Free Mobile Credit Card Reader | Square Reader (2024)

FAQs

Does Square give you a free card reader? ›

Fast setup, no commitments. Sign up for Square and we'll drop your free card reader in the mail—no commitments or long-term contracts.

My Square Reader won't accept cards

Ensure that your Square Reader is fully charged and that you have a strong Wi-Fi or cellular data connection. If Square Reader and device are more than 10 feet apart, move your Square Reader and device closer when in use.

Download the Square POS app and sign in to open your account. Start accepting payments by entering card numbers without a reader. We'll ship you a reader, which should arrive within 10 business days, or you can pick one up at a participating retail store.

The reader has nothing to do with the account and can be used by anyone with a square account.

What are your fees? The Square standard processing fee is 2.6% + 10¢ for contactless payments, swiped or inserted chip cards, and swiped magstripe cards. Payments that are manually keyed-in, processed using Card on File, or manually entered using Virtual Terminal have a 3.5% + 15¢ fee.

Square POS

The Square credit card reader is available to anyone who signs up for an account. It works with the free Square Point of Sales app to allow users to take payments from their smartphone or tablet.

Some common reasons why we're unable to approve customers to accept credit cards include: Typos or incorrect information entered. Providing a business name, or a recently changed name. A legal first and legal last name are required to verify your identity.

Square can process most internationally-issued cards bearing any of the logos above via manual entry, by swiping a card, dipping a chip card, or tapping a contactless card. Please note: If your customer or a payment card isn't present, you can manually enter your customers' card information.

As long as the card has a Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, JCB, or Union Pay logo, it can be processed by Square.

Square does not charge a monthly or annual fee. Instead, the company makes money through a percentage of every credit card transaction it processes. Square charges 2.6% plus 10 cents for most in-person transactions. However, if the card must be entered manually, it charges 3.5% plus 15 cents per transaction.

Do you need a subscription for a Square reader? ›

It's free to get started with Square Point of Sale. There are no setup or monthly fees. Only pay when you take a payment.

Square requires an active internet connection to process payments. For mobile devices, this can be either a Wi-Fi connection or a data service such as 4G or 5G.

Clover is also a great alternative to Square in terms of hardware variety. From simple contactless mobile card readers to full-service dining POS systems complete with a kitchen display system (KDS) software and hardware solution.

What devices can I use with the Square Reader? You can use most Apple iOS devices and many Android devices with built-in Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).

Square does not charge a monthly or annual fee. Instead, the company makes money through a percentage of every credit card transaction it processes. Square charges 2.6% plus 10 cents for most in-person transactions. However, if the card must be entered manually, it charges 3.5% plus 15 cents per transaction.

It's free to get started with Square Point of Sale. There are no setup or monthly fees. Only pay when you take a payment.

You can process payments from your computer with Virtual Terminal. To manually enter a payment using a computer: Log into your online Square Dashboard using a supported browser. Navigate to Virtual Terminal > Take a Payment.

Before you download the app, make sure you have the information needed to get started with Square and your device's software is up to date. Note: All Square apps are free to download, but you may be required to set up billing info with Apple or Google in order to download apps from their app stores.