'What is a Point-of-Sale (POS)?' — 2Checkout E-Commerce Glossary

What is a Point-of-Sale (POS)?
The location where a merchant and a cardholder complete a transaction.

How Does a Point-of-Sale (POS) Work?
Traditionally, a cardholder or customer delivers payment for a good or service at a Point-of-Sale. Older Points-of-Sale used manual devices, such as cash registers to help protect and organize all payment collected. Today, Points-of-Sale use scales, scanners, and other, newer technologies to collect credit card information. In addition, peripherals to tablets and smartphones allow smaller merchants to collect credit card information wherever they wish through a payment service provider.