Revenue: what counts and when
Card, cash, ads, games and giveaways — and why refunds are shown rather than deleted.
5 minute read
Revenue is booked per machine, per stream. Product sales are the bulk of it; advertising, games and quest revenue are reported alongside so a site's real yield is visible rather than guessed.
| S.NO | State | Counts as revenue? | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delivered vend | Yes | Money captured and product dispensed |
| 2 | Pending card session | No | Not settled yet — it may never complete |
| 3 | Cancelled | No | Nothing captured |
| 4 | Refunded | No, but reported | Money was captured and returned. Shown as refunded so a host statement you already paid can be reconciled |
| 5 | Promotional / free vend | No | Zero collected; tracked at retail value for giveaway reporting |
Card fees stay on the charged amount
Processor fees are taken from the gross your acquirer settles, which is why P&L starts at gross charged and works down. Net revenue is gross minus sales tax, nothing else.
Cash collected in the bill and coin mech is recorded the same way as card, with the payment method noted. A machine with no card reader is still a full citizen of the ledger.