POS Terminal — AfriLink Pay

How it works

Four steps from open to paid — the entire flow takes under 3 seconds once the customer taps.

Enter Amount

Open the AfriLink POS app on your Android phone or tablet. Enter the payment amount and select currency.

Customer Taps

The customer taps their AfriLink wearable (ring, card, sticker) to the back of your phone. The NFC chip is read in under a second.

Identity Resolved

The server resolves the wearable's Tag ID to the customer's AfriLink @handle and wallet in real time.

Payment Complete

Funds are instantly debited from the customer's wallet and credited to yours. Both sides get a push notification. Done.

Two flows, one platform

AfriLink POS works the same way whether you're holding the phone or tapping it.

🏪

You're the Merchant

Turn your phone into a POS. Open the terminal, enter an amount, and wait for the customer to tap. No extra hardware needed — just the AfriLink POS web app running in Chrome on your Android.

💳

You're the Customer

Link your AfriLink wearable to your account. Tap at any AfriLink POS terminal to pay. Wristband, ring, card — whatever you carry. No app needed on the customer side.

Wearables info → Launch POS →

Device requirements

The AfriLink POS terminal is a progressive web app — no installation required. Open it in Chrome and you're ready to accept payments.

📱

Android 9+
(any NFC phone)

🌐

Chrome 89+

📶

NFC enabled

☁️

Internet connection

💡

No NFC? No problem. The POS terminal automatically falls back to QR code scanning or manual @handle entry — so any smartphone works as a payment terminal.

Africa-first fallbacks

Connectivity and hardware vary across Africa. AfriLink POS is designed to work everywhere — three input methods, one settlement system.

📡

NFC Tap

Primary method. Chrome 89+ on Android. Customer taps their wearable to the back of your phone. Fastest — under 3 seconds end-to-end.

📷

QR Code

The POS generates a QR. Customer scans with their camera app. Works on all phones including iPhone, any browser.

✍️

@Handle Entry

The merchant types the customer's AfriLink handle manually. Works offline-first, ideal for low-connectivity environments.

🔄

All three methods settle to the same AfriLink wallet in real time. Switch between them with a tap on the waiting screen.

For merchants & agents

The POS terminal is built into both the Merchant and Agent dashboards — no extra signup required.

🏪

Merchant

Access the web POS from your Merchant Dashboard → POS Terminal. Your API key authenticates the session. All payments credit your merchant wallet instantly. View session history, cancellations, and receipts in the dashboard.

🤝

Agent

Agents can also launch the POS terminal from their Agent Dashboard → POS Terminal. Ideal for cash-in/cash-out agents who want to accept digital payments from wearable customers.

Hardware developer API

Building a dedicated POS device? Use the merchant REST API:

REST API

// 1. Create a payment session (your POS device calls this)
POST /api/pos/sessions
x-merchant-api-key: YOUR_KEY
{
  "amount":      25.00,
  "currency":    "GHS",
  "description": "Groceries",
  "callbackUrl": "https://your-device.local/webhook"
}
→ { sessionId, tapUrl, ttlSeconds: 90, expiresAt, status: "pending" }

// 2. Customer taps wearable → your device reads the NFC URL → POST the tap
POST /api/pos/sessions/:sessionId/tap
x-merchant-api-key: YOUR_KEY
{ "tagId": "TG3F8A1B2C", "nfcUid": "04:AB:CD:12:34" }

// Or poll for status (the web POS does this every 1 second)
GET /api/pos/sessions/:sessionId
→ { status: "completed", payerHandle: "@kwame", amount: 25.00 }

// 3. Webhook (if callbackUrl set): POST with X-AfriLink-Signature header
{
  "event":       "pos.session.completed",
  "sessionId":   "uuid",
  "payerHandle": "@kwame",
  "amount":      25.00,
  "currency":    "GHS",
  "completedAt": "2026-05-26T13:00:00Z"
}

AfriLink POS vs Traditional POS

Feature	AfriLink POS	Traditional POS
Hardware cost	Free (use your phone)	$150–$800
Card scheme fees	None (closed-loop wallet)	1.5–3.5% per txn
Setup time	2 minutes	Days–weeks
NFC required	Optional (QR fallback)	Required
Works offline	Partial (QR queue)	No
Africa-native	✓ Mobile money first	✗ Card-centric

Web NFC — how the tap works

The POS page uses the Web NFC API (NDEFReader) to read NDEF URL records from wearables. No EMV, no card emulation needed — wearables encode a URL (https://afrilinkpay.com/tap/TGxxxxxxxx) which the POS reads, extracts the Tag ID, and submits to the session API.

JavaScript

// Reading the wearable tap (already built into pos.html)
const reader = new NDEFReader();
await reader.scan();
reader.addEventListener('reading', ({ message }) => {
  for (const record of message.records) {
    if (record.recordType === 'url') {
      const url   = new TextDecoder().decode(record.data);
      const match = url.match(/\/tap\/(TG[0-9A-F]{8})/i);
      if (match) submitTap({ tagId: match[1] }); // → POST /api/pos/sessions/:id/tap
    }
  }
});

⚠️

NDEFReader is available in Chrome 89+ on Android only. iOS does not support Web NFC. The QR and @handle fallbacks cover iOS users and non-NFC devices automatically.

Ready to start accepting NFC payments?

Free to use for all AfriLink merchants and agents. No extra hardware. No card scheme fees.

Launch POS Terminal → Register as Merchant

Turn Your Phone Into a Payment Terminal