Run a test transaction

Before your first customer, prove the whole chain works: POS → terminal → processor → receipt → refund. The safest test is a small real charge on your own card that you refund immediately.

Before you start

Payment processing is connected and a terminal is paired to your station.
Use your own card, and pick a small amount (for example $1).

Steps

Ring a small sale on the POS — Use a real product so tax and receipts behave like production.
Pay by card on the terminal — Confirm the terminal prompts, the card is accepted, and the POS shows the sale as paid.
Check the receipt — Print or view it, and verify business name, tax, and totals.
Refund the sale — Find the order in Orders and refund it — this proves your refund path too.
Confirm the refund on your card statement — It may take a few days to post, which is normal.

Common mistakes

Testing only the sale and never the refund — refund problems surface at the worst time otherwise.
Voiding the test and assuming refunds work; voids and refunds are different paths (see “Refunds and voids”).

Troubleshooting

The terminal never receives the charge.

Check terminal power, network, and station assignment, then retry. See “What to do if a terminal is offline”.

When to contact support

The charge succeeds but never appears in your processor/deposit reporting.