AWRA OpsHub Search
Intermediate Certificate on pass

POS Payments

Take cash, card and M-Pesa at the till, record the M-Pesa code or card authorisation on each payment, and add further payments to a sale afterwards.

3 lessons 36 min 5-question assessment 70% to pass
Take the assessment

What you’ll learn

  • Run POS counters, sales, returns, payments, receipts, cash drawers, and shift routines
  • Protect retail stock, discounts, taxes, cash, and supervisor overrides with evidence
  • Use shift reports, drawer exports, and exception reviews to support finance handoff
  • Identify retail fraud red flags and close the day with clear accountability

Course content

3 lessons · 36 min of reading
01
Lesson 1 of 3 Reading 10 min

Choose payment method

POS Payments focuses on cash, card and M-Pesa payment, the full amount at checkout by one method, payment references, further payments added after the sale, and audit review. AWRA POS connects counter activity, branch stock, customer proof, payment capture, drawer control, and shift reporting.

The practical goal is retail accountability. Every sale, return, discount, payment, receipt, drawer movement, and stock promise should be traceable to a counter, cashier, shift, and branch.

In practice, a cashier takes the full amount by card, types the card authorisation from the terminal slip, and later adds a second payment in cash to the sale from its page when the customer settles a correction. The M-Pesa code is filled in automatically when the register’s own STK push completed the sale.

POS payment path

1

Amount

Sale total is confirmed; checkout takes the full amount.

2

Method

One method — cash, card or M-Pesa — is selected.

3

Reference

M-Pesa code or card authorisation is typed, or filled by the register’s own STK push or card charge.

4

More payments

Further payments in other tenders are added to the sale afterwards.

5

Audit

The sale’s payment list shows each method, amount and reference.

Retail model

  • Retail work should preserve counter, cashier, shift, payment, and stock context.
  • Cash movement needs tighter evidence than ordinary transaction notes.
  • Returns, discounts, and overrides should be controlled by role and reason.
  • End-of-day reporting should support finance handoff without guesswork.
02
Lesson 2 of 3 Workshop 13 min

Capture the payment reference

The operating routine is to confirm total, take the full amount by one method, capture the M-Pesa code or card authorisation, add any further payments to the sale afterwards, and review method totals in the shift. This prevents fast retail work from becoming disconnected from stock, tax, cash, and reporting controls.

Before acting, check sale total, payment method, reference, cash received, change due, and shift payment totals. Retail errors often come from wrong counters, unreviewed discounts, incorrect tax display, poor return reasons, or missing payment proof.

A good POS user should be able to complete the customer interaction quickly while leaving a clean trail for the supervisor and finance team.

Payment method guide

Retail signal Check Action
Cash payment Cash received and change Record drawer impact; no reference on cash
Card payment Card authorisation from the slip Type it, or let the register’s card charge fill it
M-Pesa payment M-Pesa code and amount Type it, or let the register’s STK push fill it
Second tender The sale is already paid by one method Add the further payment to the sale afterwards

Counter decisions

  • The next POS action should follow current shift, counter, stock, and payment state.
  • Discounts, returns, and cash drops need reasoned records.
  • Receipt proof helps customers and protects the retailer.
  • Supervisor review should focus on patterns, not just one transaction.
03
Lesson 3 of 3 Practice 13 min

Audit payment proof

Retail closure should leave proof. Useful evidence includes payment method, M-Pesa code or card authorisation, cash change, further payments on the sale, cashier note, and shift payment summary, connected to the exact sale, return, drawer, counter, cashier, shift, or export.

Managers should review repeated variance, suspicious returns, unusual discounts, failed receipts, tax confusion, stock promise errors, and delayed close routines.

In practice, closure means each payment on the sale shows its method, amount and reference, and the shift can explain cash and non-cash collections.

POS payment checklist

Total is confirmed
One method takes the full amount
M-Pesa code or card authorisation is captured
Further payments are added to the sale
Shift totals match

Shift proof

  • Retail control is strongest when shift records and source transactions agree.
  • Cash drawer differences should be explained, approved, and reported.
  • Suspicious patterns should be escalated with evidence quickly.
  • Clean POS close routines make finance reconciliation faster.

Finished the material?

Take the 5-question assessment and earn your certificate — 70% to pass.

Take the assessment

More in this path

Point of Sale Fundamentals

Open course

Asset Tracking Essentials

Open course

Vendor Portal Foundations

Open course

Help Center

Need a quick answer while you read?

Run inventory, procurement, assets, sales, and field work with approved AWRA guidance for setup, migration, integrations, security, pricing, and support.

Search all approved AWRA public help articles.

Open Help Center