Ordering pizza from a restaurant is pretty straightforward. You call the restaurant, tell the host or hostess what you want to eat and then wait for the food to be delivered. But how do you pay for the pizza?
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Pay Cash at the Door
Believe it or not, many people still pay their pizza delivery by cash, though credit cards are becoming more and more popular. Paying for the pizza at the door is the easiest option if you carry money around with you.
And what restaurant doesn’t accept cash?
Pay for Pizza Delivery with a Credit Card Terminal
If you run a business, then you probably use a credit card terminal to take payments from customers. A credit card terminal is a device that accepts deposits from cards and customers swipe their cards and enter a PIN on the terminal’s keypad.
There are two types of credit card terminals: pin pads and pin-less terminals also known as ‘swipers’ or ‘mag stripe readers’. A pin pad or ‘swiper’ simply reads the card information and prints a receipt for the customer to sign; the customer then physically signs the receipt and hands it directly to the merchant.
On the other hand, a pin-less credit card reader allows the customer to type his or her PIN on the keypad on the terminal and the amount is deducted from the card. Many restaurants use a credit card terminal to take payments from their customers.
Pay for Pizza Delivery with Your Debit Card
You also have the option of paying for pizza delivery with a debit card. Most restaurants offer customers the option of paying with a debit card instead of cash. This makes it very convenient when a delivery driver comes to your door.
Paying for Pizza Delivery: Do’s and Don’ts
Let’s examine how you should pay, or not pay, for delivery pizza.
- Do: Check the credit card charges on the machine before taking delivery of a pizza. You don’t want to find a surprise on your bill or credit card statement at the end of the month when you pay for your pizza delivery.
- Do: Tip your delivery driver right away when he or she drops off the pizza. Wait until you’ve eaten all of the pizza before tipping the driver – use our tip calculator to help you decide the amount.
- Don’t: Forget to check the machine before checking out or paying for pizza delivery.
- Don’t: Assume you are being charged the correct amount by the merchant.
- Be sure to ask how much you are going to owe before you order an item or a service. Especially in restaurants, it’s easy to forget how much the bill will be if you don’t write it down yourself and have to ask the merchant to repeat the cost several times.
- Even if you pay by credit card, ask the merchant what the total charge is before you sign the receipt or give your credit card number to the store or restaurant staff, especially if you’re not familiar with their service or payment method.
Final Notes
It’s best to pay for your pizza delivery when you order it if you can. Paying in advance is the easiest way to avoid spending more than you plan to spend on your pizza delivery order and avoids the possibility of carrying around a lot of cash on you at one time and losing some money when you’re in a hurry and forget you left the pizza place with the cash you didn’t get to spend.
