New payment method

What this page is for

This page creates a new payment method, or changes the name, position, ledger key or branches of one that already exists. Its name prints on the receipt and is what the cashier picks from the till's list of ways to pay.

Only people whose role can manage payments see this page.

Before you start

• For M-Pesa, card or bank transfer, you will also need a provider connection: who processes the money and with what credentials. See Connect a provider. A method can be created first and connected afterwards.
• Only one Cash method and one House account (credit) method may exist at a time.

Fields

Name

What the till shows and the receipt prints. Required.

Example: M-Pesa for an M-Pesa paybill; Card for a card terminal.

Type

What kind of method this is. It decides how the money is settled and which books it lands in, and cannot change once the method has taken money — deactivate it instead and add another.

• Cash: notes and coins in the drawer.
• M-Pesa prompt to the customer's phone: an STK (SIM Tool Kit) push sent to the guest's handset asking them to enter their PIN (personal identification number).
• M-Pesa paybill or till number: the guest pays from their own phone, to your paybill or till number.
• Card: taken through a card terminal or the acquirer's own application.
• Bank transfer: the guest transfers to your business bank account.
• House account (credit): charged to a customer's account, to be paid later.
• Voucher: a gift card or stored value. Not yet available.

Example: Cash for the till drawer; M-Pesa paybill or till number for a shop that takes paybill payments.

Position on the till

Where this method sits in the till's list of ways to pay. A lower number sits first.

Example: 1 for the method cashiers use most, such as cash.

Ledger key

An optional override of which account this method posts to in your books. Leave it empty to post to the usual account for its type; fill it in only when your accountant wants this method kept apart from others of the same type, such as a second card acquirer.

Example: leave empty; or card_takings_2 for a second card terminal.

Active

Whether the till may take new payments with this method. A method that has taken money is never deleted when switched off: it stays on its past payments and can be switched on again.

Example: on.

How to…

How to add a payment method

1. On Payments → Payment methods, press New payment method.
2. Type its Name, choose its Type, and set its Position on the till.
3. Tick the branches that may use it, or leave every box empty to offer it everywhere.
4. Press Add payment method.
5. For M-Pesa, card or bank transfer, connect a provider: see Connect a provider.

How to change a method

Open it from Payment methods, change what you need, and press Save changes. The Type cannot be changed once the method has taken money.

Worked examples

Restaurant and bar

The Acacia Grill & Bar adds a second card method for a new terminal at the bar. Name Card (bar), Type Card, Position 3. It ticks only the Westlands branch under Branches, because the terminal is kept at that location.

Salon or car wash

Sparkle Car Wash & Salon on Mombasa Road starts offering M-Pesa phone prompts. Name M-Pesa, Type M-Pesa prompt to the customer's phone, Position 2, Active on. It then connects the method to its Safaricom paybill on Connect a provider.