Payment Terminal (Card Machine Integration)

A product-knowledge guide for support and internal staff.

1. What is it?

A payment terminal is the card machine a customer taps, inserts, or swipes their card on. iPadPOS can connect to a payment terminal so that when the cashier takes a card payment, the amount is sent to the terminal automatically and the approved/declined result comes straight back into the sale — no re-typing amounts, no separate reconciliation.

The app supports a few terminal brands — some connect over your network, and one (GKash) is a cloud gateway with no physical machine at all, where the customer is charged remotely.

2. Why merchants use it

• Fewer errors — the sale amount is sent to the terminal automatically, so staff can't key in the wrong figure.

• Faster checkout — approve on the terminal and the POS records the payment instantly.

• Cleaner books — card payments are tied to the sale, and terminals support settlement (batching the day's card transactions).

• Void support — a card payment can be voided back through the terminal from Sales History.

3. Supported terminals & how they connect

How a card payment works with a terminal

1. Cashier chooses the card / terminal payment method on the Payment screen and enters/confirms the amount.

2. The amount is sent to the terminal.

3. The customer taps / inserts / swipes their card and the terminal processes it. (For GKash, the charge happens in the cloud — no local device step.)

4. The result (approved or declined) comes back to the POS automatically, and an approved payment is recorded against the sale.

4. Requirements & access

• A supported terminal — CardBiz, M1Payment, or a GKash account.

• The right connection:

• CardBiz / M1Payment → the terminal and iPad on the same network; you'll need the terminal's IP address (and port for M1).

• GKash → cloud credentials (Terminal ID, Client Merchant ID, Client Secret) from the GKash account.

• Configured in Settings — terminals are set up under Settings → Configure Terminals (typically a manager/admin task).

5. Setup — step by step

Step A — Open terminal settings

1. Go to Settings.

2. Open Configure Terminals (under the terminal settings section).

3. You'll see any terminals already configured. Tap add / new terminal to create one.

Step B — Choose the brand

Select the Terminal Brand: CardBiz, GKash, or M1Payment. The fields you need to fill in change depending on the brand.

Step C — Fill in the details for that brand

• CardBiz (network):

• Terminal Name — a label you choose.

• Terminal Address — the terminal's IP address (four boxes, e.g. 192.168.1.50).

• The terminal must be on the same network as the iPad.

• M1Payment (network):

• Terminal Name, Terminal ID.

• Terminal Port.

• Encryption Key (provided by MobilityOne / M1).

• GKash (cloud):

• GKash Terminal ID, GKash Client Merchant ID, GKash Client Secret (from the GKash account).

• No IP address — it's cloud-based. Remember: only one GKash terminal is allowed.

Step D — Save

Save the terminal. It's now available to select as a card payment method on the Payment screen.

Step E — Test

Run a small test transaction (and void it, or use the terminal's test mode if available) to confirm the iPad and terminal talk to each other before going live.

6. Good to know / limitations

• Different brands connect differently. Network/IP (CardBiz, M1Payment) or cloud (GKash). A "terminal won't connect" issue is usually about the connection type — check the right thing for the brand (see Troubleshooting).

• GKash has no physical machine and is limited to one configured terminal. The customer is charged remotely; the result returns on its own.

• Network terminals need matching networks. CardBiz/M1 must be on the same network as the iPad, with the correct IP address (and port for M1).

• Settlement matters at close. Card terminals typically need a settlement (batch close) to bank the day's transactions — make sure staff do this per the terminal provider's process.

• Voids go through the terminal too. Voiding a card payment (from Sales History) sends the void to the terminal — the terminal must be connected/reachable for it to work.

• Credentials come from the provider. Encryption keys and GKash credentials are issued by the terminal provider; the app can't generate them.

7. Troubleshooting

8. FAQ

Q: Which card machines does iPadPOS support?
CardBiz (network), M1Payment (network), and GKash (cloud/remote).

Q: Do I need a physical terminal for GKash?
No. GKash is cloud-based — the customer is charged remotely and the result returns automatically. Only one GKash terminal can be configured.

Q: Where do I set up a terminal?
Settings → Configure Terminals.

Q: The terminal won't connect — what's the first thing to check?
For CardBiz and M1, check the IP address and that both devices are on the same network; for GKash, check internet + credentials.

Q: Where do the encryption key / GKash credentials come from?
From the terminal provider (M1/MobilityOne, GKash). The app doesn't generate them.

Q: Can I have more than one terminal?
Yes — multiple network terminals can be configured, except GKash, which is limited to one.

Q: How do card payments get banked?
Terminals use settlement (batch close) — run it per the provider's process, usually at end of day.