Terminal Use Cases

PCE Terminal supports a range of in-person payment scenarios — from attended retail counters to unattended kiosks and field service environments. Use this page to identify the scenario that matches your business and understand which integration path and hardware type best fits your setup.

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Retail Point of Sale

A merchant operates a fixed checkout counter where a staff member processes card payments on behalf of the customer. The terminal is placed at the counter and connected to the POS system via the PCE Terminal API.

• Entry modes supported: EMV (chip), NFC (contactless tap), magnetic stripe.
• Integration path: PCE Terminal API.
• Terminal type: Fixed countertop device (e.g., Dejavoo Z8).
• Transaction types: Sale, Authorization.

This is the most common terminal use case. PCE manages device communication — your application calls the Terminal API to initiate the transaction and retrieve the payment record.

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Restaurants and Hospitality

A merchant accepts card payments at the table or counter. The terminal supports tip collection at the point of sale before the transaction is finalized.

• Entry modes supported: EMV (chip), NFC (contactless tap), magnetic stripe.
• Integration path: PCE Terminal API.
• Terminal type: Fixed countertop or mobile device.
• Transaction types: Sale, Authorization (for tip adjustment at capture).

Restaurant terminals are configured with tip support enabled during the file build process. Contact the PCE Account Management team to configure tip collection for your terminal.

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Field Service and Mobile Payments

A merchant collects card payments on-site during service delivery — at the customer's location, without a fixed checkout station. The terminal connects to the PCE Terminal API over a mobile data or Wi-Fi connection.

• Entry modes supported: EMV (chip), NFC (contactless tap), magnetic stripe.
• Integration path: PCE Terminal API.
• Terminal type: Mobile wireless device.
• Transaction types: Sale, Authorization.

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Healthcare

A healthcare provider processes co-payments and service fees at the point of care using a registered terminal. Payments are authorized in real time and the complete payment record is retrieved from the Checkout API.

• Entry modes supported: EMV (chip), NFC (contactless tap), magnetic stripe.
• Integration path: PCE Terminal API.
• Terminal type: Fixed countertop device.
• Transaction types: Sale.

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Self-Service Kiosks

A merchant deploys an unattended terminal that allows customers to complete card payments independently — without a staff member present. The kiosk application communicates with the PCE Terminal API to initiate and monitor each transaction.

• Entry modes supported: EMV (chip), NFC (contactless tap).
• Integration path: PCE Terminal API or ISV / Direct Integration.
• Terminal type: Unattended kiosk-mounted device.
• Transaction types: Sale.

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Custom POS Integration (ISV)

An ISV builds a fully custom point-of-sale application and integrates directly with the terminal manufacturer's SDK — such as PAX — for advanced device features or custom terminal UI. PCE processes the resulting payment through the Checkout API.

• Entry modes supported: EMV (chip), NFC (contactless tap), magnetic stripe.
• Integration path: ISV / Direct Integration.
• Terminal type: ISV-managed device (e.g., PAX).
• Transaction types: Sale, Authorization, Refund.

This path requires the ISV to manage device communication directly. PCE is only involved in payment authorization via the Checkout API.

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Omnichannel Payments

A merchant accepts both card-present and card-not-present payments under a single PCE merchant account. In-person and online transactions are reported, reconciled, and managed in one place.

• Integration path: PCE Terminal API (in-person) + PCE Checkout API (online).
• Terminal type: Any PCE-supported terminal.
• Transaction types: Sale, Authorization, Refund.

PCE links card-present and card-not-present transactions to the same merchant account — giving finance and operations teams a single view of all transactions, settlements, and reconciliation across channels.

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Choosing the Right Integration Path