---
title: Why Your Old School Credit Card Swiper Is Bad for Business
description: Your old school credit card swiper may still be using technology from the '70s. Learn why upgrading to a Smart Terminal is a business must.
image: https://blog.payjunction.com/hubfs/BLOG/FEATURED%20IMAGES/credit-card-reader-outdated.svg
---

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# Why Your Old School Credit Card Swiper Is Bad for Business

![Why Your Old School Credit Card Swiper Is Bad for Business](https://blog.payjunction.com/hubfs/BLOG/FEATURED%20IMAGES/credit-card-reader-outdated.svg)

[![Picture of Ursula Librizzi](https://blog.payjunction.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Ursula_Librizzi.jpg?width=48&height=48&name=Ursula_Librizzi.jpg) Ursula Librizzi](https://blog.payjunction.com/author/ursula-librizzi) 8/16/2016

Did you know the first credit card reader was created in 1979? The majority of terminals today still use that original technology. They simply run a transaction and print a paper receipt — that’s it. If you’re using an old school credit card swiper, your billing practices are decades old and, frankly, bad for business.

There’s a generation of [Smart Terminals](https://blog.payjunction.com/smart-terminal-traits) available to help your business thrive.

## Payment Processing Demo

Schedule 15 minutes with a payments expert

Get a customized PayJunction product walk-through

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Determine your SAVINGS!

GET DEMO NOW

Here’s how they compare:

- **Your old school credit card swiper can’t accept every payment method.** They don’t support [EMV](https://blog.payjunction.com/emv-chip-readers) technology, which can result in a [new type of chargeback](https://blog.payjunction.com/credit-card-chargeback-banks/) if you’re swiping chip cards. In addition, old-school terminals can’t accept contactless payment methods like Apple, Android and Samsung Pay, which are quickly gaining popularity. Smart Terminals accept all types of payments, meaning you'll never deter business. As new payment methods are released, the Smart Terminal is equipped to accept anything thrown its way.

- **Your old school credit card swiper only supports outdated bookkeeping.** Old-school credit card readers are one-way devices; they simply read magnetic-card data and print receipts. This forces you to hit the books and line up sales, crunch numbers and verify deposit amounts manually. Smart Terminals streamline your [merchant credit card processing](https://blog.payjunction.com/merchant-credit-card-processing/) with online reporting and can actually communicate with your computer. Because they can send transaction data to any online software your business uses and securely store customer history in the cloud, all the information you need for accounting and reporting is in one location.

- **Your old school credit card swiper forces your business to rely on paper and storage.** Outdated credit card readers can only print paper receipts, which often get lost or faded. As a best practice, businesses would store these receipts off-site to protect themselves from chargebacks. The need for paper receipts and storage are eliminated with Smart Terminals. They can send [digital receipts](https://blog.payjunction.com/printed-receipts-cost/) to customers, to your online software and to the cloud, where they can be stored forever.

- **Your old school credit card swiper leaves your business vulnerable to fraud.** The security of your old school credit card swiper leaves the door wide-open for fraud to occur. It’s very easy to counterfeit magnetic stripe cards, so if that’s the only payment method your terminal accepts, the chance of taking a fraudulent transaction is high. Smart Terminals use every security precaution to protect your business and your customers. They have more features to prevent fraud like [EMV acceptance](http://www.gemalto.com/emv/fraud), secure storage in the cloud and card-data encryption.

## Ditch Your Old School Credit Card Swiper for a Smart Terminal

Don’t get stuck in a 1970s time warp, or your business will take a hit. Embrace the next-generation technology that's available to you right now and arm your business with the best processing terminal available. By upgrading to a Smart Terminal, your business will flourish with grade-A security, a centralized location for reporting, and all your customer history and receipts digitally stored. Enter the next era of payment processing to elevate your business to the next level of success.

## Learn what to look for in a Smart Terminal.

## [![SEE THESE 7 TRAITS](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/635739/23781439-440d-466c-a280-6cbf517a27b4.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/635739/23781439-440d-466c-a280-6cbf517a27b4)

Do you think upgrading your processing terminal would benefit your business? As always, share your thoughts in the comments!

[EMV](https://blog.payjunction.com/topic/emv) [Paperless](https://blog.payjunction.com/topic/paperless) [Security](https://blog.payjunction.com/topic/security) [Smart Terminal](https://blog.payjunction.com/topic/smart-terminal)

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---

##### [![Why You're Susceptible to a Bank Chargeback](https://blog.payjunction.com/hubfs/BLOG/FEATURED%20IMAGES/credit-card-chargeback-banks.svg) Why You're Susceptible to a Bank Chargeback](https://blog.payjunction.com/credit-card-chargeback-banks)

##### [![Auto Dealership Software Helped Groppetti Automotive Operate Smoother](https://blog.payjunction.com/hubfs/BLOG/FEATURED%20IMAGES/auto-dealership-software-groppetti.svg) Auto Dealership Software Helped Groppetti Automotive Operate Smoother](https://blog.payjunction.com/auto-dealership-software-groppetti)

###### About Author

![Picture of Ursula Librizzi](https://blog.payjunction.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Ursula_Librizzi.jpg?width=200&height=200&name=Ursula_Librizzi.jpg)

### Ursula Librizzi

Ursula is the sales and marketing operations manager for PayJunction. She oversees daily marketing tasks and liaises between the sales and marketing departments.

