by Ben Dwyer It’s not the most common credit card processing machine, but that doesn’t mean the Ingenico Desk 3500 isn’t worth a look.
The terminal, from major manufacturer Ingenico, offers plenty of features for small businesses. Ingenico states that the terminal is designed to let you accept any payment at the counter. That includes traditional magnetic stripe cards, EMV chip cards, or contactless payments, such as Apple Pay.
Here’s a quick overview of Ingenico Desk 3500 features:
- EMV acceptance
- NFC (contactless) acceptance
- Built-in thermal printer
- Color screen
- Backlit keys
- Small footprint
In this review, we’ll take a closer look at the functions available with this terminal.
Ingenico Desk 3500
As a countertop terminal, the Desk 3500 is great for businesses that want a secure way to accept credit cards, but don’t need the features (or cost) of a full POS system. With a color screen and backlit keys, the machine is easy to see in all lighting conditions. It weighs less than one pound, but is a solid terminal designed to withstand the hustle of small business environments.
The built-in thermal printer means you won’t have to fuss with an external printer to provide receipts to your customers.
For many businesses, the best part is that it allows you to take all kinds of card payments. Whether your customer still has a traditional magstripe card, has upgraded to more secure EMV chip cards, or prefers to convenience and security of digital wallets like Apple Pay or Samsung Pay, this Ingenico machine can accept it.
It doesn’t matter if the card is credit or debit – you can simply choose which card type it is when you process the sale.
Auto-Batching
With any credit card machine, you’ll need to close your “batches” in order for the transactions to process. Most businesses choose to batch once per day. The Desk 3500 has an auto-batch feature that will automatically close your batch for you at a pre-set time. You can change the time of the auto-batch; just be sure you check with your processor if you do. Some processors require you to batch by a certain time if you’re looking for next-day deposits.
Reports
While countertop terminals don’t offer the same range of reports available with full POS systems, the Desk 3500 still provides basic information about your transactions. You can run summary or detail reports, see information by cashier, review stored transactions, see recent errors, and more.
Connectivity
The Desk 3500 has options no matter how you prefer to connect machines. It features wifi, Ethernet, or dial-up capability.
Keep in mind that some businesses experience slower transaction processing when using dialup. If that’s the case for your business and it impacts customer satisfaction or checkout time, you may want to consider another connection option.
Processor Compatibility
As of summer 2019, Heartland / Global Payments support the Ingenico Desk 3500. It’s possible that additional processors will support it in the future, as is common with Ingenico models. But for now, you’ll need to go through Heartland / Global if you want to use this terminal. CardFellow members can request a quote from Heartland to use the Desk 3500. Not a member yet? It’s free and private. Sign up here.
Desk 3500 Costs
The Desk 3500 starts around $300.
The actual price you pay will depend on where you purchase the machine. Some processors may charge less than published costs in order to entice you to sign up. Just remember that “free” equipment isn’t free – you end up paying for it through higher rates to take cards.
Not sure if the Desk 3500 is the right machine for you? Check out our article on choosing a credit card machine.
