How a virtual terminal works
A virtual terminal is how Canadian merchants take online payments on a phone order: the card is keyed in a browser, with no card reader on the counter. You log into a secure web page, type in the card number, expiry and amount, and submit. The payment is authorized and funded just like a tap at the counter. Because it runs in a browser, it works on any laptop, tablet or phone with internet.
Who should use one
Virtual terminals shine for phone and mail orders, service businesses that invoice, trades collecting deposits, and anyone taking the occasional remote payment. If the customer is on the phone, this is the fastest way to get paid. A studio holding a Saturday seat, a contractor taking a materials deposit, and a shop billing a phone order can key the card in the browser and send the receipt on the call. You do not need a website or a card reader for that sale. For the remote payment in front of you today, the browser is the terminal.
Staying secure with card-not-present
Keying a card is card-not-present, so use the built-in fraud tools: address verification (AVS), CVV checks, and a customer vault for repeat buyers who have agreed to be charged again. Read the amount and the statement name before you submit, and email the receipt while they are still on the line. Keep the card number out of the booking note, the text thread, and the inbox. If the address is new or the amount is larger than usual, run the checks before you fulfil. See card-not-present fraud prevention for the full playbook, including when to pause a rush delivery.
Getting started
A virtual terminal is included with Armour Payments online accounts and can be live the same day. Log into the secure page from a laptop, tablet, or phone, key a test card amount, and void it. Before the first real deposit, turn on AVS and CVV, set the statement name, and confirm the receipt email works. Learn the screen on online payments or book a demo if the person who answers the phone should see the fields once. The first live charge should be a real amount the caller agreed to, with the receipt sent before you hang up, and with the card number left only inside the terminal.
Keying a booking deposit while the guest is on the phone
The caller wants the appointment held, and they are willing to pay the deposit on this call. Open the virtual terminal, read the amount back, and key the card number, expiry, and CVV while they stay on the line. AVS should be on. This is card-not-present, and you cannot watch a tap. Say the business name as it will appear on the statement before you submit, so the charge is familiar a week later. Email the receipt before you hang up. If they would rather pay on their own phone, send a payment link and stay on the call until it clears. Both paths are on online payments. The keyed path is for the guest who wants the deposit finished before the call ends.
A mistake that stores the card in the wrong place
Someone on the team writes the card number into the booking note so they can retry it later. That note is now card data in email or on paper, which is the opposite of a vault. The number gets typed into the virtual terminal and it does not get copied into the calendar, the text thread, or a shared inbox. If you will charge a balance later, store the card in the customer vault with the guest's permission, the same pattern described for recurring payments. Refunds and second charges go back through the terminal so there is a record. Walk whoever answers the phone through card-not-present fraud prevention. Book a demo if the team needs the screen shown once before they take a live deposit.