Accept Payments with the Square Reader
There are two generations of Square Reader: Square Reader (1st generation) and Square Reader (2nd generation). Processing fees, supported card brands, device setup, and payment acceptance are the same across the generations. Learn more about the differences and how to identify your Square Reader.
Square’s standard processing fee of 1.75% per transaction applies to all card payment types – chip and PIN, contactless and magnetic stripe (for international cards). You can read more about how processing fees and rates are calculated.
The following card types aren’t currently supported: Discover, JCB or Union Pay, but you can accept all other supported card brands. Square Reader is not compatible with Offline Mode at this time.
After you set up your Square Reader with your device, you can accept payments.
Watch this video to learn how to accept payments with the Square Reader (2nd generation):
Watch this video to learn how to accept payments with the Square Reader (1st generation):
Accept Chip and PIN Payments
Follow these steps to accept chip and PIN payments with both generations of the Square Reader:
When your customer is ready to checkout:
Make sure your Square Reader is connected with your device.
Open the Square app, finalise your sale and then tap Charge. Note: If you’re using a mobile device, or your tablet is being used in portrait mode (vertically), tap Review Sale > Charge.
Insert the chip and PIN card (chip-side first with the front of the card facing up) into the wide port on the top of your card reader and turn the device screen to the customer for PIN entry.
Once the PIN has been entered, make sure the customer has touched the blue tick button.
When you see four green lights on the card reader, hear a beep, and see a confirmation message in the app, the payment has successfully completed and you can remove the card. If the customer wants a digital receipt, they can enter their phone number or email address on the confirmation screen.
Accept Contactless Payments
Follow these steps to accept chip and PIN payments with both generations of the Square Reader:
When you’re ready to charge your customer:
Make sure your card reader is connected with your device.
Open the Square app, finalise your sale and then tap Charge. Note: If you’re using a mobile device, or your tablet is being used in portrait mode (vertically), tap Review Sale > Charge.
When you see one green light on the card reader, it’s ready to take your customer’s payment. Ask your customer to hold their card or device over the card reader directly above the NFC symbol to complete the sale.
When you see four green lights, hear a beep and see a confirmation in the Square app, the payment has successfully completed. If the customer wants a digital receipt, they can enter their phone number or email address on the confirmation screen.
For more information, review frequently asked questions about the Square Reader.