Frequently asked questions from merchants
Change data
I need to change my address details. How do I do that?
We want to have funds paid into a different bank account. How can we do that?
I’m taking over a POS terminal from someone else. What do I need to do?
Promotional material
I’d like to order promotional material. How do I go about that?
I’d like to order promotional material. Where can I find my POS terminal’s terminal number?
I’ve been trying to order promotional material but the system won’t accept the number of the business premises in the street line of the address (3-1c). What’s going on?
I’d like to order extra promotional material in addition to the maximum of 20 sets. Is that possible?
I have ordered promotional material but haven’t received anything yet. What’s going on?
Costs
What are the charges for PIN transactions?
What will it cost my business to accept PIN payments?
Can merchants make a charge for using a PIN card?
Other questions
I need the PIN logo artwork. How do I get it?
Where do I get ‘Eenmalige Machtiging PIN’ (PIN Single Direct Debit) forms from?
Is it possible to rent/lease POS terminals?
How can I accept debit card payments from people with non-Dutch bank cards?
Can a PIN transaction be reversed?
Is it possible for me to contact a customer on the basis of the details on the PIN receipt?
Why can’t the cost-effective and efficient Dutch PIN payment system be introduced across Europe?
How do you contact the Equens (formerly Interpay) service desk?
Change data
I need to change my address details. How do I do that?
You will have a PIN processing agreement with the organisation with which you have a PIN contract, generally your bank. This agreement/contract will contain all the details of your business including address, type of PIN POS terminal and credit account number. Any changes to the details in your PIN processing agreement should be communicated to the bank with which you have signed a contract. PIN B.V. does not hold this information.
If you need to alter the address details on the PIN receipts, you will need to contact the supplier of your POS terminal.
We want to have funds paid into a different bank account. How can we do that?
You will have a PIN processing agreement with your bank. This agreement/contract will contain all the details of your business including address, type of PIN POS terminal and credit account number. If you want to have funds paid into an account with a different bank, you will need to cancel your existing PIN processing agreement and enter into a new one with your new bank. You will therefore need to contact both banks in order to ensure a smooth transition.
I’m taking over a POS terminal from someone else. What do I need to do?
You will first need to enter into a PIN processing agreement of your own. You should contact your bank or other organisation offering the PIN payment product to businesses, stating that you are taking over a POS terminal from someone else. Your bank will be able to arrange for the right details to be included in the Equens (formerly Interpay) processing systems. It is also recommended that the previous owner cancel the existing PIN contract with their bank.
You should also make a point of checking whether the POS terminal still has a valid certificate. More information can be found on www.betaalterminal.nl.
Promotional material
I’d like to order promotional material. How do I go about that?
PIN promotional material, such as signs you can hang from the ceiling and stickers, can be obtained free of charge here. It will then take you to the PIN (and Chipknip) online store, where you can order the various items of promotional material and stickers free of charge. There is a progress bar on the right-hand side of the webpage of the ordering application where you can monitor your progress through the necessary steps. To order promotional material, you will require your POS terminal number (cash register number) or connection number. You can find a PIN POS terminal number, which will have either 6 or 8 digits, on a transaction receipt, for example.
I’d like to order promotional material. Where can I find my POS terminal’s terminal number?
The POS terminal number (cash register number) can be found on the registration document which you received from the transaction processor as confirmation of your application.
The number of a PIN (or combined PIN/Chipknip) POS terminal, which will have 6 (occasionally 8) digits, is also stated on a PIN transaction receipt. N.B. The number of a Chipknip-only POS terminal has 7 digits.
I’ve been trying to order promotional material but the system won’t accept the number of the business premises in the street line of the address (3-1c). What’s going on?
The address details are entered on two different screens. If the number of your premises has two parts (3-1c), only the first part (3) is entered in the first screen. The second screen has space for entering more specific details (-1c), if applicable.
I’d like to order extra promotional material in addition to the maximum of 20 sets. Is that possible?
Yes, send an message using the contactform stating:
- precisely what promotional material you would like and in what quantities;
- the name of your organisation;
- your name/ the name of the person to contact;
- address details;
- your e-mail address
- telephone number.
Provided the promotional material is in stock and your order is approved, you will receive the material within seven working days.
I have ordered promotional material but haven’t received anything yet. What’s going on?
Orders should generally be received within seven working days (Mondays to Fridays). If promotional material which you have ordered fails to arrive within seven days, you can send an message using the contactform, stating your order number, preferably also forwarding your order confirmation. You should receive an e-mail order confirmation almost immediately after placing an order.
Costs
What are the charges for PIN transactions?
The charges for PIN transactions are not set by PIN B.V. but by the individual suppliers. It is therefore not possible to provide information on costs. To find out if there is a cheaper supplier of the PIN product for your organisation, visit
www.betaalterminal.nl and/or www.slimmepinpakketten.nl. You can, of course, also get in touch with your bank.
