Accept Payments with the Square Reader for Contactless and Chip

Square Reader for contactless and chip connects to your device via Bluetooth LE, so it’s compatible with a wide range of devices – even ones that don’t have a headphone jack.

There are two generations of our Bluetooth-enabled Square Reader for contactless and chip: Square Reader for contactless and chip (1st generation) and Square Reader for contactless and chip (2nd generation). Square Reader for contactless and chip (1st generation) has three versions, and Square Reader for contactless and chip (2nd generation) has one version. Learn more about the differences and how to identify your Square Reader.

Square Reader for contactless and chip is not compatible with Offline Mode at this time. You can accept magstripe payments while in Offline Mode with Square Reader for Magstripe.

Accept EMV Chip Cards

Insert a Chip Card

Watch this video to learn how to accept chip cards with Square Reader for contactless and chip:

1. Make sure your reader is connected to your device.

2. Open the Square app, add items to your current sale, and then tap Charge. You can tap Charge before or after the chip card is inserted. Note: If you’re using a mobile device, or your tablet is being used in Portrait mode (vertically), tap Review Sale > Charge.

3. Insert the chip card (chip-side first with the front of the card facing up) into the dip slot on the top of your reader.

4. Leave the card in the reader until the reader beeps and shows 4 green lights, which means you can remove the card.

When you see four green lights on the reader, hear a beep, and see a confirmation message in the app, the payment has successfully completed and you can remove the chip card. If the customer wants a digital receipt, they can enter their phone number or email address on the confirmation screen.

Swipe a Chip Card

You can also complete a sale by swiping a chip card using the magstripe reader or Square Stand.

To swipe chip cards:

1. Tap More from the navigation bar at the bottom of your screen > Settings > Checkout.

2. Tap Swipe Chip Cards and toggle it on.

3. Review the liability warning on the screen and agree to the terms to continue. Liability Warning: By swiping chip cards and choosing not to insert them into the EMV card slot of your Square Reader for contactless and chip, you understand that you’re liable for any possible EMV card fraud.

4. Use the magstripe reader or connected Square Stand to swipe the chip card.

Note: You can toggle this feature off/on at any time.

Accept Contactless (NFC) Payments

You can accept the following contactless payment options: Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay, and contactless cards. Follow these steps to accept contactless payments with both generations of the Square Reader for contactless and chip:

When you’re ready to ring up your customer:

1. Make sure your reader is connected to your device.

2. From the Square app, add items to your current sale, and then tap Charge to prepare the reader for the payment.

   1. If you’re using a mobile device, or your tablet is being used in portrait mode (vertically), tap Review Sale > Charge.

3. When you see one green light on the reader, it’s ready to take your customer’s payment. Ask your customer to hold their device or card over the reader to complete the sale.

Note: If you don’t see a green light, tap “Re-enable Apple Pay and Contactless” from the app.

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.

Accept Magstripe Cards

To accept magstripe-only cards, use a Square Reader for Magstripe. Insert the magstripe reader into the lightning connector or headphone jack of your iOS or Android device and swipe the card. Learn how to swipe card payments with the Square Reader for Magstripe in our Support Center.

Square’s standard processing fee of 2.6% + 10¢ per transaction applies to all card payment types – chip cards, contactless, and magstripe. You can read more about how processing fees and rates are calculated.

Enable Mastercard Audio Tone

To enable or disable the Mastercard audio tone for the Square POS app at the completion of a successful transaction with Mastercard:

1. Tap the three horizontal lines in the upper left corner. 

2. Tap Settings > Payment sounds.

3. Toggle on or off Allow card network sounds.

If enabled, the tone will only be heard for dipped or tapped Mastercard debit and credit cards.

For more information, review frequently asked questions about the Square Reader.