Most credit card readers work on a dedicated LAN cable, but there are some that use WiFi and Blutooth. And there are some that are for applications like coin doors, and I've seen American Changers machines that have them.
Downside, a lot of the units that have chip reader slots don't work for long. Stuff get into them (including coins) and they stop reading. And you can'tfix them yourself. If your EMV device goes bad, you usually have to send them back to the manufacturer for repair (for security reasons).
TAP and Phone payment EMV's work better, but there's a lot of credit cards that aren't TAP enabled (I have one from BofA that doesn't have TAP).

Because the change you speak of costs money. Card reader, bank account or what ever it is tied to.

How much money do you think I'm making that I'm going to start converting everything.

And please spare me the "you'll make more money song and dance ". I kind of know my industry and business.

LTG : )

I really don't understand all the down votes your first post got. You posted an honest question.
I admit I didn't agree with your post, but it's not bad by any means, and it brought up a valid discussion.

This 100 billion %!

Probably where Stern is headed with Insider Connect. Open an IC account with Stern, upload funds via any cash based app, use the QR reader to add credits through your account. Redeem achievements for swag, toppers and discounted games.

You all want more pins out there - and at the same time you want to encourage Stern/etc to REMOVE the ability for the pin to earn??

1 - Games need ways to make money. The only people who use card-systems, etc are those who have a LOT of pieces in one location. You'd never have arcade games in small locations without cash systems

2 - Coin doors have multiple slots for redundancy. You'd be amazing at how much they jam due to stupid human tricks. Having only one would double the chance the game is dead.

3 - 'home' versions have suffered in pins and arcades forever. The auora of the coin slot is real.

4 - Stern already is cutting corners here.. like NOT including the 110V harness in every game anymore. Don't encourage them further! Instead why not ask Stern to actually include a DBV instead of cheap coin slots!

I own an arcade with About 50 machines. We just received a pga golden tee with only bill acceptor and card reader and was doing terrible without coins. We had to retrofit ourselves. Our customers are still using tokens, which they can buy with credit cards. We also have many limited edition and premium games on location, so removing those would be a pain to retrofit new games. The coin mechs themselves are not so expensive, but I think adding other options would just be a pain for the manufacturers.

They can't get rid of the actual door without completely changing how the playfield is accessed for service (hello Hercules bomb bay doors), so replacing with art would require the art to be on a door of some sort.

Probably because that post claims the idea that the monies saved from the coin mechs would be put into other things in the game.
That's one thing at least.

I've played at probably 100 location's and have only encountered card readers once. Terrible idea...

This is the sorta shit DR would pull and look what happened there, Iv never put a coin near any of my games but have so many memories of scrounging change for them when younger I couldn’t not have them there, they are part of what makes a pinball machine a pinball machine!!

Be interesting if they are still there in 15 years time when cash is completely dead though.

And have all sorts of personal information, including your travel and game playing info, in one more data system. Blah.

Dear OP:
I'm generally with you, but as you'll see many of your responses included a version of "But that's what we've always done! People will expect it!" which is how progress gets stymied. So you get to continue to pay for a coin door that most home users don't use, and wouldn't actually care if they all disappeared tomorrow despite their cries.

Oh, except

No. Stop it. I need that like I need wifi feet levelers or a shaker for my toolbox.

I guess I'm the minority opinion, but I'd be fine if coin mechs weren't standard. I don't see the need. I'll never use them on a home game, and I'd be fine if Stern saved the $40 or whatever rather than building in a part that will never get used. Of course operators and some home users want them, so the coin mechs would just be another thing you order and install, like art blades or shooter rods or shaker motors or whatever. I'm sure Stern could design for the mechs to be snapped in and wired up in a minute or two, if there's not already an industry standard for that.

Just stop it already. The fact is coin mechs are still used by most operators and we don't want to have to start paying extra for them adding to our costs.

I don’t know…I think it is a valuable conversation. Ask jukebox owners if they want to go back to coins, or if their profits have increased with credit card and ap usage. It wasn’t long ago where jukes and pins were on a level playing field as far as coin to play goes. Now, I load up $20 on my ap, and play what I want to hear. I don’t know if the song costs a quarter or a buck.

bcuz more sell to locations and operators than home so they must remain.

I keep seeing discussion about credit card readers…. Problem is it is hard enough to make money as an operator, especially if there is a location split where the operator has to give a portion of coin drop to the location. Now, couple that with the fact that a credit card service wants to charge a monthly fee and a transaction fee too, there is less money money for the operator. Now what about chargebacks? Someone claims their card was stolen, games ripped them off or anything else along those lines. Now the operator is out of more money in addition to the audits will be off thereby operator missing money and giving split to a location that was never there.

I operated pins for a long time in several locations, big and small. Card readers are a major expense and so is the service that is connected with them. I also bought dollar bill acceptors for the majority of my pins, prices ranged from $20-$400 each. The $20 DBAs weee used/broken and needed repair or updates (more time and money). The $400 DBAs were required for the newer pins like JJP machine because they went to a 12v system. There were work around a to use a higher voltage DBA, but that was more time and money. The older pins required a new coin door because the old coin doors wouldn’t fit the majority of DBAs out there unless you wanted to cut and modify the original door. By the time I bought a NIB pin, the DBA, any mods or protective devices, there was a period of time that I wasn’t making money until those add on’s had been paid for through earnings. In addition, money wasn’t made until the deprecated value of the pin had been earned (back then, pins lost value especially as routed games).

