Square is a popular payment processing service that allows businesses to accept credit card payments. With mobile payment methods like Apple Pay rising in popularity, many business owners wonder if Square is compatible. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about whether Square takes Apple Pay.
How Apple Pay Transactions Work
Before diving into Square’s capabilities, let’s briefly review how Apple Pay transactions work. Apple Pay allows customers to pay in stores, in apps, or on supported websites using their iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad or Mac.
To use it, consumers simply hold their iPhone near the merchant’s contactless reader and authorize the payment with Face ID, Touch ID, or by entering a passcode on their device. The transaction is then completed securely through NFC (near field communication).
For in-app or online payments, users select Apple Pay as the payment method and similarly authenticate the transaction using biometric authentication or their passcode.
Behind the scenes, Apple Pay transactions rely on encrypted payment tokens instead of directly charging a bank card number. This makes it more secure than simply swiping or inserting a card.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s look at whether Square is able to accept Apple Pay.
Does Square Hardware Support Apple Pay?
The main way for brick-and-mortar merchants to accept Apple Pay is with NFC-capable payment terminals. Fortunately, many of Square’s hardware devices already support contactless payments like Apple Pay out of the box:
- Square Reader for contactless and chip – Square’s newest chip reader supports NFC, allowing it to accept Apple Pay and other contactless transactions.
- Square Terminal – Square’s all-in-one payment terminal comes with everything needed to process Apple Pay payments.
- Square Stand – Merchants can connect their own iPad to this dock to turn it into a POS system. With a supported card reader like the Square Reader for contactless and chip, it can then accept Apple Pay as well.
As long as merchants have a supported Square reader capable of accepting contactless payments, they can start taking Apple Pay without any additional setup. During checkout, customers simply hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near the reader to complete the payment. It’s that easy!
Enabling Apple Pay With Square’s Dashboard
Square merchants can also enable Apple Pay acceptance from right within Square’s Dashboard:
- Sign into your Square Dashboard and go to the “Settings” menu.
- Click on “Locations“.
- Select your business location.
- Go to the “Hardware” tab.
- Under “Capabilities“, check the box to enable “Contactless Payments“.
- Review and agree to any terms if prompted.
Square will then sync your hardware to allow accepting contactless payments through Apple Pay. It should be supported automatically from then on whenever a customer pays with an iPhone or Apple Watch.
Does Square Take Apple Pay For Online Payments?
So Square has Apple Pay acceptance covered in brick-and-mortar stores. But what about online transactions?
Luckily, Square’s eCommerce solutions also support accepting Apple Pay payments online:
- Square Online Store – Merchants using Square Online Store to power their online shop can enable Apple Pay transactions right from the Store Dashboard in the Settings section.
- Invoices – Customers can pay Square Invoices from a merchant using Apple Pay both on the web and in-app.
- Square Online Checkout – This embeddable checkout lets merchants accept online payments through their website. Developers can integrate Apple Pay into the checkout form with supporting ecommerce platforms.
As you can see, Square offers Apple Pay compatibility across offline and online transactions for comprehensive support.
Benefits of Accepting Apple Pay With Square
Now that we’ve answered the question of whether Square can take Apple Pay payments, you may be wondering why you should accept Apple Pay in the first place.
Here are some of the top benefits of accepting Apple Pay with Square:
- Increased sales – By accepting Apple Pay, you can serve over 90% of iPhone users who have configured the mobile wallet on their device. This greatly expands your customer reach.
- Higher checkout conversion – Research shows that Apple Pay conversions can be up to 2x higher compared to other payment methods. Customers find it highly convenient.
- Enhanced security – Apple Pay transactions leverage tokenization and biometrics for secure, fraud-resistant transactions exceeding EMV chip card standards.
- Quick transactions – Checking out takes seconds with Apple Pay. Customers no longer need to pull out cards or cash. This can result in shorter lines and more sales per minute.
- Consumer trust – Apple Pay is seen as a trusted, premium payment method. Supporting it can increase your business’s credibility.
- Integrated experience – Once enabled, Apple Pay transactions are handled natively alongside your other payments. No separate steps required.
As you can see, adding Apple Pay acceptance to your Square account comes with multiple upsides for both you and your customers. It’s no wonder why contactless payment adoption saw massive growth amidst the pandemic – it simply offers superior speed, convenience, and safety compared to legacy payment forms.
Square Apple Pay Transaction Fees and Readers
If you’ve decided to take Apple Pay payments through Square, you may be wondering: how much does Square charge for Apple Pay transactions?
The good news is that Square does not charge any additional fees for processing Apple Pay versus traditional credit card payments. They charge:
- 2.6% + 10¢ for in-person card present transactions
- 2.9% + 30¢ for manually entered ecommerce transactions
These represent the standard Square card processing fees applied to all Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express transactions – including Apple Pay.
And when it comes to hardware, Square’s contactless readers are all available at affordable one-time prices:
- Square Reader for contactless and chip – $49
- Square Terminal – $399
- Square Stand – $169
There are no monthly costs or cancellation fees associated with the readers. Merchants can also opt for financing options starting at $5 per month over 12 months.
