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Track external transactions with Custom Payment Methods

Who is this article for?
  • Sellers with the checkout permission to take payments.
  • About custom payment methods

    A custom payment method lets you track orders from non-Square sources in your Square Point of Sale app. Use it to record sales from third-party ordering platforms, non-Square gift cards, memberships, and other external payment sources. All transactions appear in your Square reporting, so you get a complete view of your sales.

    Before you begin

    • You can enable and create custom payment methods from Square Dashboard. You can also view customer payment method transactions in your reporting. You can accept custom payment methods from the Square POS app.

    • Ensure you're using the most recent version of your Square POS app and your device software is up to date.

    • Custom payment methods apply at the account level.

    Due to reporting purposes, custom payment methods cannot be edited or removed once created. Make sure you have typed the name as you intend to see it represented on your reports.

    Enable and create custom payment methods

    Once you enable a custom payment method, it will appear on all your devices.

    1. Sign in to Square Dashboard and go to Settings > Account & Settings > Payments > Payment methods.

    2. Click Custom payment methods.

    3. Click Add payment method and enter a unique name.

    4. Toggle on Activate on Point of Sale to have your new custom payment method available on all of your POS devices.

    5. If applicable, toggle on Capture optional tip with payment to record any tips received from custom payment method transactions.

    6. Click Add.

    To deactivate the custom payment method, click Edit then toggle off Activate on Point of Sale.

    Accept custom payment methods

    1. Open your Square app and add items to your customer’s cart. 

    2. Tap Charge.

    3. Tap More > Custom payment methods.

    4. Tap the custom payment method you wish to use for this transaction.

    5. Enter an optional tip amount or note as prompted and record payment.

    Review custom payment methods in your reports

    The total amount received from custom payment methods will show as Other in your reports.

    Sales summary report

    1. Sign in to Square Dashboard and go to Reports > Sales summary.
    2. Expand Other under Total payments collected to see your sales totals split out by your custom payment methods.

    Payment methods report

    1. Sign in to Square Dashboard and go to Reports > Payments > Payment methods.
    2. Expand Other to see a breakout for each custom payment method you have set up.

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