User rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars with 1101 reviews.
Accept Google Wallet and Apple Pay NFC transactions and EMV chip cards on the go, or add it to your Square Stand to complete your countertop.
Contactless (NFC) payments take just seconds - customers simply hold their device near the reader to trigger payment.
Indicate payment status, pairing readiness, battery charge, and other. Magstripe reader includedCard reader lets you accept credit card payments via headphone jack.
Pay 2.75% per swipe, dip, or tap for Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express.
Beware of this device! I have been using Square for years successfully (swiper unit plug in). I received this unit as a present, and was excited to try it out. I set it up at home, double checked that it was connected by bluetooth, and ran several successful practice charges. I took it to an art show this past weekend, and following the EXACT same instructions linked the reader to my phone via bluetooth. After inserting the customers card into the unit, after each and every sale my phone indicated "Transaction Complete". I returned to the square menu and checked that the proper amount was listed for each transaction. I had just short of $2000 in credit/debit card sales. 3 days later when no money had transferred into my banking account I called square. Seems the contactless and chip card reader wasn't properly synced with my phone (even though my phone indicated the reader WAS connected via bluetooth) and was not operating correctly. It didn't capture a single complete credit card number. Im not sure if this reader works properly without also purchasing the charging dock. Im not the first person this has happened to. According to Square they are not responsible and Im on my own. 10 of 40 customers requested electronic receipts. Square reached out to them . As of today I have heard from 1 of the 10. I wish I had never used this reader. It's fussy -- and it doesn't tell you when there is a problem with a transaction. I learned a hard lesson (which cost me just short of $2K. Never again.
I processed a transaction and my card chip reader was not working properly, I manually entered the customers card information. He was with me and signed for each transaction. After waiting and waiting for them to review my account and submitting a bunch of personal information they requested. They withheld my funds (and are holding them for 90days until March 2019) and permanently deactivated my account. I have a few issues with this. When they did this, it wasn’t my first time using square. I processed several transactions already and had had used square for months prior. Second, I am the owner of a small up and coming handyman company it’s just my husband, one worker and me, I was waiting for my deposit but I needed to start the job, so I spent about $900 of my money on paint and materials while I got the deposit. So now I’m out $1930 from the labor, $30 Square charged me for using their service, plus the $900 I spent on materials. It’s Christmas time, I’m broke, we painted someone’s house for free and to top it all off, Square and their representatives won’t tell me why they are holding funds and why they deactivated my account. Matter of fact they won’t even answer my messages and emails. I tried calling and I get a recording. Awful. Don’t use square. They have terrible customer service. And don’t care about their customers.
Why are credit card processing companies so shady? In addition to monthly statement fees and other misc. costs, I used to pay fees to lease my merchant processing equipment. I would've switched sooner, but I was locked into a 24 month contract. Now, do I wish the swipe fee was closer to 2% vs. the 2.75% that they currently charge? Yes. But it's still way better than the alternatives on the market. I've been very happy with the Square app -- surprisingly, it gets updates pretty often on both iOS and Android platforms. I figured that they would've been less active on the Android side, but that's not been the case. If I were to have a complaint about this particular reader, it's that I find that the bluetooth connection has terminated overnight. It's just a pain to have to re-pair every morning.
Naturally, when you are dealing with someone's credit card, you don't want anything to go wrong. For me, it seems like there is a learning curve with most electronics. BUT...this is so easy to use and I am beyond pleased. The Square charged quickly. The instructions are user friendly and easy to understand. I had no idea how simple this could be. And Best Buy sells a warranty for about $9.00 that covers the product if you have any issues or if you need to upgrade to a newly released version down the road. They even keep the information on your account so you don't have to find the warranty receipt.
The 2.75 fees are high but everything works as advertised. I used it to sell miscellaneous goods (Craigslist, Let's Go) on a Friday and money was in the bank Monday. If you want your funds on the same day. You have to set up up a debit card and that's another 1% interest. If you add all interest to items being sold, it's still cheaper to the consumer than them going to a store and paying state or local taxes. This was a good purchase. Works great at flea markets, food stands..ect. Some reviews on websites claim they don't like the customer service. I really don't see why they need customer service. All chip or credit swipes show instant to the consumers debit or credit card. Make sure you have the latest update for the app and make sure your iPhone is updated.
I run a small vendor table about twice a year. Square gives me a point of sale system which is easy to use as well as inventory tracking. The Square contactless and chip reader allows me to be more modern than many brick and mortar stores taking chip cards, tap to pay as well as traditional swipe. Square associates e-mail addresses with CC numbers so that once someone has entered their information for a receipt, they can always get an e-mail receipt without having to re-enter information. I sometimes have to wake it up and there's no battery level indicator, but I'm managing despite those things.
This is a solid Point of Sale gizmo for those who need to sell their goods and/or services while taking credit. Square has been an innovator in this industry and this reader is more proof, but the product needs some work. The package comes with a cable, the chip and NFC reader, as well as the separate swipe reader. The swipe reader is the same one they've had for years... but the chip & NFC reader (which works with both Android Pay and Apple Pay) is a solid looking and feeling gizmo. It looks and feels very much like a product made by Apple. The less than 5 star review is due to two issues: the iffy/inconsistent connectivity, and the super-easy-to-steal nature of this gizmo. Any bit of a delay seems to cause the bluetooth connection to be lost. I have an iPhone.
Q: if you are using the square with your iPhone now what do you need to use the chip reader with your phone now.
Q: Is this compatible with the IPHONE X?
Best answer: Yes, all the newer IPhones and IPads.
Q: Can you enter the cc info manually if the customer is giving it to me over the phone?
Best answer: Yes but the percentage they charge you is a little higher.
Q: How would you use the magnetic strip reader if there is no port to insert the device in on the iphone7?
Best answer: There is a lightening plug adapter that is available to use with the iPhone 7 and newer iPhones that don’t have the port.