Symptoms
On older vending machines, customers may experience one or more of the following issues:
Mobile payment or contactless cards are not detected.
The card reader remains on “Tap Your Card” even after tapping.
Customers need to tap multiple times before a transaction is accepted.
The issue temporarily disappears after the vending machine is power cycled.
Cause
As vending machines age, their electrical grounding (earthing) can gradually deteriorate.
This is a common issue observed on older machines, typically:
European/American manufactured machines: after approximately 10 years
Chinese manufactured machines: after approximately 5 years
Poor grounding can introduce electrical interference that affects the card reader’s contactless communication, resulting in unreliable card or mobile payment detection.
If the card reader works normally immediately after restarting the vending machine, the issue is very likely related to an earthing (grounding) problem.
Temporary Workaround
Until the vending machine can be properly repaired, the following procedure is recommended.
Step 1 – Power Cycle the Machine
Turn OFF the vending machine using the main power switch at the wall outlet.
Wait at least 30 seconds.
Turn the machine back ON.
This resets the electrical system and often restores normal card reader operation.
Step 2 – Repeat Regularly
As a preventative measure:
Perform a full power cycle at least once per month.
If the problem returns after only a few days:
Increase the frequency of power cycling (for example, once per week).
Permanent Solution
If the required power-cycle interval becomes shorter over time (for example, from monthly, to weekly, to every few days), this usually indicates that the earthing condition is continuing to deteriorate.
At this point, the vending machine should be inspected and repaired by the vending machine manufacturer or an authorised service technician.
Power cycling is only a temporary workaround and should not be considered a permanent fix.