fault, or if your power supply or telephone connection is interrupted, you can use our ‘back-up’ service, until the terminal is working again. This is available to order by phoning the helpdesk on (08457 616263).
Back-up pack price list:
- Manual Imprinter £15 +VAT
- Plate £3 + VAT
- Plastic £3 + VAT
- Vouchers No charge
Using paper vouchers
You must only use paper vouchers as a ‘back-up’ when your terminal is not working or if your terminal instructs you to do so. You should advise Streamline or your terminal supplier as soon as possible if your terminal is not working.
While you are using paper vouchers, you can only take Debit MasterCard, MasterCard Credit, Visa Credit, Visa Debit,or JCB payments. You will not be able to accept Visa Electron, Maestro or any card that doesn’t have raised numbers until your terminal is working again.
Remember you can only accept card types listed in your Contract. If you take any others, the transaction may be returned unpaid.
You need to call for authorisation for every transaction using paper vouchers. Find out more in Authorisation and Referrals.
Never split a transaction into two separate amounts on the same card, or split a transaction between two different cards or vouchers as a way of avoiding authorisation or referral. You can split transactions between a card payment and cash. For the card element you will need to telephone for authorisation.
American Express and Diners Club
Please use the separate instructions provided by these card companies.
- Before you start
- Before you start using paper vouchers for transactions featuring any of the card types mentioned in the previous section:
- Make sure that the card is not damaged and shows no signs of having been cut or written over. You should also check the specific security features for the card you are accepting. Find out more in our Card Recognition Guide.
- If you are suspicious you could ask the cardholder for other identification such as a driving licence or a passport. Find out more about Reducing Fraud.
- If you are suspicious about the card or the cardholder, call the Authorisation Centre on 08457 600 500 and say, “This is a ‘Code 10’ call”. The operator will talk you through the process. Find out more in Authorisation and Referrals.
- Only use Streamline vouchers. Follow this link to order more vouchers.
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- A step-by-step guide
- Place the imprinter on a firm surface, with its sliding bar all the way over to the left.
- Put the card into the imprinter with the raised numbers facing upwards. Make sure the card is securely slotted into the right place or you might damage it.
- Place the voucher on top of the card and tuck it in properly.
- Slide the bar from left to right and then back again. You don’t need to press down or force it.
- Take the voucher out and check the numbers have printed through clearly on each sheet. If they haven’t, destroy the voucher and try again with a new one. If you cannot get a good imprint do not write the card details on over the top. If you keep having problems with the imprinter, contact the Helpdesk immediately to order a replacement and ask how to proceed.
- When you have a good imprint, complete the voucher by writing the full details of the transaction clearly in the appropriate sections of the voucher with a ballpoint pen. Complete the amount in both pounds and pence.
- Ask your customer to check and sign the voucher, while you hold the card and watch them sign.
- Check that the signature on the voucher matches the one on the card.
You should always call for authorisation when using paper vouchers. If you are suspicious, call the Authorisation Centre on 08457 600 500 and say, “This is a ‘Code 10’ call” instead of a standard authorisation.
- Only give the cardholder the goods they are buying when you have received authorisation and have completed the card transaction. If authorisation is not given, do not go ahead with the transaction. Ask your customer if they can pay with another card or cash. Find out about Reducing fraud.
- If you are given an authorisation code, write it clearly on the voucher in the space provided.
- If authorisation is not given do not go ahead with the transaction. Destroy the partially completed voucher immediately. Ask your customer if they can pay with another card or cash. Find out about Reducing Fraud. If you are offered another card for payment you must also obtain authorisation on the new card before starting a new transaction.
- When the transaction is complete, give the card back to the cardholder together with the top copy of the voucher and the goods they have purchased.
- Keep the rest of the voucher copies for banking and for your records.
Terminal receipts, paper vouchers and other transaction records are high-security items and access to them should be restricted. Keep your copies of all transaction details in a secure fireproof place for at least 18 months in case there is a query later. If you are not able to produce records when asked to, there may be a chargeback. Do not alter transaction records in any way. If there is a dispute, the cardholder’s copy will normally be taken as correct. After 18 months, make sure that you dispose of all transaction records securely, in line with your Contract.
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- Making a refund using the imprinter
- Find out more in Refunds.
- Use a red Streamline refund voucher, marked REFUND.
- Put the customer’s card in the imprinter, with the refund voucher on top, and print as usual.
