Supported Card Types | Payments 101

Learn the four card types Nayax devices accept credit, debit, prepaid, and external prepaid including how each is processed and which operator-level rules apply to each type.

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Payments & Transactions › Card Payments

Supported Card Types

Learn about the card types consumers can use to pay at Nayax-enabled machines, including credit, debit, prepaid, and external prepaid cards, and understand how each type is processed.

👤 Operators
📦 Nayax Devices
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Credit CardDebit CardPrepaid CardExternal Prepaid CardComparison
Introduction

Overview

Nayax devices accept multiple card types, giving consumers flexible payment options at your machines. The four main card types differ in how funds are sourced, who manages the balance, and what rules can be applied at the operator level.

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Note: The card types available on your machines depend on your Nayax configuration and payment plan. Contact your Nayax account manager to confirm which card types are enabled for your devices.
Card Type

Credit Card

 
Credit Card

A credit card lets the consumer borrow money from the card issuer up to a pre-approved limit. The consumer uses borrowed funds to pay at the machine and repays the issuer later.

Common use: General consumer purchases at open-loop, publicly accessible machines.

Card Type

Debit Card

 
Debit Card

A debit card deducts payment directly from the consumer's bank account at the time of the transaction. No credit or borrowing is involved — the consumer's available balance must cover the purchase.

Common use: General consumer purchases where the consumer pays with their own funds in real time.

Card Type

Prepaid Card

 
Prepaid Card
🔒 Balance managed by Nayax

Prepaid cards are designed for closed-loop environments such as employee cards, loyalty cards, or gift cards. The card balance is loaded in advance and managed directly by Nayax in the Nayax system.

As the operator, you can configure rules for these cards, including:

  • Daily & Monthly spend limits
  • Machine Group Limitation (restrict which machines the card can be used on)
  • Single-use restriction
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Tip: Prepaid cards are well-suited for corporate canteens, employee benefit programs, or any environment where you want to control where and how consumers spend. Contact your Nayax account manager to configure prepaid card rules.
Card Type

External Prepaid Card

 
External Prepaid Card
🔗 Balance managed by a third party

External prepaid cards are also used in closed-loop environments and function similarly to Prepaid Cards. The key difference is that the card balance is managed by a third-party provider — not by Nayax.

Nayax integrates with a third-party provider to process payment transfers. However, the authorisation of each transaction is handled by the third-party provider's system.

Examples: 10bis Sodexo

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Note: Because the balance and authorisation are controlled by the third-party provider, operator-level rules (such as spend limits and machine group restrictions) apply to Nayax Prepaid Cards only, not to External Prepaid Cards.
Reference

Comparison

Attribute Credit Card Debit Card Prepaid Card External
Prepaid Card
Funds source Card issuer credit line Consumer's bank account Pre-loaded balance Pre-loaded balance (third-party)
Balance managed by Card issuer Consumer's bank Nayax Third-party provider
Transaction authorised by Card network/issuer Card network/bank Nayax Third-party provider
Closed-loop No No Yes Yes
Operator can set rules No No Yes No
Examples Visa, Mastercard, Amex Visa Debit, Maestro Employee cards, gift cards 10bis, Sodexo

 

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