Set Up Credit Card Charging

Overview

When you turn on Credit Card Charge (Charge from card), members can top up their balance with their own credit card without coming to your store.

The key difference from an in-person charge is that charging shifts from “when the member visits” to “whenever the member needs it.” That changes a few things for your business:

• Members run out of balance less often. They can top up on the spot, even while standing at the register.
• Handling cash and running a charge at the register disappears, which lightens your operation at busy times.
• Members are more likely to top up a larger amount before they arrive, which supports repeat use.

In exchange, you take on the following costs:

• Card charges carry a processing fee, normally 2.9% of sales (excluding tax).
• Unlike cash, the sales do not reach you immediately. Pocket Change Inc. collects them first and transfers them to your bank account on each closing date, so setting a Payout account is required.

This page assumes you run a prepaid e-money with the Charge feature on. If you run points only, the charge method items are not shown at all. See Configure the Charge Feature.

Deciding Whether to Offer It

Card charging is a good fit when:

• Each top-up is large, and charging cash at the register is a burden for both members and staff
• Members visit infrequently but spend a lot per visit (salons, schools, clinics, and similar)
• You want the e-money used when members are not in your store (online orders, prepayment, in-venue use)
• You run campaigns that ask members to top up a larger amount at once

Starting with in-person charging alone can be the better call when:

• Usage is mostly small and frequent, so the processing fee weighs relatively heavily
• You run a cash business and have no plan yet for absorbing the fee through pricing or your point reward rate
• You do not yet have a bank account you can designate for Payouts

In-person charging and card charging can both be on at the same time. You do not have to choose one.

What You Need First

• A Payout account. You cannot turn card charging on until you register one; follow the guidance in the app (not needed while you are in the demo). See Check Payouts and Set Your Payout Account.
• Staff permissions. Changing this setting requires edit permission for E-money Settings, and setting the Payout account requires edit permission for Payouts.

Turning On Card Charging

Go to Menu → E-money Settings → Charge → Credit card, turn on Charge from card, and tap Apply.

This setting takes effect without a re-review or a notice period for members. Once applied, Credit card appears among the charge methods in the member app.

ℹ️ Card charging is on from the start while you are in the demo. Members can only register test cards there, and no actual payment is taken.

Deciding the Chargeable Amounts

Once Charge from card is on, the same screen lets you set the amounts members can choose. These amounts strongly influence how much members top up, so set them as if you were listing the amounts you want them to choose, best first.

• Chargeable Amount Preset: amounts members can pick with a single tap. You can reorder them.
• Custom charge input: when this is off, members can only charge the preset amounts. When it is on, set the Minimum input amount.

Amounts must be 50 JPY or more. At least one of the presets and custom input must remain usable, so the following are not allowed:

• Removing every preset amount while custom input is off
• Turning off custom input while there is no preset amount

The maximum amount per charge and the maximum Charged Balance a member can hold apply to card charges as well. Set them under Maximum amount on the Charge screen (see Set Maximum Amounts).

Learn About Amount Presets covers how to think about preset amounts.

What Members See

Members tap Charge on the home screen, choose Credit card, register a card, and charge.

• Supported brands are Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, and Diners Club.
• Card numbers are sent directly to the payment provider. They are never stored by Pokepay or by your systems.
• Depending on the card issuer, a 3D Secure identity verification screen may appear (see What is 3D Secure authentication?).
• Members can optionally set a charge PIN. Once set, they enter it every time they charge.
• Members’ credit card statements show an e-money charge under the name “Pocket-change Inc” rather than the name of your e-money.

Charge Your Balance walks members through the steps.

Notes

• Processing fees and the consumption tax on them are deducted automatically from your Payout. No separate payment is needed. See How Are Pokepay Fees Calculated?.
• Payouts follow the closing dates: sales from the 1st to the 15th are paid on the last day of that month, and sales from the 16th to the end of the month are paid on the 15th of the following month.
• Once a card transaction has been finalized as a scheduled Payout, it can no longer be canceled through Cancel a Transaction. Handle any cancellation before the closing.
• Turning off the Charge feature also turns off card charging. Turn it back on yourself when you re-enable the Charge feature.