Effective testing is foundational to the success of electronic payments. The speed, accuracy, and reliability of your payment testing solutions directly determine how quickly you can certify devices and bring solutions to market. At PaytestLab, we specialize in delivering faster, more precise, and fully automated payment testing – ensuring every acceptance device, POS, and payment flow is validated with confidence.
From a single acceptance device in a local café to a large-scale retail chain with hundreds of connected lanes, every payment environment requires a tailored testing strategy. PaytestLab’s PaytestHub framework is built to handle them all, combining robotic payment testing hardware with cloud-based payment test management to deliver faster, more accurate, and highly reliable results.
In this blog, we break down the differences between standalone, semi-integrated, and fully integrated acceptance devices used in payment testing and how we approach each to deliver faster, more accurate, and fully automated results.
Standalone Payment Solutions
In a standalone payment solution, the payment application and point-of-sale (POS) application reside in the same acceptance device. All tender types that are sold by the merchant typically happen in the same device, common in cafés, food trucks, kiosks, and small retailers.
From a testing perspective, standalone solutions are fast, simple, and cost-effective to automate.
Typical Test Workflow with PaytestLab:
- Mount the acceptance device on our PaytestRobot using the applicable base plate for that device.
- Implement screen recognition to interact with your payment acceptance device.
- Write and execute automated test cases, including manual entry, magstripe, EMV, and contactless, directly in PaytestHub.
- Use our PaytestMux for consistent and repeatable input of EMV contact and contactless test cards.
- Use our PaytestPlayer to automate EMV L3 test cases from either the Fime BTT or ICC SIMTMAT.
*Because no POS integration is required, you can start executing your first test cases immediately, ideal for quick regression cycles, EMV L3 execution, stress, or functionality testing.
Tools used:
- PaytestHub: Manages the automation environment setup and test cases, executes them, and provides detailed results and logs.
- PaytestMux: Stores up to 16 EMV contact and contactless (Dual Interface) test cards to expand test coverage and quickly switch between test scenarios.
- PaytestProbe: A three-in-one probe supporting contact, contactless, and magstripe interfaces (one probe per interface).
- PaytestPlayer: Interfaces PaytestHub with the leading EMV L3 test tools from both Fime and ICC Solutions.
- OCR and/or ADB: Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Android Debug Bridge (ADB) allow screen capture, receipt capture, and automated result logging with the acceptance device.
Benefits:
- Fastest time to deploy and execute test cases.
- Minimal hardware requirements and configuration.
- Ideal for automated EMV L3 certification and basic payment flow validation.
Semi-Integrated Payment Solutions
In a semi-integrated payment solution, the POS application runs in a separate device from the payment application, typically in an electronic cash register (ECR), and is not part of the direct payment testing process. This solution is common for larger retailers (where a standalone solution is not sufficient), where different teams develop the POS and payment applications, or when the POS and/or the payment acceptance device are sourced from different third-party providers.
In these cases, PaytestHub simulates the tender initiation that otherwise comes directly from the POS application, allowing us to test the payment application in the acceptance device independently while maintaining realistic payment transaction flows. This is achieved through support for multiple payment protocols, such as SIXML, OPI, Nexo, and Gempay. For more details on supported protocols, see our PaytestAPI documentation.
While semi-integrated solutions offer merchants flexibility without fully integrating the POS and payment application, from a testing perspective, it means integrating the POS environment with the acceptance device to accurately replicate live transaction flows.
How PaytestLab Automates Semi-Integrated Testing:
- The basic setup is identical to the standalone testing; the same hardware and software solutions from PaytestLab are required.
- In addition, an extension to the required payment interface is required, such as SIXML, OPI, Nexo, Gempay, or other custom protocols that can be developed upon request.
- This integration allows PaytestHub to simulate the ECR behaviour, as most test cases will always start by creating a tender on the ECR.
Tools Used:
- PaytestHub: Simulates POS initiation and manages test execution across different payment protocols.
- PaytestMux: Enables quick switching between multiple EMV test cards to verify all required flows.
- PaytestProbe: Delivers precise interaction with the contact, contactless, and magstripe interfaces.
- PaytestPlayer: Interfaces PaytestHub with the leading EMV L3 test tools
- OCR and ADB: Used for device interaction, display verification, and receipt validation.
Benefits:
Same benefits as Standalone, in addition to:
- No need for ECR hardware/software on-site – test from anywhere using our test orchestration framework.
- Faster setup compared to fully integrated solutions.
- Perfect for POS–ECR integration testing in a lab environment.
Fully Integrated Payment Solutions
In a fully integrated payment solution, the POS software and payment application are running in the ECR, often along with a network of peripheral devices such as PIN Pads, barcode scanners, receipt printers, and cash drawers. This solution is usually used by the largest retailers that want the most control over their POS solutions.
Testing a fully integrated solution is the most complex and challenging, but our payment testing solutions are built to handle it.
Fully Integrated Testing with PaytestLab:
- Electronic cash register testing to validate the POS functionality.
- Automation from the ECR via the POS, payment applications, and other peripherals for end-to-end transaction processing.
- Receipt capture and print validation to verify completed transactions.
- Execution of regression tests for payments alongside new feature validations.
Tools Used:
- PaytestHub: Orchestrates the entire test environment and executes test cases across all connected devices.
- PaytestECR: Controls the POS application directly for end-to-end test automation.
- PaytestMux: Manages multiple EMV test cards for comprehensive certification coverage.
- PaytestProbe: Simulates customer interactions across all payment interfaces.
- PaytestPlayer: Interfaces PaytestHub with the leading EMV L3 test tools.
- OCR and ADB: Capture and verify screen data, receipts, and transaction results during automation.
Benefits:
- Full in-store transaction replication, including all peripherals.
- Seamless automation of POS-driven payment flows for certification and regression testing.
- Greater test coverage for complex workflows without manual intervention, powered by our payment core testing engine.
Comparing Support
| Payment Interface Support | Standalone | Semi-Integrated | Fully Integrated |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADB | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| OCR | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| EMV L3 Certification Execution | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| End to End Testing (full ECR and payment testing including all peripherals) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Receipt Printing | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Additional Peripheral testing (Barcode Scanner, Standalone Receipt Printer) | No | Yes | Yes |
| PaytestHub | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| POS/ECR Testing | No | Yes | Yes |
Building Your QA Roadmap
Choosing the right payment testing strategy is about aligning your QA roadmap with your business needs and the specific payment solutions you use. Whether you operate with a standalone POS, a semi-integrated solution, or a fully integrated POS solution, your testing approach should be tailored to ensure reliability and confidence. From validating core flows with automated EMV testing to deploying fully integrated automation for end-to-end environments, a strategic, phased approach ensures comprehensive test coverage.
Why PaytestLab?
PaytestLab is your global partner for automated payment testing. Our payment testing solutions are built to support your specific needs, providing robotic payment testing integrated with cloud-based payment test management for distributed teams. Our EMV L3 Player, which integrates with the leading L3 test tool vendors and test orchestration software, enables automated test case execution, from automated EMV certification to regression testing.
Whether your focus is automated EMV certification, terminal brand certification, or continuous regression test for payments, our solutions reduce time-to-market and increase confidence in your payment ecosystem.
Ready to get started? Explore our webinars on Regression Testing and Introduction to Test Automation to learn more.
