Tap, Chip, and Swipe Card Readers
Note: Stores using Shopify Payments in the UK or Ireland can use Tap, Chip, and Swipe Card Readers with Shopify POS. If you want to use a card reader with Shopify POS and you're outside the UK or Ireland, you'll need to use a supported external card reader to receive payments.
Only available in Shopify
You can use Shopify's tap, chip, and swipe card readers to accept credit card payments and contactless payments (including Android Pay and Apple Pay) with the Shopify POS app.
tap, chip and swipe card readers comply with EMV payment standards, which helps prevent credit card counterfeiting and fraud. If you're using a substandard card reader, your business is at greater risk. Learn more ›
You can buy Shopify's tap, chip, and swipe card readers, countertop stands, and other retail equipment from the Shopify Hardware Store in the UK and Ireland.
Note: Previously, tap, chip, and swipe card readers were available in stores within the United States for processing Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Apple Pay, and Google Pay transactions. The Shopify Hardware Store no longer sells tap, chip, and swipe card readers in the United States. If you're in the United States, you can purchase tap and chip readers instead.
Who is this card reader suitable for? With a wireless design and optional countertop stand, the
contact, chip and swipe card reader is a versatile card reader suitable for both mobile and brick-and-mortar stores. You can charge your tap, chip and swipe card readers and take them to trade shows, markets and pop-ups. If you have a brick-and-mortar store, you can combine the card reader with the optional countertop stand to build a beautiful, clean checkout counter and always keep the card reader charged.
EMV and Shifting of Liability
Because the EMV standard shifts responsibility for purchases, retailers, not banks and credit card payment service providers, are responsible for charges related to credit card counterfeiting and fraud. This means that in any case, if you process a credit card with a higher level of security with a lower level of security (for example, if you process a payment using a magnetic stripe on a card that also has a security chip) , you are all responsible for fraudulent purchases. Learn more ›
Card reader requirements and supported payment methods
To use tap, chip, and swipe card readers, you need to meet the following requirements:
You need to be on the Shopify Basic plan or higher.
Your store needs to be located in the UK or Ireland.
You need to activate Shopify Payments as your payment provider.
You need to be running Shopify POS 5.15 or higher.
You need a compatible iOS device.
Note: Tap, chip, and swipe card readers are currently not compatible with Shopify POS for Android.
Tap, chip and swipe readers are only available in the UK and Ireland and can only be used with the following compatible payment methods:
Note: Tap, chip and swipe readers are not available in the UK and Ireland Tape, chip or swipe payment with Discover cards is supported, but you can manually enter the customer's card information.
Where to Buy Tap, Chip, and Swipe Card Readers
Tap, Chip, and Swipe Card Readers are only available in the Shopify Hardware Store in the UK and Ireland.
Card Reader Construction
Cost
Before using the card reader for the first time, you should fully charge it. The card reader takes approximately 4 hours to fully charge. When fully charged, the reader's battery life is 2-4 hours in use and around 24 hours in sleep mode. The included USB cable connects and charges the card reader via a computer or standard USB power adapter.
You can leave the card reader plugged in, or disconnect it when needed.If you use a charging stand, you can mount the card reader next to the register and leave the card reader plugged in throughout the day.
The card reader's screen shows the current battery status:
Power on, off, and sleep mode
To turn on the card reader, press and hold the power button on the top of the device until the Shopify logo appears on the screen. The blue LED starts flashing when the reader is ready (this may take a few seconds). If you've paired it with a device that's still within range, the reader will reconnect to that device.
To turn off the card reader, press and hold the power button for three seconds.
To put the card reader into sleep mode, press and hold the power button for one second. You can wake it up by pressing any button on the card reader. If the card reader is not plugged in, it will enter sleep mode after one minute of inactivity.
Pairing with an iPad or iPhone
The first time you connect your card reader to the Shopify POS app, you must use Bluetooth to pair it with your iPad or iPhone. After this, if both devices are within range, they will automatically connect.
