The hidden cost of an outdated payment system: what you lose by only taking coins
Emptying coin boxes, counting, writing it down and reconciling. An old payment system doesn't just take your time: it leaves you without data and with VeriFactu compliance still to solve.
PAYMMIO TeamPublished on Updated on 5 min read
Key points
- A coin-only system turns away anyone without cash and forces you to collect, count and record the takings by hand, every time.
- A classic coin acceptor only sends a pulse to start the machine. It creates no record per payment, so your books depend on a manual count.
- Without instant invoicing you don't know which machine or store earns the most until you close the books.
- If you issue receipts or invoices with a computer system, that system must comply with VeriFactu from 1 January 2027 (companies) or 1 July 2027 (everyone else).
- Kiosco TNA adds card and contactless from a central screen, and Retrofit digitises installations that only take coins.
What an outdated payment system is
An outdated payment system is one that takes payments but doesn't record them. It accepts coins, gives the machine credit and that's it. It doesn't take card or contactless, keeps no record of each payment and sends nothing to your invoicing.
It works, which is why nobody replaces it. But every week it costs you time, customers and peace of mind with the tax office. Let's go through it item by item.
A month-end close with coins
Sunday night. You go to the store, open the coin box of each machine, empty the change machine and take the bags home.
Monday. You count, bag the coins and type the figure into a spreadsheet. You don't know how much each machine made, only each coin box's total. Then you take it to the bank.
End of the month. Your tax adviser asks for the figures. You combine the coin spreadsheet with the card statement, if you have one, and with any invoices issued to businesses. Nothing matches to the cent and nobody knows why.
This isn't unusual. It's the norm when the payment system doesn't record each transaction.
What it really costs
The old system never shows up as an expense on any invoice. Its costs are spread out:
- Customers who don't come back. Anyone without coins looks for another laundromat. You won't see it in any report, but your takings will.
- Hours of collecting and counting. Trips, counts, bank deposits and discrepancies to chase. In our worked example, a 10-machine store spends almost € 2,000 a year just handling cash.
- Decisions in the dark. Without data per machine or per time slot, you don't know which machine performs best, when you have the most customers or whether a price rise worked.
- Tax risk. The Tax Agency knows your card payments to the cent; the coin share depends on your notebook.
Old system versus Kiosco TNA and Retrofit
| Old terminal or coin acceptor | Kiosco TNA | Retrofit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installation | The one you already have | New installations and upgrades | Older installations that only take coins |
| Payment methods | Coins only | Card and contactless from a central screen | Coins, as always |
| Record of each payment | None | Automatic, including machines that keep coins | Automatic, payment by payment |
| Invoicing | Manual count and spreadsheet | Instant in PAYMMIO OS | Data sent automatically to PAYMMIO OS |
| VeriFactu | You prepare the data | Sales recorded in line with the rules | Automatic sending of the data required |
| Data for decisions | One total per coin box | Which stores and machines earn the most | Which stores and machines earn the most |
Why the coin acceptor gives you no data
A classic coin acceptor or payment terminal communicates one way. It validates the coins and sends an electrical pulse that gives the machine credit. That's where its job ends.
All that's left is the money in the box. You don't know which machine was used, at what time or at what price. The figure that reaches your books is a manual count, and a count is not a record.
Meanwhile, your card payments are documented: banks report to the Tax Agency every year what each merchant takes by card. We explain it in what VeriFactu requires from a laundromat.
The same month, with an upgraded system
- Every payment is recorded instantly, with its machine, time and amount, whether the customer pays by card, contactless or coins.
- Invoicing reaches PAYMMIO OS instantly. No spreadsheet to fill in and no month-end to rebuild.
- The VeriFactu data prepares itself. Your adviser gets figures that add up.
- You see which stores and machines earn the most, and you can adjust prices by time slot without touching the machines.
With each machine's payments in view you also know which ones work hardest, a good reference for planning maintenance. We explain how in our preventive maintenance guide.
Kiosco TNA or Retrofit?
Kiosco TNA is a centralised screen to control and take card or contactless payments for any machine in the store. It works with the main machine providers and is the option for new stores or for upgrading the ones you already have.
Retrofit is designed for older installations that only take coins. Your customers keep paying as always, but manual accounting disappears and sending the data for VeriFactu is automated. Either way, everything is managed from PAYMMIO OS.
When switching pays off
If two or more of these sound familiar, the old system is costing you money:
- You count the takings by hand and write them down on paper or in a spreadsheet.
- Your store is more than 20 minutes from where you live.
- You have more than 6 machines or more than one store.
- Your machines don't accept card or contactless.
- You don't know which machine earns the most or at what time.
Changing systems is also the moment to sort out the tax side: read what VeriFactu requires from a laundromat.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to replace my washers to modernise payments?
Usually not. What changes is the payment system. Kiosco TNA works with the main machine providers and Retrofit is designed for older installations that only take coins. Before deciding, check compatibility for your specific models.
What's the difference between Kiosco TNA and Retrofit?
Kiosco TNA is a central screen from which your customers pay by card or contactless for any machine in the store. Retrofit keeps coin payments in an older installation and records every payment so you don't have to do the accounting by hand.
Does my coin system have to comply with VeriFactu?
It depends on how you issue receipts and invoices today. If a program, payment terminal or kiosk does it, that system must comply with VeriFactu from 1 January 2027 if you pay Corporate Income Tax, or from 1 July 2027 otherwise. Confirm your situation with your tax adviser.