The last decade has seen the two armor-clad behemoths of coins and cards dueling for the top spot in laundromat payment methods.
However, a new challenger has emerged in the past few years: app-operated washers and dryers. How do these different types of laundromat payment systems stack up against each other, and which one will emerge victorious? Read on to find out.
Coin
Coin-operated machines are the washers and dryers you picture if you imagine a film set in the 1970s, but do they hold up in the modern age? Coin availability is good because not everyone has a credit card, but just about anyone can gain access to quarters. Coin-operated machines are good to consider if your laundromat is in an area where credit cards are not the norm.
On the other hand, cash encourages theft, which means you’ll want to pay more for security. High-quality coin vending machines, cameras, and other safety measures are necessary to discourage light fingers. On top of that, even though everyone can get coins, it doesn’t mean many people want to. Coins are heavy, loud, and easy to lose.
Card
Card-operated machines offer two main options: card readers for traditional debit and credit cards or prepaid laundry cards exclusive to the clothes-cleaning world. Since many customers feel accustomed to using plastic as their primary payment method, cards are a good option. Prepaid cards can encourage customer loyalty and allow you to avoid the hassles of having cash in your laundromat.
Unfortunately, prepaid cards are almost as easy to forget as coins. Depending on your method of reloading the card, they can also involve unnecessarily complicated online portals that customers don’t enjoy dealing with.
App
The best of all the options are app-operated machines. Almost everyone has a smartphone in their pocket at all times, so this method offers the best convenience. Options like ShinePay install easily and are intuitive for both laundromat owners and their customers. You can easily monitor your machines through an app and make that info available to customers. This can help them avoid showing up to a laundromat when all the machines are full.
Now that you know the different types of laundromat payment systems, you can choose the option that best suits your customers. But congratulate app-operated laundromats on their victory of convenience by transitioning to the digital era.
