Get Started with Tap to Pay on iPhone
With Tap to Pay on iPhone, you can securely accept contactless payments from Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay and NFC-enabled cards on your iPhone without a card reader. Tap to Pay on iPhone is currently available with Square Point of Sale, Square Appointments and Square for Retail.
Pricing, Compatibility and Transaction Limits
Square sellers using Tap to Pay on iPhone will pay a per-transaction processing fee of 1.75%. This payment method is compatible with all contactless cards and digital wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. Accept any UK-issued and most internationally-issued cards bearing a Visa, Mastercard or American Express logo. To know if a card is contactless, look for the wave-like symbol.
Note: make sure your Square Point of Sale App is updated to the latest version. You will need an iPhone XS or newer and the phone must be running iOS 16.4 or later to use Tap to Pay on iPhone. Tap to Pay on iPhone is not currently available on iPad.
Tap to Pay on iPhone has a per-transaction limit of £25,000 for mobile wallets (like Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay) and physical contactless cards.
Device Settings for Tap to Pay on iPhone
To prepare your device to use Tap to Pay on iPhone:
Make sure your iPhone is running iOS 16.4 or higher. To check if your software is up to date, go to Settings > General > Software Update.
If you haven’t already, set a passcode for your iPhone by going to Settings > Face ID & Passcode. Tap to Pay on iPhone requires a device passcode.
If you are not already signed in on your iPhone, go to Settings > Sign in to your iPhone. If you are already signed in, you will see your name at the top of the Settings screen.
Enable Tap to Pay on iPhone
In your Square POS app:
From the navigation bar at the bottom of your screen, tap ≡ More.
Tap Settings > Account.
Select Tap to Pay on iPhone > toggle Tap to Pay on iPhone on.
Verify the correct Apple ID is shown. If not, choose Use a Different Apple ID.
Select Agree & Continue to toggle Tap to Pay on iPhone on.
You can disable Tap to Pay on iPhone at any time by toggling Tap to Pay on iPhone off.
Note: you won’t be able to use Tap to Pay on iPhone if you log in to your Square Point of Sale or Square Appointments app using a Device Code. Tap to Pay on iPhone is available with Square for Retail if you use a Device Code to log in.
Once the Account Owner enables Tap to Pay on iPhone, all Team Members under the same account with an eligible device will automatically be able to use Tap to Pay on iPhone. They will also have access to tutorials on how to use the feature within the app.
Once you enable Tap to Pay on iPhone, the banner at the top of the screen will read ‘Tap to Pay on iPhone’ and you will see Tap to Pay on iPhone listed under My hardware by going to ≡ More > Settings > Hardware.
Accept Payments
Important to note:
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card networks often put safeguards on contactless payments to protect customers. If you attempt to process a payment using Tap to Pay on iPhone that is over £100 with a physical contactless card, you will be asked to try again and select another payment method. Your options include, but are not limited to:
Trying another card
Tapping with mobile wallet
Inserting payment card into a connected card reader
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Choosing a different payment method
If Manual Card Entry is chosen, the per-transaction fee is 2.5%.
Liability for any fraudulent transactions will be the responsibility of the seller. This is due to the Cardholder Verification Method (CVM) and Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) limits set by the card issuer. Payments over this limit may also decline automatically or prompt you to use a different card.
You can enable the PIN entry accessibility mode for customers that need it by tapping Accessibility Options on the PIN screen. The Accessible PIN entry mode will read out the instructions over the iPhone speaker to the customer. Reference instructions in text are also provided on-screen for you.
Find answers to commonly asked questions about Tap to Pay on iPhone via our FAQs.
- Go to Checkout and add items from your Library or use the Keypad to enter a custom amount.
- Tap Review Sale > Charge.
- Select Tap to Pay on iPhone and position your phone close to your customer. Ask them to either hold their card horizontally over the contactless symbol or hold any NFC-type devices (like Apple Pay, Google Pay, Apple Watch, etc) to the front of the phone.
- If the payment times out before it’s processed, tap Try Again.
- Once the payment is complete, ask your customer to choose their desired receipt method.
Note: if the Invoice is already created, start from step #5.
- Navigate to Invoices and tap the + option to start creating an Invoice.
- Add customers and items to your Invoice.
- Tap Preview and send > Send Invoice.
- Tap X on the confirmation screen.
- Tap the created Invoice from the Invoices tab.
- Tap Add payment > choose the amount > Next.
- Choose Tap to Pay.
- Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the payment.
Security practices for Tap to Pay on iPhone
To ensure payments are processed securely:
Never hand your mobile device over to your customer. Have the customer hold out their card or NFC device, or hand it to you, to tap on your iPhone.
As your customer is tapping their card or NFC device, watch for the screen to show the transaction as Approved. This will be accompanied by an audible beep and vibration to confirm that the payment has been accepted.
Review your Transactions to check if a Tap to Pay payment was successfully accepted. Tap to Pay transactions are registered as a Card payment and have the card type and last 4 digits of the card number displayed.
You can remove unused payment types by navigating to ≡ More > Settings > Checkout > Payment.
Enable passcodes on your device. This will require a passcode entry when backing out of the Tap to Pay on iPhone payment screen. Navigate to ≡ More > Settings > Security and turn the Passcodes toggle on. Then select the option to require the passcode To back out of a customer-facing payment screen.