Vendserve have selected 247Pay’s myPOS unattended payment terminals (UPTs) for its latest generation of vending machines that will go into service from this month.

The new machines have multi-media displays and offer the full range of products – soft drinks, other beverages, confectionery, snacks, coffee and tea. Not only will they be located in offices around Malta, but they can also be leased to other providers to be located both indoors and out.

The major technological development of these vending machines is that you can use your standard chip and pin or contactless credit/debit card to pay for the items in the machine – that could cost as little as 50c – and in that way you do not need to use small change or take change from the machine.

Vendserve Managing Director Adrian Burnell said he was looking for a local supplier of the technology because he was keen to have someone here on the ground. Thanks to his technical background, having worked on vending machines with a local beverages manufacturer 20 years ago, he was keen to stay ahead of the competition by offering this unique service.

After 15 years, he decided to branch out and offer vending machines himself. In the past five years he has introduced many innovations and now offers all types of vending machines which his competitors do not have. He currently has just under a hundred vending machines – the majority in private and government offices.

Karl Dingli,head of Sales and Product and Business Development at 247Pay, said the new solution was a win-win-win for the purchaser, the vending machine provider and 247Pay, the vending solutions provider.

Għaxaq-based Vendserve first approached 247Pay in October but when it installed a payment device on their vending machine they realised that compatibility was not a straightforward process. 247Pay then discussed the issue with myPOS, their principals abroad, which provided them with the controller that was connected to the payment device and the vending machine’s master module.

“In that way, the payment machine successfully recognised the selection of the client, which refers to the item they wish to purchase. That way, the process would then entail the purchase appearing on the MyPOS payment device. In that way, the client can pay contactless, by chip and pin or more traditionally in cash,” Mr Dingli said.

Payment can be either through a physical card or through a virtual card on their mobile, watch or other smart device. “In that way, the payment would be accepted, the transaction process would be successful and the client would receive the desired purchase.”

Vendserve also have access to payment information through 247Pay’s system and can access the myPOS portal at their fingertips through their mobile, laptop or PC. This enables them to view data by individual terminal, which can be labelled by location or business billing description. In that way they can identify the card payment sales for that individual vending machine.

By installing the UPT, greater sales can be generated especially among the younger generation and tourists who prefer card payments.