Understanding Payment Processing States and Errors

Understanding Payment Processing States and Errors

This article explains what happens during payment processing and how to handle common issues.

Payment Processing Flow

When you submit a payment, the system goes through these steps:

1. Validation — The system checks that there is a balance due and the invoice is not cancelled
2. UI Lock — All action buttons are disabled and a progress indicator appears
3. Payment Submission — The payment is sent to the processor (for card payments) or recorded immediately (for cash)
4. Invoice Save — If this is a new sale, the invoice and all items are saved to the database
5. Payment Recording — The payment amount and method are logged
6. Balance Update — The machine's running balance for that payment type is updated
7. History Logging — A record is added to the invoice history
8. Email Prompt — If a customer is attached with an email, you're asked if you want to send a receipt
9. Reset — The screen clears for the next customer

Cancelling a Payment in Progress

If a card payment is taking too long or you need to cancel:

1. Press Escape during the "Processing" state
2. A confirmation dialog asks if you want to cancel
3. If you confirm, the payment is cancelled
4. No payment is recorded
5. The UI unlocks and you can try again

Important: Pressing Escape only works during the processing phase. Once the payment is approved by the processor, it cannot be cancelled — you would need to process a refund instead.

Common Payment Errors

UI Recovery

If the POS screen appears to be frozen or buttons are unresponsive after a payment error:

1. Press Ctrl+Alt+R — This is the Emergency UI Restore shortcut
2. All buttons are re-enabled
3. The progress indicator is cleared
4. You can continue operating normally

If that doesn't work:

1. Go to Action Menu → Restart POS Screen
2. The POS reloads from scratch
3. Any unsaved sale will be lost, but all saved transactions are safe

Invoice States After Payment