So Square keeps Apple Pay straightforward and cost-effective to implement for your business. Contactless acceptance quickly pays for itself through higher checkout conversion rates and frequent Apple Pay user purchases.
Pros and Cons of Taking Apple Pay With Square
We’ve covered all the basics about Apple Pay support with Square. To recap, here is a high-level overview of the pros and cons:
Pros
- Accept Apple Pay with supported Square hardware
- No extra costs or transaction fees
- Boost mobile wallet adoption among iPhone/Watch owners
- Shorter lines and checkout times
- Enhanced security and fraud protection
Cons
- Need to purchase NFC hardware if lacking (one-time cost)
- Less consumer adoption than legacy payment types
- Potential conformity issues for older demographics
For most modern businesses, the conveniences and revenue potential unlocked by Apple Pay greatly outweigh the upfront hardware investment. Square also future-proofs merchants to shift alongside mobile payment method preferences.
Wrapping Up Key Takeaways
To wrap up this guide, here are some key takeaways on whether Square accepts Apple Pay:
- Square supports Apple Pay acceptance with select card readers like the Square Reader for Contactless and Chip or payment terminals equipped with NFC functionality.
- Enable Apple Pay transactions right from the Square Dashboard by checking “Contactless Payments” under your location’s hardware settings.
- Beyond in-store payments, Square’s ecommerce solutions like Square Online Store also facilitate Apple Pay acceptance for online sales.
- Square applies the same 2.6% + $0.10 transaction fees to Apple Pay as traditional debit/credit card payments. No extra costs.
- Consider Apple Pay adoption for faster checkout speeds, elevated security protections, and tapping into the majority iPhone user base.
- Overall, adding Apple Pay to your Square account is seamless and affordable – widely expanding mobile support alongside existing payment options.
Check with Square or your merchant services provider to implement Apple Pay acceptance today. Every business should consider contactless payments like Apple Pay essential for modern commerce. Don’t leave sales on the table from mobile wallet users!
Conclusion
In closing, Square definitively offers Apple Pay as a payment option to its merchants across retail and ecommerce transactions.
With the right NFC card reader hardware paired to your Square account, iPhone owners can pay safely and conveniently using Apple Pay’s contactless interface. It only takes minutes to enable for your business via Square’s Dashboard.
Given Apple Pay’s security, ease of use, and rising adoption, merchants should strongly consider adding support if not already enabled. Contactless payments like Apple Pay increasingly represent the future of in-person and mobile commerce. Partner with Square to modernize your transactions today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does Square charge extra fees for Apple Pay transactions versus normal card payments?
A: No. Square applies the same 2.6% + $0.10 U.S. transaction fee rate to all debit/credit payments, including Apple Pay. There are no additional costs.
Q: What Apple devices work with Apple Pay on Square?
A: All recent iPhone, iPad, MacBook and Apple Watch models can make payments using Apple Pay. As long as customers have an active card set up in Apple Pay, they can hold their device near supported Square hardware to complete transactions.
Q: Is special hardware required to accept Apple Pay with Square?
A: Yes, merchants need an NFC-capable card reader like the Square Reader for contactless and chip. Square Terminal and Square Stand connected to a supported reader will also facilitate Apple Pay. legacy swipe-only hardware will not work.
Q: Can my small business afford the costs of accepting Apple Pay?
A: Yes! Square offers Apple Pay acceptance at no extra fees beyond standard credit card rates you already pay. Square hardware has affordable one-time costs or financing options. Given Apple Pay’s sales benefits, it quickly pays for itself in larger transaction volumes and higher conversions.
Q: Is Apple Pay safer to accept than physical credit/debit cards?
A: Absolutely. Apple Pay transactions rely on tokenized data rather than actual card details. One-time dynamic security codes also protect each transaction. Biometric authentication of the user adds another layer of security not possible with inserted/swiped cards.
Q: How does the Apple Pay buying experience compare for customers versus plastic cards?
A: Customers simply hold their iPhone near the supported Square terminal then authenticate with Face ID. It’s over in seconds without the hassle of pulling out their wallet. This superior convenience leads to faster lines, more impulse purchases, and a cutting edge brand image for merchants supporting it.
Q: Can I accept Apple Pay both offline and online through Square?
A: Yes! Square payment hardware combined with services like Square Online Store and Invoices enable Apple Pay acceptance across in-person and online transactions for true omnichannel support.
Q: Will more of my customers start using Apple Pay over regular payment methods in the future?
A: Yes, industry experts forecast massive growth in mobile wallets like Apple Pay over the coming years. Supporting contactless today future-proofs your business for this clear shift away from cash and physical cards. Get ahead of the curve with Square and Apple Pay!
Q: Is contactless payment adoption rising outside the U.S. too?
A: Most certainly. Beyond growing domestic usage, Apple Pay and competing wallets like Google Pay have seen tremendous adoption in markets like Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and parts of Europe and Asia. Contactless is quickly becoming the global payment standard thanks to escalating mobile wallet dominance worldwide.
Q: What other contactless payment methods does Square support besides Apple Pay?
A: In addition to Apple Pay, Square’s NFC card readers can accept Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and contactless cards like Mastercard Tap & Go. Square supports all major contactless options for maximum customer convenience and payment flexibility.