What will it cost my business to accept PIN payments?
PIN B.V. does not itself supply POS terminals. We are therefore unable to provide you with any information on costs because they will differ from one supplier to another and will also depend on your requirements.
The things you need in order to accept PIN payments are:
- a POS terminal;
- a PIN contract (either alone or in combination with Chipknip);
- a data communication connection.
When procuring a POS terminal, it is a good idea to check how future-proof the equipment is. Points to watch out for in a new POS terminal are described on the website www.betaalterminal.nl. This site contains comprehensive information on POS terminals, suppliers and costs of the different options. More details can be found on www.slimmepinpakketten.nl.
For more information on accepting PIN and entering into the required contract (and fees) you should contact your bank.
Can merchants make a charge for using a PIN card?
Any business is free to impose a charge for making PIN payments, regardless of the friendliness or otherwise of such action towards customers and whether the charge bears any relation to the true costs involved. What we have, after all, is a transaction between you and your customer in which your customer is offering to pay for a product or service. It is up to your customer to agree to such a charge or reject it.
It should, of course, be made clear before the transaction is entered into exactly how much the charge is, to which the customer then has to agree by pressing the ‘OK’ key.
Although Currence has no control over the charges which merchants impose for using PIN cards for small amounts, the making of charges for PIN transactions is one of the many issues which has been raised on the platform of the Maatschappelijk Overleg Betalingsverkeer (Payment System Social Debate Forum), which includes delegates from consumer organisations, retailers and banks among others.
We should take this opportunity of stressing the advantages of PIN relative to cash:
- Direct bank charges for processing PIN transactions have come down whereas bank charges for making cash deposits have been increased in recent years.
- Having less cash on the premises means increased security both for the store and generally.
- Funds from PIN payments will be on your account on the next working day.
- Cashing up (and trying to get the figures to balance) becomes a thing of the past.
- You save the additional capital cost of a safe for holding cash temporarily.
For questions concerning your PIN transactions and/or your PIN processing agreement, you should contact your bank.
Other questions
I need the PIN logo artwork. How do I get it?
You can obtain the PIN logo artwork using the contactform, stating the purpose for which you want to use the artwork (printing, computer printout or webpage) and whether you have a Macintosh or a PC.
Where do I get ‘Eenmalige Machtiging PIN’ (PIN Single Direct Debit) forms from?
You can obtain the ‘Eenmalige Machtiging PIN’ (PIN Single Direct Debit) forms from your bank or from the organisation with which you have entered into a PIN processing agreement.
Is it possible to rent/lease POS terminals?
Yes, indeed. You will find a great deal of information on renting PIN POS terminals on www.betaalterminal.nl under the heading ‘procuring a terminal’ -> renting or leasing.
How can I accept debit card payments from people with non-Dutch bank cards?
PIN is a Dutch payment product and people from outside the country will not be familiar with it. In order to allow holders of non-Dutch cards to pay by card, you need to have a Maestro contract and/or make arrangements to accept credit cards. The Maestro logo (like the PIN logo) can be found on the majority of bank cards. The presence of the Maestro logo means that the cardholder can use the card outside the Netherlands to withdraw cash and to pay for things in establishments accepting Maestro.
Can a PIN transaction be reversed?
A successful PIN transaction is guaranteed for the merchant. If the amount of a PIN transaction is not correct, it is up to merchant and consumer to resolve the matter.
Is it possible for me to contact a customer on the basis of the details on the PIN receipt?
You will need to go through your bank in order to do this.
Why can’t the cost-effective and efficient Dutch PIN payment system be introduced across Europe?
Currence, owner of PIN, ensures that PIN complies with the European standards for debit card products. These are included in the SEPA project in the form of the SEPA Cards Framework (SCF). Compliance with these standards means that it will be possible for PIN licensees to continue offering the product in the future. The same goes for all debit card products currently available in Europe.
Other debit card payment methods, such as MasterCard’s Maestro and Visa’s V Pay, will compete with existing local debit card payment products complying with SCF standards, such as PIN in the Netherlands and Bankcontact in Belgium. There will not be a pan-European product as such.
Maestro is already widely accepted within Europe. This gives a product like Maestro an advantage over local debit card products. When you withdraw cash or pay for things using your PIN card outside the Netherlands you are actually already using Maestro. This co-branding of Maestro alongside PIN will also be possible in the future (with SEPA in place).
Ultimately, it is up to the banks to decide what products they wish to offer, whether in the form of bank cards or services to their business customers.
How do you contact the Equens (formerly Interpay) service desk?
You can use the ‘contact us’ e-mail form on www.equens.com or call the Equens service desk on +31 30 283 59 99.