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Get Started with Online Checkout in Square POS, Square Terminal, and Square Register

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Use Square Online Checkout in your Square Point of Sale or Square Terminal to let customers pay you instantly - whether you’re selling in-store, online, or via social media. You can download and print a custom QR code to direct your customers to your payment links, offering a simple, contactless payment solution that will allow your customers to self-serve.

There is no monthly fee for using Square Online Checkout links. You’ll only pay Square standard eCommerce processing fee of 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction.

For more instructions on setting up and managing Online Checkout links on your online Square Dashboard, check out getting started with Square Online Checkout links.

Create a Checkout Link

Start accepting payments with Online Checkout through your Square Point of Sale, Square Terminal, or Square Register. You can create checkout links for:

  • Collect payments – to accept money for goods or services.

  • Buyer entered payments – to accept an amount of the customer’s choice.

  • Items – to accept money for items in your Item Library.

  • Donations – to allow a donor to enter an amount of their choice.

You can create a checkout link from your Square Point of Sale app, Terminal, Register or the Online Checkout add-on.

From your Square Point of Sale app, Square Terminal, or Square Register

To create a checkout link from your Square Point of Sale app or Terminal:

  1. Tap ≡ More and select Online Checkout.
    Note: If Online Checkout does not appear in More, add it to your Point of Sale app by tapping ≡ More > Add-ons > Online Checkout > Add to Point of Sale.
  2. Tap Create Link in the Online Checkout section.
  3. If prompted, enter the name, amount, and description for your link and choose the applicable options.
  4. Tap Share link to share it with your customers.
  5. Optional: Tap Make into reusable link to convert your payment link into a reusable Checkout Link.
  6. Have your customer scan the QR code with their phone, or share the link through text, email, or social media. On Square Terminal and Square Register, you can choose Send Link via Text or Show QR Code.

Note: You can use reusable links for a custom amount or a single item from your Item Library.

From the Online Checkout add-on

  1. From the Point of Sale app, tap ≡ More and select Online Checkout. Note: If Online Checkout does not appear in More, add it to your Point of Sale app by tapping ≡ More > Add-ons > Online Checkout > Add to Point of Sale.
  2. On the Online Checkout home page, tap + then tap Collect a payment, Sell an item, or Accept a donation.
  3. Enter a name for your link.
  4. If prompted, enter the amount you want to charge.
  5. Optional: Add a description. The description for each checkout link has a 400-character limit. Note: When creating a link for an existing item, the description added from Items will be used. To edit your description, go to Items.
  6. Optional: If you select Collect a payment, enable tipping, add custom fields, allow the buyer to select a price for links or redirect customers to a website after checkout.
  7. Tap Save and Share link. Your customer can scan the QR code with their phone, or you can share the link through text, email, or social media.

From the Square Point of Sale Items

  1. From the Point of Sale app, tap ≡ More > Items.
  2. Tap All Items and select an existing item to open the Edit Item page.
  3. Toggle on Create a pay link for item.
  4. Select Share Link to share the link through text, email, or social media.
  5. Tap Save.

You can also create links through the edit item page.

Note: Link creation via the Item Catalog is not available for Square Terminal or Square Register.

Square Online Checkout links are only available for domestic sales. If you’d like to sell online internationally or create a fully customizable eCommerce website, learn more about getting started with Square Online.

Print a QR Code

Once you've created an Online Checkout link, you can print a QR code to let your customers make a touch-free and self-serve payment. To print a QR Code from your Square Point of Sale app, Terminal or Register:

  1. From the menu, go to Settings and select Online Checkout.

  2. Create a link, or select a link you’ve already created. 

  3. From your link share page, select Actions > Print QR Code.

  4. Select your QR code size and Print details. 

  5. Tap Print, and choose your printer. You can also save your QR code as a PDF for printing later.

Buyer-Entered Payments

To allow customers to enter custom amounts for Online Checkout links in the Square Point of Sale app, Terminal or Register:

  1. From the menu, go to Settings and select Online Checkout.

  2. Tap Create link > Collect payments.

  3. Name your link.

  4. Toggle on Allow buyer to enter amount.

  5. Tap Save.

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