Troubleshoot payment errors on Square Terminal
Square Terminal can accept tap, dip, and swipe payments. Learn how to Accept payments with Square Terminal.
This article provides troubleshooting steps for your Square Terminal if you are experiencing issues accepting card payments.
Before you begin troubleshooting
When to troubleshoot
Troubleshooting payment issues involves steps that may take a bit of time, such as rebooting your hardware. If at all possible, try to troubleshoot your Square Terminal after hours. If you must troubleshoot during the workday, try to avoid peak busy hours so your customers will experience few delays.
To troubleshoot payments, you may need the following:
Your Square account login information (email address and password, or device code)
Wi-Fi network name and password
Step 1: Confirm card processing method
If you have Skip payment type selection enabled, tap Confirm & Pay to accept payments ― you’ll see Tap, Insert, or Swipe on your screen.
Ask your customer to hold a contactless device or card near the contactless symbol in the center of the screen to start the payment.
If a specific card processing method isn’t working, ask your customer to try a different form of payment.
Step 2: Verify your internet connection
Make sure that the antenna and swipe slit are not blocked on your Square Terminal. For example, placing your Square Terminal too close to a metal cash drawer can interfere with the signal to the internal antenna.
Step 3: Update Square Terminal software
Tap ≡ More > Settings > Hardware > General. If you’re signed out, tap Change Settings > General.
Tap About Square Terminal.
From this page, you’ll see your software version. Tap Check for Update to see if a software update is available. If you see Software Up To Date then you are all set.
Step 4: Restart your Square Terminal
Factory resetting your Square Terminal will reset your general Square Terminal settings (date, time, language, etc.) and remove any assigned Device profiles or Printer profiles.
Press and hold the power button and release as soon as you see the Restart option.
Tap Restart. If you hold the power button down too long and see a black screen with a count-down timer, immediately release the power button before the timer goes to 0. If you don’t, this will Factory Reset your Square Terminal instead of restarting it.
Try to process a payment before moving on to the steps below to factory reset your Square Terminal.
Step 5: Send a diagnostic report
Sending a diagnostic report helps Square further investigate your issue if you cannot resolve it on your own.
Diagnostic reports can take between 2-7 minutes to upload — make sure you have a strong internet connection and your device is powered on during this time.
Sign in to the Square POS app on your Square Terminal.
Tap ≡ More > Support > Troubleshooting.
Tap Upload Support Ledger.
Tap Send Diagnostic Report.
Once you tap Send Diagnostic Report, you can leave the screen and continue using your Square Terminal normally while the report is sent in the background.
Step 6: Factory reset your Square Terminal
The steps below require you to factory reset your Square Terminal. Make sure you have the login credentials for your network and your Square Terminal (device code or email address and password).
Tap ≡ More > Settings > Hardware > General.
Tap About Square Terminal > Factory Reset > Confirm Factory Reset.
Tap Reset one last time. From here the countdown will begin and your Terminal will reset.
You can also Factory Reset your Square Terminal by holding down the power button for 10 seconds until you see a black screen with a count-down timer.
Keep holding down the power button until that timer goes to 0 and the screen says you can release the power button.