Get started with Tap to Pay on iPhone
With Tap to Pay on iPhone, you can securely accept contactless payments from Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and NFC-enabled cards on your iPhone without additional hardware. Tap to Pay on iPhone is currently available with Square Point of Sale, Square Appointments, Square Invoices and Square for Retail.
Using Android? Learn how to get started with Tap to Pay on Android.
Pricing, compatibility and transaction limits
-
Tap to Pay on iPhone is compatible with all contactless cards and digital wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay. Accept any Australian-issued and most international contactless cards with a Visa, Mastercard, American Express and bank-issued eftpos chip card. To know if a card is contactless, look for the wave-like symbol to indicate NFC (Near Field Communication).
Square sellers using Tap to Pay on iPhone will pay a processing fee of 1.6% per transaction. Read more about Square’s processing fees.
Square sellers accepting Afterpay Card on Tap to Pay on iPhone will pay a per-transaction processing fee of 6% + 30¢ (excl. GST) per sale.
Tap to Pay on iPhone has a per-transaction limit of $25,000 for mobile wallets (like Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay) and physical contactless cards.
Device settings for Tap to Pay on iPhone
To prepare your device to use Tap to Pay on iPhone:
Make sure your iPhone is running the latest version of iOS. To check if your software is up to date, go to Settings > General > Software Update.
If you haven’t already, set a passcode for your iPhone by going to Settings > Face ID & Passcode. Tap to Pay on iPhone requires a device passcode.
If you are not already signed in to your Apple ID on your iPhone, go to Settings > Sign in to your iPhone. If you are already signed in, you will see your name at the top of the Settings screen.
Enable Tap to Pay on iPhone
In your Square POS app:
From the navigation bar at the bottom of your screen, tap ≡ More > Settings > Account.
Select Tap to Pay on iPhone, then toggle on Tap to Pay on iPhone.
Verify the correct Apple ID is shown. If not, choose Use a Different Apple ID.
Select Agree & Continue to toggle on Tap to Pay on iPhone.
Once you enable Tap to Pay on iPhone, the banner at the top of the screen will read '✔ Tap to Pay' and you will see Tap to Pay on iPhone listed under My hardware by going to ≡ More > Settings > Hardware.
Toggle off Tap to Pay on iPhone to disable the feature at any time.
Important to note:
You will not be able to use Tap to Pay on iPhone if you log in to your Square Point of Sale or Square Appointments POS app using a Device Code. Tap to Pay on iPhone is available with Square for Retail if you use a Device Code to log in.
Make sure your Square POS app is updated to the latest version. You will need an iPhone XS or newer and the phone must be running the latest version of iOS or later to use Tap to Pay on iPhone. Tap to Pay on iPhone is not currently available on iPad.
Once the Account Owner enables Tap to Pay on iPhone, all Team Members under the same account with an eligible device will automatically be able to use Tap to Pay on iPhone. They will also have access to tutorials on how to use the feature within the app.
Accept payments
Find answers to commonly asked questions about Tap to Pay on iPhone via our FAQs.
- Go to Checkout and add items from your Library or use the Keypad to enter a custom amount.
- Tap Review Sale > Charge.
- Select Tap to Pay on iPhone and position your phone close to your customer. Have them either hold their card horizontally over the contactless symbol or hold any NFC-type devices (like Apple Pay, Google Pay, Apple Watch, etc.) to the front of the phone.
- If the payment times out before it’s processed, tap Try Again.
- Once the payment is complete, have your customer choose their desired receipt method.
Note: If the Invoice is already created, start from step #5.
- Navigate to Invoices and tap the + option to start creating an Invoice.
- Add customers and items to your Invoice.
- Tap Preview and send > Send Invoice.
- Tap X on the confirmation screen.
- Tap the created Invoice from the Invoices tab.
- Tap Add payment > choose the amount > Next.
- Choose Tap to Pay.
- Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the payment.
Security practices for Tap to Pay on iPhone
To ensure payments are processed securely:
Never hand your mobile device over to your customer. Have the customer hold out their card or NFC device, or hand it to you, to tap on your iPhone.
As your customer is tapping their card or NFC device, watch for the screen to show the transaction as Approved. This will be accompanied by an audible beep and vibration to confirm that the payment has been accepted.
Review your Transactions to check if a Tap to Pay payment was successfully accepted. Tap to Pay transactions are registered as a Card payment and have the card type and last 4 digits of the card number displayed.
You can remove unused payment types by navigating to ≡ More > Settings > Checkout > Payment.
Enable passcodes on your device. This will require a passcode entry when backing out of the Tap to Pay on iPhone payment screen. Navigate to ≡ More > Settings > Security and turn the Passcodes toggle on. Then select the option to require the passcode To back out of a customer-facing payment screen.