How to Use a POS Device: Step-by-Step Guide for Restaurants
A POS device doesn't replace your order software. The order is opened in Ritapos, the amount goes to the cash register, and payment and the fiscal receipt are completed on the device. Here we walk through the daily flow, contactless payments and the end of day step by step.
What is a POS device?
A POS device is the hardware on the fiscal payment recorder (yazar kasa, Turkey's fiscal cash register) that takes card and cash payments and produces the fiscal receipt. In a restaurant it is not the same thing as the order software: the order is opened in Ritapos, the amount goes to the device through the integration, and payment and the receipt are completed on the device. In this guide we answer how to use a POS device step by step, following the flow of Ritapos plus an integrated cash register.
How does a POS device work?
The short answer to how a POS device works: the device talks to the bank or payment institution, verifies the amount, records the payment and produces a fiscal document in line with the processes of GİB (Turkish Revenue Administration). In an integrated restaurant flow there are three parts: the amount traveling from the software to the device, the guest paying, and the receipt being issued as the order closes in Ritapos. Without integration the cashier enters the amount by hand, and by the end of the day the check and receipt totals drift apart.
| Step | Who does it | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Order | Waiter / till (Ritapos) | The check is open and the kitchen knows about it |
| Amount transfer | GMP3 or TSM | The correct amount shows on the device |
| Payment | Guest + till | Card, contactless or cash |
| Close | Device + Ritapos | Fiscal receipt issued and order closed |
Using a POS device with Ritapos, step by step
- Take the order in Ritapos. Add the products in the table or till flow, and keep discounts and notes on the check.
- Send the payment to the cash register. Use cash register POS integration (GMP3 wired or TSM wireless) to send the amount to the device.
- Complete the payment on the device. Confirm card, contactless or cash on the device screen.
- Check that the order has closed. After the receipt is issued, make sure the order shows as closed in Ritapos; the "Auto-close POS payments" setting can do this for you.
- Run the end of day. Follow the sequence in the end-of-day section below.
An example: once a table order is open in Ritapos, the cashier sends the amount to the Inpos device. The guest pays contactless, the receipt prints and the order closes in Ritapos. The cashier doesn't recalculate anything, because the figure on the device is the same as the one on the check.
Card and contactless payments
How to use a contactless POS device is really about the device steps once the amount has arrived from Ritapos. The guest holds their card or phone close to the reader; above the bank's contactless limit, the device may ask for a PIN or a signature. A contactless transaction is recorded on the fiscal receipt as well, and nothing changes on the Ritapos side. The related order closes in Ritapos for the same amount.
The term bank card POS device describes new-generation fiscal payment recorders that take debit and credit cards on the same terminal. With a chip card, the device waits until the card has been read; the magnetic stripe is rarely used any more. In integrated use the amount comes from Ritapos, so the cashier doesn't add it up again. If a card is declined, read the bank's message first and, if needed, try another card or cash. Cancel the transaction on the device and send it again without changing the amount in Ritapos.
Cash, split payments and meal cards
For cash payments the amount still goes to the device through the integration; "cash" is selected at the till and the receipt is issued. If a guest wants to pay part in cash and part by card, check the remaining amount in Ritapos and send each part to the device in turn, then make sure the receipt total equals the check. Meal cards such as Multinet and Sodexo are closed in Ritapos as a defined payment method. In businesses that fall under the cash register rule, card payments taken on the floor should also be handled in line with the device flow.
GMP3 or TSM: which connection?
GMP3 is usually a wired connection at a fixed till, while TSM is common in mobile or wireless setups. You can compare which type suits your business in the cash register integration guide. For setup, see the Inpos cash register integration lesson and the Inpos integrated POS page.
Opening the shift and preparing the till
Before the day starts, make sure the POS device is switched on, connected to the network and has passed the integration test. Sending a low-value test after you sign in to Ritapos saves you surprises later in the day. At shift change, check that no open orders or unpaid checks are left behind. Thermal paper, battery charge (for mobile devices) and the integration license end date can all go on the daily checklist.
End-of-day summary
The end of day has two layers: the fiscal reports on the device and the operational summaries in Ritapos. On most brands you take an X report for an interim check and a Z report (or its equivalent) to close the day. For the Inpos steps, use the article on X and Z reports on Inpos.
- Check for open orders: Confirm in Ritapos that no unpaid orders or open tables remain.
- Payment provider report: Check that the device brand appears on the dine-in card and cash lines. Dine-in sales closed as "User" are a sign that someone closed them outside the integration.
- Device end of day: Take the Z or end-of-day report from the brand's menu and keep the receipt summary.
- Ritapos end of day: Pull the Ritapos reports according to the closing hour set in your store settings. If there is a big gap against the device total, review the records the same day.
Delivery platform orders (Yemeksepeti, Getir, Trendyol) are usually paid on the platform. These sales close in Ritapos with a different payment provider and are tracked separately from the dine-in cash register flow.
Common mistakes
Changing the amount by hand on the device is the most common mistake. The whole point of integration is that the check amount reaches the device unchanged. If the cashier applies a discount or rounds the figure on the device, the Ritapos and receipt totals won't match at the end of the day. Make the correction in Ritapos and send the amount again.
Closing the order manually in Ritapos before the receipt is issued leaves a gap in the fiscal record. Payment and the receipt on the device come first, then the close in the software, and the auto-close setting keeps that order for you.
Skipping the end-of-day report makes the discrepancy bigger the next day. Don't hand over the till until the Z report has been taken.
Losing track of the integration license leads to a "license expired" message on the device. This has nothing to do with your Ritapos license; you need to renew the brand's license.
Teaching waiters only the device buttons is not enough. Training should cover the rule "Ritapos order first, device payment second" and the manager setting that blocks manual closing outside the integration. Ritapos Academy supports brand-specific setups.
