What is Manual Entry (Tender)?

Manual entry (tenders) is basically when your staff punches in payment details manually directly into the restaurant's POS system, skipping the usual automated swipes, taps, or chip reads. It comes in handy during glitches like a scratched-up customer card or a finicky reader, or for phone orders on takeout and delivery runs.

Like during a busy shift where the card readers are acting up, your server just types in the card number, expiration date, and CVV to wrap up the sale without any manual work. You can also make sales with manual entry for non-credit card payment options, such as payments received offline or approved by an external means.

Why Manual Entry (Tender) Matters and is Sensitive to Risk?

Manual entry is important to allow transactions to be completed despite payment method failures. This avoids customers from losing their sale and makes a better shopping experience, especially when there are disruptions on technical ends or orders are received remotely.

But manual entry is more vulnerable to security and fraud risks than other payment methods. Because card information is entered manually, there is a higher risk of mistakes, chargebacks, or fraud. Therefore, many POS terminals limit the ability to perform manual entry and may require additional verification or manager approval.

Restaurants can closely monitor manual entry transactions to watch for suspicious activity through reporting functions. Proper training and secure handling of payment data, and compliance with payment security standards, are necessary with manual entry.