Process Card Payments with Offline Mode
With Offline mode, you can accept card payments when your internet service is temporarily unavailable. Offline payments are processed automatically when you reconnect your device to the internet and may be declined if not processed within 24 hours.
Offline mode is available on Square Terminal and Square Register using the following Point of Sale apps:
Important to note
You are responsible for any expired, declined or disputed payments accepted while offline. Before taking an offline payment, we recommend you verify the name of the cardholder as well as the expiration date to ensure it’s a valid card.
INTERAC debit cards do not work in Offline mode. Any offline transaction attempted with an INTERAC debit card will auto-decline upon regaining connectivity.
If you have pending offline payments, do not sign out of the Square appor delete the app from your iOS or Android device. Do not factory-reset the device used to take the payment. Make sure you process these payments by reconnecting your device to the internet within 24 hours.
Pending offline payments will be permanently lost, and the funds won’t be captured if you log out of your Square account on your Square Terminal or Square Register.
Processing tap and chip payments offline is currently available with Square Terminal and Square Register only. Keep an eye on the Seller Community for future updates.
Accept Payments Offline
| Device | Chip and PIN | Contact -less |
Swipe | Apple Pay | Google Pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square Terminal | ✔️ Yes | ✔️ Yes | ✔️ Yes | ✔️ Yes | ✔️ Yes |
| Square Register | ✔️ Yes | ✔️ Yes | ✔️ Yes | ✔️ Yes | ✔️ Yes |
|
Square Stand (1st generation) |
✖️ No | ✖️ No | ✔️ Yes | ✖️ No | ✖️ No |
|
Square Stand (2nd generation)* |
✖️ No | ✖️ No | ✔️ Yes* | ✖️ No | ✖️ No |
|
Square Reader for Contactless and Chip & PIN cards |
✖️ No | ✖️ No | ✖️ No | ✖️ No | ✖️ No |
|
Square Reader for Magstripe** |
✖️ No | ✖️ No | ✔️ Yes | ✖️ No | ✖️ No |
* Square Stand (second generation) and Square Stand Mount require a Square Reader for magstripe cards for Offline mode capability.
** Square Reader for magstripe is no longer available for sale in Canada. Find out more about the Square Reader for magstripe end of life.
You can accept offline payments when your customer taps or inserts a card with a Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, or Discover logo and when your customer swipes a card with a UnionPay logo. Afterpay transactions, Square gift cards and EFTPOS-only cards will not work with Offline Mode.
INTERAC debit cards do not work in Offline Mode. Any offline transaction attempted with an INTERAC debit card will auto-decline upon regaining connectivity.
Enable Offline Mode
To enable Offline Mode from Square Point of Sale on Square Terminal or Square Register:
- Tap ≡ More from the navigation bar.
- Tap Settings > Checkout > Offline Mode.
- Toggle on Allow Offline Mode.
- Review the information, then tap Allow Offline Mode.
- To set a limit for card transactions taken offline, enter a Per Transaction Limit amount.
To enable Offline Mode from Square Retail POS app on Square Terminal or Square Register:
- Go to Settings > Devices from your online Square Dashboard.
- Select an existing Point of Sale or click Add a Point of Sale.
- Toggle on Allow Offline Mode.
- Click Save.
To enable Offline Mode from Square Appointments POS app on Square Terminal or Square Register:
- Tap ≡ More from the navigation bar.
- Tap Settings > Checkout > Offline Mode.
- Toggle on Allow Offline Mode.
- Review the information, then tap Allow Offline Mode.
- To set a limit for card transactions taken offline, enter a Per Transaction Limit amount.
To enable Offline Mode from Square for Restaurants POS app on Square Terminal and Square Register:
- Go to Settings > Devices from your online Square Dashboard.
- Select an existing Point of Sale or click Add a Point of Sale.
- Toggle on Allow Offline Mode.
- Click Save.
Overview
Once enabled, Offline Mode will be automatically activated whenever your internet connectivity is unavailable. You will see a banner at the top of your device's screen indicating the Square app has automatically entered Offline Mode.
Note: In order for your team members to enable or disable Offline Mode, they will need to have the “Configure Checkout Settings” box checked in their permissions setting. Team members without this permission granted can still process payments in Offline Mode but will be unable to enable or disable Offline Mode.
Offline payments will appear as pending from your in-app payment history while your device is offline. When you reconnect your device to the internet, payments will show as completed and will be visible from your online Square Dashboard. Customers’ digital receipts and your payment notification emails will also be sent when the app is back online. Remember – you’ll have 24 hours to upload your offline payments.
Accept Offline Payments Safely
Be sure to obtain a signature for every transaction (where possible) and verify the signature on the screen matches the signature on the back of the payment card. If the card is not signed, ask your customer for a government-issued ID and to sign the card.
Looking at their ID, match the signature to the signature on the payment card. While you can’t require your customer to provide an ID, and requesting an ID doesn’t change your liability for chargebacks, unsigned cards are invalid and should not be accepted.
Remember, if a payment card is declined, Square is unable to provide customer contact information or contact the customer on your behalf.
Refund Offline Payments
You’re unable to cancel or refund pending offline payments. To issue a refund:
Complete your pending payments by reconnecting to the Internet within 24 hours of the original transaction time.
This will automatically upload your payments.
Once complete, you can issue a refund from the Transactions tab of your Square Terminal, Square Register, or online Square Dashboard.
FAQ
Learn more via our Offline Payments FAQ.