- Give the card back to the cardholder.
- Write on the voucher what the refund was for.
- Sign the voucher yourself.
- For the refund to reach the customer’s account, you will need to bank the refund voucher within five bank working days. For Solo and UK-issued Maestro cards, these need to be banked within three bank working days.
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- Banking paper vouchers
- For the money from paper voucher transactions to reach your bank account, you have to pay in the processing copy of the sales vouchers at your local or nominated branch of The Royal Bank of Scotland or NatWest, as specified at the time of your application.
If you have made any refunds using paper vouchers, you will also need to bank the processing copy of the refund vouchers.
You need to complete a Banking Summary Voucher to go with these vouchers.
The Banking Summary Voucher has three parts:
- White – take this copy to your local or nominated branch of The Royal Bank of Scotland or NatWest. Please note: Card not present vouchers must be paid into a nominated branch - as specified at the time of your application.
- Blue – this copy is for your records.
- Yellow – this copy is also for your records.
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- How to prepare Banking Summary Vouchers
- Place your Banking Summary Card in the imprinter together with the Banking Summary Voucher and take an imprint of your retailer card.
- Turn the voucher over and complete the back of the white copy:
- List the individual amounts of the sales vouchers
- Calculate and complete the total of all sales vouchers.
- Turn the voucher back over so that the blue copy appears and write in:
- The number of sales vouchers and their total value
- The number of refund vouchers and their total value
- The total amount by deducting the refunds from the sales. Are your refunds higher than sales?
- Sign and detach the white copy and put it with the sales vouchers, in the same order they are listed, plus any adding-machine listing(s) if you have used these.
- Place them in the plastic envelope provided for banking.
- Please do not use staples, pins or clips to hold the vouchers together.
- Keep the blue and yellow copies, with your copy of the sales vouchers, for your records and to help you when you reconcile your bank statement.
The maximum number of vouchers you can submit with a Banking Summary Voucher is 200, but you can submit more than one Banking Summary Voucher at a time. If your list of transactions won’t fit on the back of the Banking Summary Voucher, please include a separate list of the amounts making up the total. This could be an adding-machine listing.
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- At your branch
- You must bank all vouchers within five bank working days of the date of the transaction (Solo and UK-issued Maestro cards within three bank working days). Check the opening hours of your branch to make sure you don’t miss the deadline.
- Enter the total value of all the Banking Summary Vouchers you are submitting on your bank paying-in slip in the ‘cheques’ section.
- Take the vouchers with the paying-in book to your local or nominated branch of The Royal Bank of Scotland or NatWest. You must use a pre-printed bank giro credit slip – hand-written slips will not be accepted.
Paying in card not present (CNP) transaction vouchers?
You must pay these in at the branch you nominated when you signed your CNP Contract. Find out more in Card Not Present Transactions.
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- Adjustments
- Your bank account will be credited with the full value of the Banking Summary Voucher.
- If there are any errors on the Banking Summary Voucher, we will write to you with full details. Any adjustments are normally made to your account within five working days of the date of the letter.
- Any adjustment will be made to the account from which we normally debit your service charge, unless you have made different arrangements with us.
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- Refunds higher than sales?
- You should normally bank refund vouchers with your sales vouchers at your local or nominated branch. However, if the total of your refund vouchers is higher than the total of your sales vouchers:
- Imprint a Banking Summary Voucher in the usual way.
- Complete the value of the refund vouchers and the total value of the Banking Summary. Enclose both in brackets. Put a minus sign in front of the total to show it is a negative value.
- Post the white copy of the Banking Summary Voucher and the refund voucher(s) to:
Sales Voucher Correspondence
Gateshead Card Centre
5th Avenue
Gateshead
NE11 0EL
Remember – only post Banking Summary Vouchers and the relevant sale and refund vouchers if you have a negative value.
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- Reconciling your invoice after using paper vouchers
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- Check that your blue and yellow copies of the Banking Summary Voucher match the total on your bank statement.
- If you find a discrepancy, first check the paying-in slip to see if cash or cheques were paid in at the same time. If this is the case, the value on your bank statement will be different from the one on your Banking Summary Voucher.
- If there is still a discrepancy, report this to the branch where you paid in the vouchers. They will carry out checks to clarify the situation.
Find out more about Reconciling Your Invoice.
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Require additional information or interested in accepting card payments? Don't hesitate, call our sales team.
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