About Poynt

Why did you start Poynt?

Poynt was founded on the belief that all merchants should have access to innovative technology without compromising on security or user experience. We set out to fix broken commerce infrastructure by bringing developers, distributors and merchants together on an open platform running on top of a smart, all-in-one device.

Who is your team?

We’re a tight-knit team with world-class payments, engineering, and fintech backgrounds, and we are passionate about providing incredible levels of insight, control, and security to all of our partners: merchants, developers, and distributors. You can see more about us here!

Who are your investors?

Poynt is backed by Matrix Partners, Oak HC/FT Partners, Stanford-StartX Fund, Webb Investment Network, Nyca Partners, Google Ventures and other individual investors.

Where are you located?

Poynt is located in Palo Alto, CA.

About the Poynt Smart Terminal

What is the Poynt Smart Terminal?

The Poynt Smart Terminal brings the unlimited versatility of a mobile device to a future-proof payment terminal at a price that any merchant can afford. The terminal was built to meet the highest PCI and EMV security requirements as well as connect to any merchant bank. The Poynt Smart Terminal runs PoyntOS which allows developers to bring to merchants the tools and technology to manage every facet of their business without having to purchase additional hardware.

What are the hardware specifications?

View all of the specifications here.

What are the connectivity options in the Poynt Smart Terminal?

The device connects to Wifi and has optional 3G capability. It also comes with a dock that allows for USB connectivity as well as an Ethernet port.

What are the exact dimensions of the printer paper roll and where can I get it?

A printer paper roll of 2 1/4" x 16' fits our terminal well.
If you’d like to order more paper, you can purchase additional rolls on Amazon.com by searching for "Poynt paper rolls". You can purchase them in packs of 5, 10, or 20.

How mobile is the device?

The terminal is mobile and can move around your store. If you want to take orders while customers are waiting in line, take payments from curbside pickup or take it to the storeroom to do inventory you can do that. With a 3G/4G device, you can even take it on deliveries or to the farmer’s market.

How do I charge the device?

The battery is charged by plugging it in through the micro USB connection on the side of the device or resting it on the dock.

What kind of warranty do you provide?

Warranty will depend upon the channel through which you buy your device.

What applications are available on the Poynt Smart Terminal?

There are several Poynt applications that come pre-installed on the device: Terminal, Register, Manual Entry, Settlement, and Help. We have also partnered with a number of developers to offer their applications to merchants. The number of applications will grow significantly, and with it the power of the terminal will exponentially grow. Remember when you had a phone with no apps? And what about all the value you get out of your apps today? That difference is exactly what we are aiming for with the 3rd-party applications running on PoyntOS. You will wonder how you lived without it!

Are you a Point-of-Sale (POS) system?

The Poynt Smart Terminal is a payment terminal with basic register functionality built-in. 3rd-party applications like eHopper, eThor, and Lightning Register can provide richer POS functionality. Over time more POS applications will get added to the Poynt platform.

I saw in your video that you have a mobile app for iOS that allows me to monitor my business when I’m away from my terminal. Is there one for Android? What about a website?

Yes and yes. We have built analytics and monitoring tools that work on the terminal, our website, iPhones, and Android phones.

Does Poynt charge a per transaction fee?

If you purchased your terminal directly from Poynt, you can view your fees on the daily Deposit Report on your terminal or on Poynt.net. If you purchased your terminal from a third party, please check with your seller for information regarding any additional fees.

Payment Methods

Why do I need to accept all of these different payment methods?

Payment types are constantly changing. EMV cards are now the standard, in the US thanks to the EMV mandate. NFC payments are seeing increased usage thanks to Apple Pay. Some customers want to pay with cash. Our goal is to ensure merchants never have to turn down a customer based on how the customer wants to pay. Both the Poynt Smart Terminal and Poynt 5 package all the payment capabilities into single devices at an affordable price.

Does the Smart Terminal accept good ol’ fashioned credit card swiping?

Of course! And the Smart Terminal can accept PIN for pin-debit as well as Signature.

What about other cards that store information on a magnetic stripe like loyalty cards, drivers’ licenses, gift cards, etc?

Yes, the Smart Terminal can read those cards. However the information being read from the magnetic stripe needs to be interpreted by our software or a 3rd-party application. Another advantage of our open platform PoyntOS is that apps like these can be built by anyone with the skills.

What is an “NFC” payment?

“Near Field Communication” is a standard enabling secure two-way wireless communication. NFC has been used for payments for years now, but has become popular recently as Apple Pay and Android Pay are based on it.

