PSTN Switch Off: What It Means for Card Machines and EPOS Systems

Will my card machine still work after the PSTN switch off?

A card machine that dials out over a phone line will stop authorising payments after the PSTN switch off. Terminals that connect over broadband, Wi-Fi or mobile data are unaffected and carry on as normal.

If you are not sure which yours is, look at what the terminal is plugged into. A cable running to a phone socket means it is on the line and needs sorting before your migration date.

Why payment terminals are affected

A dial-up card terminal places a short call to the acquirer to authorise each transaction. That call uses the same analogue line as your phones. When the line is withdrawn, the terminal has no route to authorise on.

The same applies to older EPOS systems that dial out for end-of-day settlement or stock updates. The till still powers on; it just can't complete the part that needs the line.

A particular risk for trades and small retail

Larger retailers replaced dial-up terminals years ago. The equipment that tends to still be in service is in smaller settings: a counter terminal in a shop, a workshop till, a spare backup machine that only comes out when the mobile signal is poor.

• Counter terminals installed with the original phone line and never revisited
• Backup machines kept for when the mobile terminal can't connect
• EPOS tills that settle overnight over a dial-up connection
• Trade counters where the same line carries phones and payments

For a trades business taking payment on the job, losing the ability to take a card at the door means chasing an invoice instead of getting paid on completion.

What to ask your card machine or EPOS provider

Ask whether your specific terminal model supports IP (over your broadband) or mobile data, and whether that needs a firmware change, a new base unit or a replacement terminal. Ask what the lead time is, because terminal swaps are scheduled, not same-day.

Also check whether moving to IP or mobile changes your transaction fees or contract terms. Occasionally it does, and it is better to know before the change than after the first statement.

Plan it alongside the phone migration

Treating payments as a separate, later project means two rounds of disruption: one when the phones move, another when the terminal is swapped. Doing both off the back of one inventory means a single planned change and one set of testing.

It also avoids the common failure mode where the phone line is ceased on schedule and nobody realised the card machine was on the same line.

How this fits our trades service

Most of the businesses we move are trades: plumbers, electricians, builders and installers who need calls answered on the move and payment taken on site. The equipment audit is part of that, alongside alarms and any other connected kit.

If you want the phone side sorted with the payment side accounted for, have a look at what we do for trades and send us a list of what's plugged in.