If the card reader fails, use chip entry or cash for the time being and log the fault. When a void receipt is issued, make sure the order in Ritapos also goes through the void or correction flow; voiding only on the device and leaving the order open in the software breaks reconciliation. Don't run test sales at peak times. If you need a test, ring up a real low-value product and make a note of it at the end of the day.
Void and refund receipts
When a guest cancels an order, first update or void the check in Ritapos, then use the device's void/refund menu. Do it the other way round and the fiscal record and the operational record won't line up. Rehearse the void scenario live at least once during staff training.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Possible cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The amount doesn't reach the device | Network drop, wrong IP or integration switched off | Check the cable/Wi-Fi, static IP settings (PAX articles) and the Ritapos POS settings |
| "license expired" | The brand's integration license has expired | Renew it with the POS provider; the Ritapos integration fee is separate |
| Receipt printed, order still open | Auto-close is off, or an error occurred | Close the order using the device reference and turn the setting on |
| Contactless not working | Card limit or reader fault | Try the chip card and restart the device |
| Amounts don't match | Manual edit on the device | Correct it in Ritapos and send it again |
If the problem persists, share the device model, the integration type (GMP3/TSM) and the message on the screen with support. At a fixed till, the static IP blog articles for Ingenico/PAX help reduce connection drops. For mobile setups with Inpos and Pavo, see the Inpos M530 guide and the Pavo integration page.
Using the device at the table and at the till
At a fixed till, the bank card POS device is usually connected to the computer via GMP3 or over the network: the cashier sends the amount from the Ritapos screen and the guest pays at the till. In businesses that take payment at the table, a mobile device (Inpos M530, Pavo and so on) travels with the waiter, and the same integration logic applies over TSM or wireless GMP3. In both cases the rule stays the same: the order must be up to date in Ritapos first and only then sent to the device. If new items were added to the check while you were taking payment at the table, send the amount again; printing a receipt for the old amount causes errors and a gap at the end of the day.
Ritapos payment settings (in brief)
In the Owner account, under Settings > Store > Payment > POS, three settings that work with the integration come up often. "Disable manual payment" for credit card and cash makes all floor payments go through the device. "Auto-close POS payments" closes the order in Ritapos once the receipt is issued. A second restriction can be switched on for added payment methods such as meal cards. The cash register POS integration guide walks through the screens for these settings. In day-to-day use of the POS device, what the cashier notices is that the amount arrives correctly and these locks are in place.
How do you reconcile at the end of the day?
Reconciliation compares the card and cash totals in Ritapos with the payments on the device's Z report. Small differences (a void receipt, a test sale during the day) get noted; big ones usually come from closing outside the integration or changing the amount by hand on the device. Filter the "Payment provider" column in the reports: dine-in sales should show a brand such as Inpos, Ingenico or Pavo, and any dine-in card or cash lines that show only "User" need a closer look. Delivery platform payments are left out of this comparison, because they close through a separate channel. Reconciling at the end of the shift makes it easier to fix mistakes on the same day.
End-of-day notes by device brand
Inpos: X for interim checks, Z to close the day; the menu path is in the brand's guide. Ingenico / PAX: the Z report and parameter printing steps are in the device menu, and businesses that suffer connection drops can apply the static IP blog articles. Pavo / Paycell: the end-of-day menu is different on mobile devices, so mark the TSM license end date in your calendar. Brand-specific steps vary, but the checklist on the Ritapos side stays the same: no open orders, then the device Z report, then the Ritapos end of day, then a note on any discrepancy.
Legal compliance and record integrity
The fiscal payment recorder produces the fiscal record of the payment, and Ritapos keeps the operational record. If the two are not integrated, an audit turns up differences between checks and receipts. For businesses subject to e-adisyon (Turkey's electronic guest check), the document layer is covered in the e-adisyon guide, and the POS device completes the payment receipt. For the software side, read the restaurant POS system article.
Continue in the Academy
If you would like to see this step by step on screen, take a look at the related lessons in Ritapos Academy.
To see how this works in a restaurant, have a look at the restaurant POS system page.
Related product page: POS system.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you use a POS device?
Open the order in Ritapos, send the amount to the cash register over GMP3 or TSM, complete the payment on the device and confirm that the order closes once the receipt is issued. At the end of the day, take the X/Z report or its equivalent.
How do you use a contactless POS device?
Once the amount has arrived on the device from Ritapos, the guest holds their card or phone close to the reader. Above the limit a PIN may be requested; the transaction is written to the fiscal receipt and the order closes in Ritapos for the same amount.
Can I use Ritapos without a POS device?
Yes, for the order and kitchen flow. To take payments legally, you need a fiscal payment recorder and the integration.
Which reports should I take at the end of the day?
First check for open orders in Ritapos, then take the Z or end-of-day report on the device, and finally pull the Ritapos end-of-day reports. The X/Z steps for Inpos are in the blog article.
How do I take more than one card payment on the same check?
Use partial or split payment in Ritapos, and send the remaining amount to the device for each part in turn.
What happens when the contactless limit is exceeded?
The device asks for a PIN or a signature. Leave the Ritapos order open until the transaction completes, and close it once the receipt is issued.
Should I choose GMP3 or TSM?
With a fixed till on a wired network, most businesses go with GMP3; for a mobile device carried by the waiter, TSM. Some models support both, and the integration guide compares them.
The receipt printed, but the order is still open in Ritapos. Why?
Check the "Auto-close POS payments" setting. If it is off, close the order manually with the device brand as the payment provider, or review the integration log.
What is the difference between an X report and a Z report?
An X report gives an interim summary and does not close the day; a Z report (or its equivalent) closes the day fiscally. Take the Z report at end-of-day close; for a shift check, an X report may be enough.
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