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Pay on a card reader

A card reader lets the customer insert, tap or swipe their card on a Stripe reader at your counter. It is part of the Point of sale add-on with no separate PayMidWare charge. It uses your own Stripe account, so save your Stripe keys first (Account settings, Manage credentials). It works with the internet-connected Stripe readers (BBPOS WisePOS E, Stripe Reader S700 and S710), which you buy from Stripe. Card numbers never pass through PayMidWare.

Pair a reader

  1. A manager opens Registers.
  2. Type the registration code shown on the reader's own screen into that register's Card reader box and press Pair card reader.
  3. The register's location needs a street address, city and postal code (Location details and tax), because Stripe asks for one.

A register has one reader. Check status shows whether it is online and Remove takes it off the register.

Take a payment

  1. In the payment panel choose Card reader, check the amount and add a tip if you offer them. The tip is added to the amount sent to the reader.
  2. Press Send to card reader. The register waits while the customer pays, and shows a Cancel button.
  3. The register updates by itself when the payment is done. Use a smaller amount to pay part of a sale on the reader and the rest another way.

If something goes wrong

  • The register never marks a reader payment as paid by itself. It asks Stripe, and only a payment Stripe reports as paid, for the right amount, is recorded.
  • If the connection drops or the register is closed while the customer pays, the payment stays waiting and is settled automatically within a minute or so. A payment nobody finishes is cancelled after five minutes.
  • If Stripe cannot be reached the register says it could not confirm and keeps checking. It will not take the card a second time until it knows.
  • As a last resort a manager can look the payment up in Stripe and use Payment waiting on the sale page.

The receipt and the Sales list show how the card was read (chip, tap or swipe). Refunds work like any card payment. To practise without hardware, save Stripe test keys and pair a simulated reader with the code simulated-wpe; the register then shows test-card buttons. Do not enter real card numbers while testing.