Card Acceptor

The card acceptor accepts cards to access the cardholders’ account(s) or as a means of payment for goods or services. In POS systems this may be a retailer, service company, financial institution, etc.; in ATM systems the card acceptor may be the same party as the acquirer. Rather than accepting the card as direct proof of payment, the acceptor may forward transaction information to an acquirer. The acceptor will take a transaction authorization from the acquirer as guarantee for payment. The security of the transaction information exchanged with the acquirer is important. Security features may include message authentication, secrecy of the PIN, etc.