You can stop the pairing process at any time by pressing the cancel button on the card reader.
If you accept credit cards and the card reader is not connected at checkout, you will be prompted to follow the instructions on the Shopify POS screen to connect it.
Steps:
1. Press and hold the "Bluetooth" button (or green ✓ button) on the card reader for 5 seconds. When the blue LED light and the "Bluetooth" icon on the screen start flashing rapidly, the card reader is ready to pair with your iPad or iPhone.
2. On your iPad or iPhone, open the Settings menu and navigate to the Bluetooth section.
3. Under Other devices, click the name of your card reader (for example, Shopify 123). It may take a few seconds for the card reader to appear in the list of available devices. The numbers in the reader name match the last three digits of the serial number on the back of the reader.
4. When the Bluetooth pairing request dialog box appears, click Pair to confirm.
5.When the confirmation code appears on the card reader screen, press the green ✓ button to accept the Bluetooth connection to your iPad or iPhone. When the blue LED stops flashing, the card reader has been paired successfully.
Updating Tap, Chip, and Swipe Card Reader Software
If your Tap, Chip, and Swipe Card Reader requires a software update, you can update it by following the steps below. The update may take up to 15 minutes, during which time you will not be able to use Shopify POS.
Note: Do not close the app or disconnect the card reader during the update. The update may take up to 15 minutes.
Steps:
1. Connect the card reader and iPhone or iPad to the charging cable.
2. Pair the card reader with your iPhone or iPad.
3.In Shopify POS, click Store.
4. Click Hardware.
5. Under Connected hardware, click Tap, chip, and swipe card readers.
6. Under Available updates, click Details.
7. Click Update.
After pairing the reader with another device, pair it again with this device
The reader can only be paired with one iPad or iPhone at a time. If you have paired the card reader with a second device and now want to pair it with the first device, you will need to first delete the card reader entry from the Bluetooth My Devices list on the second device.
1. On the second device, open Settings and tap Bluetooth.
2. Find your existing card reader (for example, Shopify 123) in the My Devices list.
3. Click the i icon next to the card reader's device name.
4. Click Forget this device and confirm.
5. Follow the Bluetooth pairing process on the first device.
Tip: If you are having trouble pairing your card readers, see the Tap, Chip, and Swipe Card Readers Troubleshooting Guide.
Create Transaction
Card readers can accept three different payment types: tap, chip, and swipe.
Contactless
1. On the payment screen in Shopify POS, click Credit/Debit Card.
2. Press the Accept button on the card reader.
3. Face the contactless payment card or device toward the card reader and hold it in position until the four green notification lights appear. The transaction is complete when Shopify POS displays the Payment Received message.
Tip: Depending on the country of your business and your customer's payment provider, contactless payments may only be available for purchases up to a certain amount. To purchase for a higher amount, your customer may need to use an alternative payment method.
chip
1. On the payment screen in Shopify POS, click Credit/Debit Card.
2. Insert the chip card into the slot on the bottom of the card reader, with the chip side facing you.
3. When the card reader shows payment approved, let the customer complete the purchase using the required authentication method.
Swipe card
1. On the payment screen in Shopify POS, click Credit/Debit Card.
2. With the card's magnetic strip facing away from you, swipe the card into the slot at the top of the card reader. If the card also has a chip, Shopify POS will ask you to insert the chip to process the payment.
3. When the card reader shows payment approved, let the customer complete the purchase using the required authentication method.
Verification Methods
After a customer pays, they may need to complete authentication by entering a PIN or signature in the POS app on their iPad or iPhone. Authentication methods vary for each transaction, depending on the payment method used by the customer.
Follow the prompts from your card reader and Shopify POS app to learn the steps you and your customers need to take to complete each transaction.
Troubleshooting
If you are having issues with tap, chip, and swipe card readers, please see these FAQs:
What payment provider does Shopify use with its encrypted card reader?
Why doesn't my card reader work?
Why is my card reader not paired correctly?
What should I do if my card reader cannot connect to the POS device?
