Also called: Point-of-Sale Entry Mode
What POS Entry Mode is
POS Entry Mode is a data field that describes how your customer’s card information entered a payment transaction. It distinguishes methods such as a chip read, contactless read, magnetic-stripe swipe, or manually keyed card number. Your terminal and payment systems pass this information along with the transaction so other systems can interpret how the card was presented.
The field is useful when a payment is declined, flagged for review, or recorded in a way that does not match what happened at the counter. For example, a transaction recorded as manual entry when the customer inserted a chip points to a capture or configuration problem worth investigating.
POS Entry Mode describes how card data was captured, not the fee you paid for the transaction.
How the codes work
The exact format depends on the processor or message specification. In Mastercard’s API documentation, `posTerminal.entryMode` is a three-digit string: the first two digits describe how the card number was entered, and the last digit describes PIN-entry capability. In that format, `01` means manual entry, `05` means automatic entry by chip, and `90` means magnetic-stripe read with the full, unaltered contents provided.
The same Mastercard format uses `07` for contactless magnetic-chip entry, `79` for a chip card entered manually after chip processing failed, and `80` for a magnetic-stripe fallback after chip processing failed. The final digit `1` indicates a terminal with PIN-entry capability, while `2` indicates one without it. These examples apply to that documented format. Do not assume a code has the same meaning across every processor or transaction record.
What it means for your costs and risk
POS Entry Mode does not have a separate fee schedule in the research reviewed. Mastercard’s December 2016 contactless toolkit says contactless technology has no bearing on pricing; pricing depends on the underlying payment product. The entry-mode field alone does not tell you what processing rate you paid, so use your fee details and transaction records rather than treating a code as a charge.
Incorrect coding can still create an operational problem. Mastercard’s toolkit says payment systems must identify and populate contactless entry information correctly, and recommends testing that identifier. That guidance does not establish a general entry-mode fee or liability rule. For card-present sales, the actual capture method matters when reviewing an issue such as a chip transaction recorded as a swipe, especially given the US EMV liability shift for most merchants in October 2015.
Where to investigate a mismatch
POS Entry Mode is transaction data, not a standard merchant-statement line identified in the research. Look in transaction details, authorization logs, or payment-system reports for the entry-mode field and compare it with what happened at checkout. If your records show contactless sales, Mastercard’s toolkit says you can request a contactless transaction report from your acquirer if one is available.
Focus on exceptions, not just the code by itself. Compare a sample of chip, contactless, swipe, and keyed transactions against terminal records. A cluster of unexpected manual-entry or fallback codes can reveal a terminal setting, integration, or staff workflow issue that needs correction.
What you can actually change
- Compare transaction records. Match a sample of chip, contactless, swipe, and keyed sales to the entry-mode values in your transaction details or authorization logs.
- Test the terminal flow. Run test transactions for the payment methods you accept and confirm the records show the method actually used. Mastercard’s December 2016 toolkit specifically recommends testing contactless identification.
- Investigate fallback clusters. Look for repeated manual-entry or magnetic-stripe fallback codes on transactions where customers used a chip. Review terminal settings, integration behavior, and staff procedures.
Frequently asked questions
Does POS Entry Mode change my processing fee?
The research reviewed identifies no separate POS Entry Mode fee. Mastercard’s December 2016 contactless toolkit says contactless technology does not determine pricing; the underlying payment product does. Review the transaction’s pricing details rather than treating its entry-mode code as a fee.
Where can I find POS Entry Mode?
Look in transaction details, authorization logs, or payment-system reports. The research reviewed does not identify a standard merchant-statement line for POS Entry Mode, so the field is best investigated in transaction-level records.
Do POS Entry Mode codes mean the same thing everywhere?
No. The documented Mastercard API format uses three digits, with two for card-number entry and one for PIN-entry capability. Other systems can use different formats or values, so interpret a code using the documentation for the system that produced it.