It is very hard to earn money as a legit and quality focused operator. It’s easy to assume a credit card reader is not that expensive and is going to make more money, that’s just not case. Meanwhile, cost per play remains pretty much unchanged and cost of equipment keeps going up. More people aren’t playing location pinball on a scale big enough to make up the increased cost of operating.

THIS is what's missed by most people who disagree with any part of a post. Let's talk about it, not just crap on it.

It is a very valuable conversation and quite fascinating.

I look forward to more deep discussion on things like "Why do we need flippers?"

Right, but that's because you can "play" the jukebox on your phone. And you can have some anonymity if you are picking a song someone doesn't like.

Not of these things apply to a pinball machine.

I myself, want to see a full coin door with mechs and validator. Its part of the overall fun. Unfortunately, we are very near a cashless society. Illinois Tollway eliminated all cash in 2020.

The cost of bill validators is pricy - whether it is slots, car wash, game operators, etc.
I feel for the route people.

I also need the Cashbox.

No doubt. I still remember pushing coin returns and checking for quarters on games back when I was a kid. Sometimes you would find one jammed up with quarters. A little banging and pushing the coin return would result in a slot machine type of jackpot. That was the best! As soon as you get rid of coin mechs, games are just home editions and that's a downgrade.

Lol, Didn’t we all.

Speaking for myself, I was referring to "swipe card" devices, which typically means stored-value cards bought at the counter or a kiosk. Yes, there are other expenses associated with those, too.
.................David Marston

Are “we” part of the problem in keeping the cost of playing a game so low? Perception is reality. If the coin slot is there, do people expect the game to be under a buck? If so, are we indirectly cheapening our product by still wanting coin slots?

I wonder what Stern has planned for their Insider program. They need a return on the investment they are making. Could they be planning an ap (like jukeboxes), where you load $$$ to your Stern account, and through an ap play a game? Stern keeps a portion, and electronically sends the operator and location their cut? Playing through an ap eliminates the hardware expense of a credit card reader and service. If it works for jukes, why not pinball?

The last thing an operator wants is a manufacture getting involved with their earnings or knowledge of them. That is a slippery slope, on one hand a manufacture could see just how hard it is for an operator to make money. On the other hand, a manufacture could believe an operator is making an “excessive” amount of money and can afford to give up earnings by increasing cost of services or equipment for an operator.

Yes. For various reasons, operator wants to keep the earning data private.

They are getting $200 a pop now, that's a pretty good start.

But why DONT you want to give away 3% of your drop to a credit card processor? (Sarcasm)

Given that I am a home collector guy, yes I see your point however all my machines have working coin doors and I would have it no other way. Also have the correct coin box. It is just part of having a machine that is technically “correct” in my eyes. Hell I just spent $40 for the TOP to a coin box to make my Bally PB complete. Just my .02 worth!!

Went to a Cubs/White Sox this week at Wrigley Field this week. Card only at all food and merchandise outlets. The Vendors walking around were also card only. But those vendors happily accepted cash tips. I'm sure they report that has "miscellaneous income" to the IRS....

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Illinois VLT's (many manufacturers: IGT, WMS, Aristocrat, Novomatic, Bally platforms with a Scientific Games server) all have Bill acceptor for input and ticket printers for cashing out. No Ticket in though. Have to go to the ATM vault machine to collect cash winnings. No W2-G's either. Some big wins pay out excess of $1199.99 with "Red credits" that are play only.

Whenever possible, I tip cash because I’ve been there.

Last month when I went to Wondercon at the Anaheim Convention Center, I found that they've gone cashless too.
I only used my credit card for parking and went to vendors outside to buy food because they took cash.
And needles to say, I didn't see any Vendors on the exhibit hall floor that didn't take cash (but many that did take cards as well, which is fine because you can choose not to).

Bingo Pinballs FTW!!!

Things of beauty, they are.

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I wonder if the op works for Stern. This whole thread smells of something Stern would do. Remove the coin mechs and make operators call and have them shipped just to save a nickel. It's the same thing that happened with the DBV cable - although I believe that was a strategic move to save on UL approval costs by technically removing mains voltage from the coin door. It is so frustrating getting a new machine and having to call Stern with the serial number for them to ship you a stupid cable.

I’m retired. Still think it’s a worthy discussion. Change is good!

Selling bongs on a Hebrew website: the perfect cover for a Stern operative spreading anti-coin door propaganda.

I still use coin mechs in my own home i use my machines as money boxes as system 11 were 40c 60c or $1 for 2 plays and WPC $1 coin a game and 3 for $2 coin overhere here in Australia so whenever i get change i put them in my machines and it adds over a year goes towards parts but when people come over they set on free or lots of credits earthshaker and police force are lucky to get $10 a year as there easy to get replay and special

I have seen a few stern machines with google pay and credit card device with coin mechs $2 a game $5 for 3