Apriva BV1000 in Canada: what it does, and how to keep your machines when you change processors.

The short answer

• The BV1000 is the hardware, and Apriva is the go-between. The kit reads the card at the machine. Apriva's gateway sends the sale to the processor and brings the answer back.
• It is built for outdoors. The card reader and the PIN pad are sealed against dust and water, and all three parts work from -25 °C to 70 °C.
• Apriva works with more than one processor. Apriva says it works with the major processors in North America and lets merchants change processors. Its own list shows which ones each BV1000 kit is certified with.
• Your exact kit decides it. The kit with tap and the kit without it are certified separately, so the processor you want has to be on the list for yours.
• Some features are not public. Apriva's pages do not say whether the BV1000 takes Interac debit or works offline, and fleet cards are marked as coming soon. Ask before you rely on any of them.

What the Apriva BV1000 does

The kit takes the card at the machine, and Apriva carries the sale to the processor and the answer back to the machine.

The machine tells the BV1000 what to charge. The customer inserts, swipes or taps a card, and enters a PIN when one is needed. The kit sends the card data through the Apriva gateway to the processor, which approves the sale and later settles it to your bank account. Apriva says its gateway lets you mix, match and change processors, and that it can certify a new processor or device when asked. For more on paying at a machine, see unattended payments.

Terminals it runs on

The BV1000 is three parts that fit together, and Apriva certifies them as two kits.

The datasheet Apriva hosts says the parts connect to the machine by serial, USB, Ethernet or MDB. It lists the card industry's PIN device standard at version 3.1 for all three parts. That is an older version, so ask Apriva which parts it still ships today.

What it handles

Apriva publishes card, wallet and pre-authorization features for its unattended service, but several features are not stated for the BV1000 itself.

Who uses it

Apriva's certification list describes the BV1000 as a weather-proof device for parking, fuel pumps, vending and kiosks. Its parking page calls it an all-weather card device for parking meters. MADIC Italia says it builds standalone payment for parking meters, vending machines and gas stations. Apriva's unattended pages also list car washes, air and vacuum machines and EV charging as places it takes payments, without naming the device used at each.

Apriva does not publicly name the pay station, pump or kiosk brands that build the BV1000 in. The company that built or installed your machines will know whether yours has one.

Keeping your machines when you change processors

Apriva's gateway is the reason a change can leave the machines in place, but each part of the setup has to line up.

• Apriva has to be certified with the new processor for your kit. Its EMV page lists the processors each BV1000 kit is certified with, and some entries are marked for Canada. Check that yours is there.
• The kit matters. The kit with tap and the kit without it have separate lists.
• You open a new merchant account. A merchant number belongs to the processor that issued it and does not move to another one. See merchant account.
• The kit may need new set-up. Apriva's pages do not say whether a BV1000 needs new keys or new software for a new processor. Ask before you set a date.
• Apriva and your installer do the work. Apriva offers to certify a processor or device it does not yet support, and the company that installed your machines usually makes the change on site.

If the processor you want is not on Apriva's list for your kit, the change becomes a certification project rather than a settings change. Find that out before you sign anything.

What to check before a change

Where CleverPays fits

MADIC Italia makes the BV1000. Apriva runs the gateway and certifies the kit with processors. The company that built or installed your machines fits and supports them, and the processor approves and settles each sale. CleverPays makes none of it.

We can read your setup and name each part: the machines, the kit, the gateway and the processor behind them. Then we tell you in writing what a change would affect, before anything moves.