Accept payments with Square Reader
About the Square Reader
Square Reader safely and securely accepts chip cards, contactless cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Clearpay.
Before you begin
Square Reader connects to your device via Bluetooth LE, so it’s compatible with a wide range of devices. Learn how set up Square Reader.
When a customer taps, inserts or swipes their card in person, you pay a standard fee per transaction. Learn more about Square processing fees.
Square Reader is compatible with the latest version of the Square app on any supported device.
Square works with any UK-issued and most internationally-issued payment cards, and also supports mobile wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. Learn more about how to accept payment cards with Square.
Tap and chip and pin payments
To accept payments:
Sign in to your Square account on your device with the email address and password associated with your account.
From the Square app, add items to the current sale. Tap on the item in the right-hand panel to add a description, create modifications, change the quantity and apply tax. When you’re done, tap the X icon or Save. If you’re using a supported barcode scanner, you can scan an item’s barcode with a SKU saved to your Item Library.
Tap Charge to prepare for payment. If you’re using a mobile device, or your tablet is being used in portrait mode (vertically), tap Review sale > Charge.
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Help your customer pay with one of the following methods:
Tap: Ask your customer to hold a contactless device or card chip-side first with the front of the card facing up near the contactless logo to trigger the payment. The contactless logo lights up after tapping Charge.
Chip and pin: Ask your customer to insert a chip card into the chip card slot and leave it in place until the sale is complete. The front of the card should face your customer.
When you confirm on your screen, the payment has successfully completed. If you don’t see a green light, tap Re-enable Apple Pay and Contactless from the app.
If the customer wants a digital receipt, they can enter their phone number or email address on the confirmation screen. After a payment completes, the final screen will read All Done.
To cancel the payment before it’s been processed, tap the X icon or the back arrow to return to the previous screen.
More payment types
In addition to payment cards, you can take payments in a number of other ways, including card on file, QR codes, cash and more. Learn how to customise payment types with Square Point of Sale and accept cash and cheques with Square.