Does the Smart Terminal accept payments by Apple Pay?

Yes, the Smart Terminal accepts all NFC payments including both Apple Pay and Android Pay.

What is EMV?

EMV refers to cards with small microchips in them that keep cardholder information more secure than a magnetic stripe. Each transaction has a dynamic authentication which is much, much harder to steal compared to skimming data from a magnetic stripe. EMV cards have been common in much of Europe and came to the US in October of 2015.

What is EMV “chip-and-signature”?

Rather than your card number being read from the magnetic stripe, it instead is read from the microchip. Customers sign receipts just as they have when using magnetic stripe cards.

What is EMV “chip-and-pin”?

EMV chip-and-pin involves card information being securely read from the chip, and the customer entering a PIN as a customer verification method (CVM). It’s kind of like entering a PIN when pulling cash from the ATM. Payments processed with chip-and-PIN technology are more secure and result in less fraud.

What is a QR code?

QR codes are like 2-dimensional UPC barcodes, enabling the storage of information. They can be used for a variety of things including coupons, payments and item identifiers. QR codes can be scanned using the Poynt Smart Terminal just like any other barcodes.

When would someone pay with QR code?

It's another technology for enabling mobile payments that doesn't require a second physical payment card. There are several payment methods in market using QR codes, and when they become popular, similar to any other payment method, consumers might want to pay with one of those.

Why do I need to support QR code payments?

As a merchant, you want to accept forms of payments that your consumers would demand. As an open platform, our goal is to allow merchant to accept the payments without being forced to change their terminals.

Resellers

How do I become a reseller with Poynt?

To become a Poynt Reseller, please see the “Become a Poynt Reseller” button at the bottom of each page on Poynt.com.

What resources do I have available to me as a reseller?

The Poynt Sales Hub is available to demonstrate how the Poynt Smart Terminal can power your merchants. There you’ll find Sales Tools like sell sheets, a Sales Training series, and sales collateral to help you sell Poynt.
Additionally, feel free to check out the Reseller section of our Help Center for troubleshooting instructions and feature updates.

What tools are available to me to manage my merchants?

As a Poynt Reseller, you will have access to our Reseller Portal. This cloud-based tool is equipped with powerful dashboards and reporting tools to manage and monitor your merchants.

Who do I contact for help supporting my merchants?

With any technical support questions about Poynt, our Support Team is happy to provide you with assistance 24/7. Simply click the “Help” icon in the bottom right corner to send us our Poynt Support Team a message.

Merchants

How do I get Poynt?

To become a Poynt merchant, please see the “Become a Poynt Merchant” button at the bottom of each page on Poynt.com.

I have a Poynt unit - how do I get help or support?

With any general questions about what you can do with your Poynt Smart Terminal, please first reach out to your reseller organization or the sales person who distributed your terminal for quick and relevant answers.

Which processors currently work with Poynt?

Because Poynt merchants purchase the Smart Terminal through certified resellers, the available processors are determined by what the reseller organization or ISO offers. These include some prominent processors like Elavon, Costco, Retriever, Silver Sky Soft, PayProTech, TouchSuite, eHopper, Unified Payments, TSYS, FirstData, and much more.

What are Poynt’s transaction fees?

The transaction fees associated with using the Poynt Smart Terminal or Poynt 5 are set by the Reseller organization from which it was purchased and the processor they employ.

Which payment methods does Poynt accept?

The Smart Terminal can accept MSR, EMV, NFC, cash, check, and gift card payments. With an ever-evolving platform, the Poynt device is future-proof and can accept future payment methods.

Which peripherals work with Poynt?

The Poynt Smart Terminal includes an internal receipt printer. The device can also easily be paired with our supported external accessories and peripherals including printers, cash drawers, barcode scanners.

What kind of printer paper works best for my Poynt Smart Terminal?

If you’d like to order more paper, you can purchase additional rolls on Amazon.com by searching for "Poynt paper rolls". You can purchase them in packs of 5, 10, or 20.

Which native apps come with the Poynt Smart Terminal?

Terminal - Process any quick card (MSR, EMV, NFC), cash, or check payments.

Register and Catalog - Personalize your Catalog with the products you sell and then create orders and process payments in Register.

Settlements - Settle your batches, view previous batches, and generate reports on your device.

Help App - Access user guides and perform diagnostics tests directly on your Smart Terminal.

Visit the Native Apps article on our Help Center for more info.

What are the most popular apps in the Poynt Apps marketplace?

Some of our most popular apps, including Poynt HQ, and additional information can be found here.