I want to move the card reader bracket to a different location on the countertop, but the tape I used to mount the bracket is too sticky to remove.
Why did my chip card transaction fail? What does the error code displayed on the
card reader mean?
Why is the card reader unresponsive after sleep mode?
What should I do if my card reader won't charge?
If you still can't use your card reader after reading these troubleshooting answers, please contact Shopify customer service.
What payment provider does the Shopify encryption card reader work with?
To use tap, chip, and swipe card readers, you must enable Shopify Payments in your Shopify admin.
Why doesn't my card reader work?
Is the Internet working properly in your store? If you are experiencing Internet connection or network issues, you may have problems using the card reader.
If the network is working properly, try closing the card reader and then reopening it.
Why is my card reader not paired correctly? The
card reader can only be paired with one iOS device at a time. If you are pairing the card reader with a new device, make sure it does not continue to try to pair with other Bluetooth devices. You may need to update your device settings to "forget" the card reader before pairing it with a new device.
If the pairing process takes a long time to complete, press the X button on the card reader and try the pairing process again.
What should I do if my card reader cannot connect to the POS device?
1. Please make sure you meet the requirements for using tap, chip, and swipe card readers:
- Your store address needs to be in the United States, United Kingdom, or Ireland. - Your store's currency needs to be USD, GBP, or EUR, depending on the store address. - You need to use Shopify Payments as your payment provider.
1. Make sure your iPad's iOS version and Shopify POS app are both up to date.
2. Confirm that tap, chip, and swipe card readers appear as connected in the iPad's Bluetooth settings. If it doesn't show "Connected," pair and connect the card reader to your iPad.
3. Confirm that the card reader appears as "Connected" in the hardware settings of Shopify POS. If your card reader is paired with your iPad but doesn't show up in the app, you might not have set up your Shopify Payments account correctly.
I want to move the card reader bracket to a different location on the countertop, but the tape I used to mount the bracket is too sticky to remove.
To remove the double-sided tape used to mount the card reader bracket to the countertop, first remove the card reader and bracket, then heat the tape with a hair dryer. Once the tape is heated, it can be easily removed.
Why did my chip card transaction fail?
If the card reader cannot accept a chip card, keep trying — after the third failed attempt, the card reader will allow you to accept payment using the card's magnetic stripe instead. What does the error code displayed on the
card reader mean?
If there is a problem with the card reader during a transaction, an error message will be displayed.
Most card-related errors can only be fixed by the customer's card-issuing bank. If the card reader displays an error related to the card, ask the customer to contact their card issuer for resolution. Such errors include:
Card blocked
Payment declined
Payment error
Chip error
If you receive a Network error message, troubleshoot your in-store network connection.
Why is the card reader unresponsive after sleep mode?
The card reader and Shopify POS may sometimes get out of sync while the card reader is in sleep mode. If this happens and the card reader isn't responding, restart Shopify POS to sync it with the card reader.
Why is Apple Pay not working properly?
If an Apple Pay-enabled device is too close to the card reader, it may interfere with the customer's iOS device. Disable Apple Pay on your iOS device or keep the device at least 6 inches away from tap, chip, and swipe card readers.
What should I do if my card reader won't charge?
If your card reader is out of battery, or you're having trouble charging, try these steps to charge your device:
1. Use the USB charging cable to plug the card reader into an electrical outlet or computer. If you use a computer to charge the card reader, the card reader will only charge when the computer is connected to an electrical outlet.
2. If the charging light does not light up, try using a different charging cable.
3. If the charging light still does not light up, please try another power outlet that you are sure is intact.
4. When the charging indicator light comes on, charge the card reader for 4 hours.
5. If you still can't turn on the charging light after trying multiple charging cables and multiple electrical outlets, contact Shopify customer service. Before contacting Shopify customer service, make sure you have your Shopify Hardware Store order number and the serial number on the back of your card reader.
(Source: shopify)
The above content is the personal opinion of the author and does not represent the position of Hugo.com! If there is any infringement, please contact us.
