Managing power and charging for the Shopify Tap & Chip Card Reader

On this page, you can find detailed instructions on powering on and off your Shopify Tap & Chip Card Reader, as well as guidelines for charging the device. Maintaining proper power management is crucial for uninterrupted sales operations.

Note

The Tap & Chip Card Reader is exclusively available in the United States. For businesses located outside of the United States, review the supported card readers for Shopify POS by region help article to find a card reader that's compatible and available for your specific region.

Power the Tap & Chip Card Reader on and off

To turn on the Tap & Chip Card Reader, press and release its power button. The status lights should turn on and display the battery level. If you've already paired and connected the reader with your POS device, then the reader automatically reconnects to the device.

After 8 hours of inactivity, the Tap & Chip Card Reader goes to sleep. You need to press and release the power button to wake the card reader again. If you press and hold the power button for 4 seconds or more, then the reader resets any Bluetooth pairing it had, and needs to be paired again. If the reader is connected using a USB-C cable, then pressing and holding the power button won't reset the pairing.

To prevent the Tap & Chip Card Reader from going into sleep mode, ensure that it's plugged into a continuous power source.

Charge the Tap & Chip Card Reader

You can charge the Tap & Chip Card Reader by using the USB-C cable that's supplied with it. To charge the reader, plug the small end of the USB connector into the card reader, and then plug the large end into a phone charger or computer. Best practice is to use a 5V / 1A (5W) charger.

The reader also charges when placed in the Tap & Chip Card Reader dock. The USB cable supplied with the dock must be plugged into a phone charger or computer.

Caution

When charging the Tap & Chip Card Reader, a USB power adapter with a supply of 5V 1A (5W) is recommended.

The Tap & Chip Card Reader takes 1-2 hours to charge fully. After the reader's fully charged, its battery should last for a week of selling.

Tap & Chip Card Reader battery status

Press and release the power button to display the reader's battery level on the four status lights:

List of the different battery level status lights on the Tap & Chip Card Reader.

● ● ● ●	Full charge
● ● ● ○	75% charge
● ● ○ ○	50% charge
● ○ ○ ○	25% charge
● ○ ○ ○ (red)	Low battery
● ❂ ○ ○ (flashing)	Charging