What is Store And Forward (SAF) mode?

Article author
Edward Andrews
  • Updated

Description: This article will cover Store And Forward (SAF) mode and its functionality.

 

What is SAF mode?

By default, Quick Service (QS) POS orders are taken in Online mode. When the device is online, orders will be placed in the configured “Skip POS Submission” state (Completed is the recommended state) and payment transactions will be settled immediately upon approval.

Store and Forward (SAF) is functionality on the Quick Service POS that allows credit card transactions to be taken while a device is operating in poor network conditions and/or is completely offline. SAF orders are stored on the card reader and synced to the processor at a later time when the device has a strong network connection.

Devices will operate in SAF mode under the following scenarios:

  1. The POS device goes offline. This applies to both FreedomPay and PAX devices, but there are differences in SAF behavior between the two.
    1. FreedomPay - Devices will switch in and out of SAF mode dynamically based on their connectivity. If the device is online, the POS will place online transactions. If the device is offline, the POS will place SAF transactions.
    2. PAX - If a device dynamically goes offline or an operator intentionally takes a device offline and places an SAF transaction, then the device will stay in SAF mode for a 30-minute “cooldown” period. During this period, all transactions will be SAF transactions (even if the device comes back online) and the “Payment Processing Mode'' toggle in the POS Debug menu will be automatically switched to Offline Only.
      Note: If the device comes online during the cooldown period, the operator may manually bypass the cooldown period and switch to Online mode by toggling the “Payment Processing Mode” toggle to Online First in the POS Debug menu 
  2. The device is online and an operator manually switches it to SAF mode by toggling the “Payment Processing Mode'' toggle to Offline Only.  If this is manually toggled, then the device will remain in this mode until it is manually toggled back to Online First. (PAX Only)
  3. The device is online and a gateway error is received when attempting to submit a payment transaction. In this scenario, the functionality will match functionality in scenario (1.b.) above (PAX Only)

 

What happens to orders placed in SAF mode?

While in SAF mode, orders will be placed in the Approved Offline state. Payment transactions will not be authorized or settled until uploaded to the payment processor for approval while in this state. These are considered “unsynced” orders. To view all Approved Offline orders on a device, navigate to the hamburger menu > tap Orders > tap Unsynced Orders. 

To sync orders:

  • From the orders list, tap the Device Summary button
  • If you see red counts under Device Sync Status with a qty greater than 0, then you have orders to sync
  • To sync manually:
    • Look in the status bar and confirm you have a network connection. To be sure, you can also navigate to the hamburger menu > tap Refresh Config
      • If you have a connection, you will see Config refreshed successfully
      • If you don't have a connection, you will see Failed to refresh config
    • Once you have confirmed that you have a stable network connection, tap the Sync Orders button at the bottom of the Device Summary screen 
  • Alternatively, syncing will occur automatically on a device with unsynced orders after a 30-minute period of being online and idle

Note: The device must have a strong and stable network connection to reliably sync. If attempting to sync while on a poor network connection, then the sync might be slow and/or not function correctly.

During the sync process:

  1. If the orders were placed in SAF scenario (1):
    1. Orders will first sync to the VenueNext platform, after which they will appear in Canopy and DataNow in Approved Offline 
    2. Card transactions will be uploaded to the payment processor. Orders will be updated to a Completed state if approved and to Authorization Failed if declined. The latter can be viewed in DataNow in F&B Sales > Auth Failed Orders Approved Offline
  2. If the orders were placed in SAF scenario (2) or (3):
    1. Orders will already appear in Canopy and DataNow in Approved Offline
    2. Card transactions will be uploaded to the payment processor. Orders will be updated to a Completed state if approved and to Authorization Failed if declined. The latter can be viewed in DataNow in F&B Sales > Auth Failed Orders Approved Offline

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