###### Related Posts

## [![Why You're Susceptible to a Bank Chargeback](https://blog.payjunction.com/hubfs/BLOG/FEATURED%20IMAGES/credit-card-chargeback-banks.svg) Why You're Susceptible to a Bank Chargeback Previously, the only time businesses received credit card chargebacks was when a customer was unhappy with a product or service. Most business owners have, understandably, never had a chargeback. It has always been understood that if you provide good service and quality products, your customers will be happy.](https://blog.payjunction.com/credit-card-chargeback-banks)

## [![Chip and Signature vs Chip and PIN](https://blog.payjunction.com/hubfs/BLOG/FEATURED%20IMAGES/chip-and-pin-vs-chip-and-signature.svg) Chip and Signature vs Chip and PIN When the United States finally embraced EMV, the major card issuers favored chip and signature as the authorization method. However, as security measures to prevent credit card fraud advance, chip and PIN is the natural progression. Below, we discuss each verification method and best practices to prepare for what’s to come.](https://blog.payjunction.com/chip-and-pin-vs-chip-and-signature)

## [![POS Credit Card Terminal: The Advanced Shopping Guide](https://blog.payjunction.com/hubfs/BLOG/FEATURED%20IMAGES/credit-card-terminal-guide.svg) POS Credit Card Terminal: The Advanced Shopping Guide Investing in a POS credit card terminal carries obvious benefits. A combined 75 percent of consumers prefer to shop with a credit or debit card, so accepting credit cards opens your business up to a wider market than businesses that only accept cash. Some modern credit card terminals can also process alternative forms of payment, such as mobile payments. One downside is that researching credit card processing terminals can be daunting. What do you really need to know about EMV, NFC and PCI DSS?](https://blog.payjunction.com/credit-card-terminal-guide)

## Meet a Payment System You’ll Love

- ###### FEATURES
  
  [No-code Payments Integration®](https://www.payjunction.com/payments/no-code-payments-integration.html) [ZeroTouch Terminal](https://www.payjunction.com/payments/smart-terminal.html) [Portable Terminal](https://www.payjunction.com/payments/portable-credit-card-reader-terminal.html) [Invoices](https://www.payjunction.com/payments/electronic-invoices.html) [ACH](https://www.payjunction.com/payments/ach-payments.html) [SmartSurcharge®](https://www.payjunction.com/payments/smart-surcharge.html) [Cards on File](https://www.payjunction.com/payments/store-credit-card-info.html) [Recurring Billing](https://www.payjunction.com/payments/recurring-payments.html)
- [Ecommerce](https://www.payjunction.com/payments/ecommerce-merchant-services.html) [Customization](https://www.payjunction.com/payments/custom-payment-software.html) [Remote Signatures](https://www.payjunction.com/payments/signature-capture.html) [Rapid Refunds](https://www.payjunction.com/payments/credit-card-refund.html) [Multi-Location](https://www.payjunction.com/payments/enterprise-payments.html) [Sales Reports](https://www.payjunction.com/payments/sales-reports.html) [Search and Export](https://www.payjunction.com/payments/transaction-history-search.html) [Mobile App](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/payjunction/id1324839420?ls=1&mt=8)
- ###### BUSINESS SOLUTIONS
  
  [Auto Dealers](https://www2.payjunction.com/automotive-merchant-services) [Veterinary](https://www2.payjunction.com/payment-processing-veterinarians) [Dentistry](https://www2.payjunction.com/payment-processing-dentists)
- ###### RESOURCES
  
  [Product Overview](https://www.payjunction.com/payments/payment-processing-solutions.html) [Integrations](https://integrations.payjunction.com/) [Blog](https://blog.payjunction.com/) [Guides](https://guides.payjunction.com/) [Support](https://support.payjunction.com/) [Service Status](https://status.payjunction.com/) [Tutorials](https://blog.payjunction.com/tag/pj-university/) [API](https://www.payjunction.com/payments/payment-api.html)
- [Trust Center](https://trust.payjunction.com/) [Request a Demo](https://www2.payjunction.com/payjunction-demo) [Pricing](https://www.payjunction.com/payments/pricing.html) [About Us](https://www.payjunction.com/payments/about.html) [Careers *HIRING*](https://www2.payjunction.com/careers) [Press](https://media.payjunction.com/)

- ###### RESOURCES
  
  [Integrations](https://integrations.payjunction.com/) [Guides](https://guides.payjunction.com/) [Tutorials](https://blog.payjunction.com/tag/pj-university/) [API](https://www.payjunction.com/payments/payment-api.html) [Request a Demo](https://www2.payjunction.com/payjunction-demo) [About Us](https://www.payjunction.com/payments/about.html) [Careers *HIRING*](https://www2.payjunction.com/careers) [Press](https://media.payjunction.com/) [Trust Center](https://trust.payjunction.com/) [Service Status](https://status.payjunction.com/)
- ###### BUSINESS SOLUTIONS
  
  [Auto Dealers](https://www2.payjunction.com/automotive-merchant-services) [Veterinary](https://www2.payjunction.com/payment-processing-veterinarians) [Dentistry](https://www2.payjunction.com/payment-processing-dentists)

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