Card Defender Checklist

Quick Update: Card Defender is no longer available for Microsoft RMS unless you are a beer, wine, or liquor store that will be moving to the Cloud Retailer point of sale software in the near future. 

Wow - fresh off some new installs in Idaho, Colorado and Utah and I've had multiple people email and call me about the Card Defender EMV/Chip Card add-on for the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software.

As I've already posted some information about Card Defender and links to videos showing how Card Defender works with RMS, here is a checklist related to some of the Card Defender options and requirements:

• Cabled Ethernet or Wireless? 

I strongly recommend cabled for security reasons - just make sure that you have a router or switch near where the terminal will be placed.

• Available electrical outlet near where the terminal will be placed?

Terminal should be plugged in to a good quality surge suppressor, line conditioner, battery back-up or similar device.

• Do you want to accept NFC/contact-less payments like Apple Pay and Google Wallet?

• Do you need to accept pin based debit?

• What company do you use for merchant services/credit card processing services? 

Has to be Heartland, First Data or TSYS - keep in mind that the companies name does not matter as much as who they use for processing.

• What version of the Microsoft RMS software are you using? 

Has to be RMS version 1.3 or higher.

• How many check out lanes do you have?

• Are you using Microsoft RMS HQ? 

Card Defender works with HQ - just some extra setup steps to complete so the data sync's correctly.

• Are you using any add-ons for RMS like e-commerce or customer loyalty programs? 

This normally does not effect Card Defender but better to check ahead of time.

• Are you also taking phone or mail orders that require entering the payment information by hand? 

This requires some thoughts as to whether to use a Card Defender terminal  or not for manually entered payments and how this would effect the batch and close out process.

As a reminder, Card Defender is the only EMV/Chip Card solution for Microsoft RMS (that I am aware of) that is processor agnostic, does not have any additional per-transaction fees, and does not have any contracts at all.

Always, contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632 with any questions or comments.

EMV and What it Means to Folks With Cash Registers and Point of Sale Systems

I've been fielding multiple calls and emails from businesses with cash registers or mobile/computer-based point of sale systems asking what to do related to the upcoming US EMV liability shift date. This video covers some of the questions and answers related to EMV and chip cards and contains information for businesses in the US that accept credit and debit cards as payment in person.

Are you  in the US and in need of no cost retail point of sale advice?  I'm happy to help and can be reached on my cell at 208-340-5632 (I am on Mountain Time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com. There is also a contact form to the right that can be used to reach me.