Interac FAQ

Using the Square Contactless and Chip Reader or Square Terminal, you can accept tapped or inserted debit transactions.

Keep in mind, if you’re using Square Invoicesor Virtual Terminal, your customers can also pay with Visa co-branded debit cards and credit cards.

To accept Interac Debit cards on Point of Sale:

1. Add item(s) to the sale from the Point of Sale app, tap Charge.
2. Ask your customer to tap their Interac Debit card or insert their card for transactions above $100. For inserted cards, they will be prompted to enter a PIN.
3. Wait for card to authorize and payment to complete.

If you have tipping enabled, please note the payment flow is a little different:

1. Add item(s) to the sale from the Point of Sale app, tap Charge, then tap Contactless.
2. Ask your customer to tap their Interac Debit card or insert their card for transactions above $100.
3. Show the tip screen to your customer, allowing them to select a tip.
4. Wait for card to authorize and payment to complete.

Note: Some sellers use a third-party debit processor and are able to record these transactions in the Point of Sale app using the “Other tender” option. Tapping “Other tender” will not enable you to process Interac Debit cards with Square).

Selecting Debit/Credit > Record Card Payment, along with all Other Tender options, is for your records only – no funds are processed with this payment type. For Square to process funds, tap Card on the payment options page and proceed through the payment flow.

There is no transaction limit for Interac payments. Sellers will be prompted to insert their Interac cards instead of tap for transactions above $100.

No. Interac Debit payments are 0.75% + $0.07 per transaction.

You can process amount-based refunds using the
Square Reader for contactless and chip cards or Square Terminal connected to Square Point of Sale.

To refund an Interac payment through the Square Point of Sale app (iOS and Android):

1. From your Square Point of Sale app, go to Transactions.
2. Tap the charge you want to refund.
3. Select Issue Refund.
4. Enter the amount to be refunded and tap Next.
5. Reviews the refund details, and select a reason for the refund.
6. Tap Refund. Once the ‘Refund Complete’ message appears, tap Done.

Note: To refund an Interac payment successfully, you’ll need to have the original purchase card present and the full refund amount available in your Square balance.

Any transactions processed using Interac Debit has to be refunded in person on your Square Point of Sale app. In order to process a refund through Square, for a payment that was processed using Interac Debit, your customer will need to bring in the original payment card.

To refund an Interac payment successfully, you’ll need both the original purchase card to be present and have the full refund amount available in your Square balance. If you do not have sufficient funds in your balance to cover the refund, you’ll need to refund your customer outside of Square.

Yes! You’ll just need to click Contactless in your payment options before your customer can tap. This will prompt them to enter in their tip amount before finishing the payment.

You can order a new marketing kit directly from your Square Dashboard.

No. As of December 31, 2015, magstripe (swiped) transactions using Canadian-issued Interac cards are banned. You will need to tap or insert any Interac payments processed through Square.

Chip & PIN card transactions and contactless (NFC) payments can’t be processed in Offline Mode at the moment. You’ll need an Internet connection to process these types of payments through Square.