The EFTAloha pos help manual in Australia is composed of 7 proprietary networks which all interlink with each other. These networks are principally operated by the major Australian banks such as Westpac, Commonwealth Bank and National Australia Bank.

All debit cards issued in Australia can process transactions via EFTPOS, including cards that are marked with VISA or MasterCard. In this case, when making a transaction, the user will prompted to choose between Cheque, Savings or Credit.

Choosing Cheque or Savings will process the payment through the EFTAloha pos help manual, whereas Credit will run the transaction across the Visa or MasterCard network (depending on the card type). The transaction amount is wired to the retailer as soon as the payment clears. EFTPOS benefits to the consumer include more convenience and cost savings on cheque and ATM fees.

EFTPOS providers

Small businesses wanting to process EFTPOS transactions will need to sign a contract with one of the seven merchant service providers, which include the following:

1. Westpac Banking Corporation
2. Australia and New Zealand Banking Group
3. Commonwealth Bank of Australia
4. National Australia Bank
5. Cuscal
6. Cashcard
7. Other providers

What about transaction fees?

EFTPOS charges merchants a flat rate of approximately 14¢ per transaction, while Visa and MasterCard charge 0.86% of the transaction total. Merchants usually rent the EFTPOS terminal.

For example, in the case of Westpac, the rental cost is $50 per month. Credit cards can only be accepted by entering into a separate agreement with the credit card company, for which costs will vary depending on the individual contract.

Contactless cards pose threat to EFTPOS

According to BRW, EFTPOS transactions have been gradually falling in recent years, going from from 51 per cent of all card transactions (both credit and debit) in 2011 to 45 per cent in April 2015 (1). The cause of the decline is thought to be down to two main factors:

1. Contactless cards brought to the Australian market by Visa and MasterCard.

Contactless VISA and MasterCard transactions automatically bypass the account selection step, meaning that the EFTPOS network is not used. These contactless cards have proved to be immensely popular with Australian consumers because of their convenience factor – a trend that has started to cut into the market share of EFTPOS.