Accepting payment cards as the method of payment

Depending on the hardware that you're using, the country of your location, and the payment methods that you accept, a customer can pay for a purchase using any supported card brand.

Supported card brands

If you're using Shopify Payments to process in-person card transactions, then the following card brands are supported:

• Visa and Visa Debit
• Mastercard and Debit Mastercard
• American Express
• Discover (only for locations in United States, Canada, and United Kingdom)
• Diners Club (only for locations in United States, Canada, and United Kingdom)
• JCB (only for locations in United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand)
• Union Pay (only for locations in United States and Canada)
• eftpos (Australia only)
• Interac (Canada only)

Most national debit cards such as Interac, girocard, or eftpos cards that are co-badged with Visa or Mastercard can process payments outside the card issuer's country using Visa and Mastercard. Some co-badged debit cards that don't process payments through Mastercard or Visa might not work outside the card issuer's country.

On hardware that supports contactless payments, customers might also present any supported card brand that they've loaded on a digital wallet such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.

Swipe card payment

You can accept a card payment with a supported swipe card reader.

Steps:

1. From the Cart screen, tap Checkout. If your card reader isn't connected, then follow the instructions on the Shopify POS screen to connect. You can also enter the payment card information manually.
2. Swipe the customer's payment card as displayed on the Shopify POS screen.
3. The customer authorizes the payment with their signature or PIN, depending on the card type and which card reader you're using. If an error occurs during checkout or if the customer cancels checkout, then the staff member needs to re-enter their PIN to ensure checkout security.
4. Optional: Tap Print receipt.
5. Tap Done to return to the Shopify POS products screen.
6. Optional: To cancel the order, click Cancel order. If an order can be canceled, then the cancel order button displays for up to 15 minutes after the order is placed. After 15 minutes, the transactions process and capture funds.

Tap and chip card payments

If you're using the Tap & Chip Reader, then you can accept contactless payments, which include tapped payment cards, Android Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.

Steps:

1. From the Cart screen, tap Checkout. If your card reader isn't connected, then follow the instructions on the Shopify POS screen to connect. You can also enter the payment card information manually.
2. Allow the customer to insert or tap their card. When Shopify POS displays a payment approved message, the transaction is complete.
   • If the customer is using a tap payment method, then they need to hold their contactless payment card or contactless device within 2.5 cm of the card reader until the four green lights are lit.
   • If the customer is using a chip payment card, then they need to insert the card into the card reader and follow its instructions.
3. If an error occurs during checkout or if the customer cancels checkout, then the staff member needs to re-enter their PIN to ensure checkout security.
4. Optional: Tap Print receipt.
5. Tap Done to return to the Shopify POS products screen.

External card reader

An external payment provider processes payments for you. You might use an external payment provider when you choose not to use Shopify Payments or when you're in a region that doesn't support Shopify Payments.

To use an external card terminal, you need to set up an account with a payment processor, then buy or rent a terminal from them, and create a custom payment type in the POS app. Because the payment is processed externally, you have to mark the order as paid in the Shopify POS app.

Steps:

1. From the Cart screen, tap Checkout.
2. From the Select payment option screen, tap your custom payment type.
3. Tap the payment card type that's being processed.
4. Make sure that you have successfully processed the payment with your external terminal, and then tap Mark as paid.
5. Email or text the customer a receipt, and then tap Done to return to the POS home screen.

Manually enter card information

If you don't have a card reader, or if you're having trouble using your card reader, then you can enter payment card details manually to take payment.

Note

If you enter a customer's credit card information manually, then the transaction is a card-not-present transaction, similar to an online sale. Card-not-present transactions all use the online credit card rate.

Steps:

1. From the Cart screen, tap Checkout.
2. Tap credit card (manual entry).
3. Enter the payment card details. If an error occurs during checkout or if the customer cancels checkout, then the staff member needs to re-enter their PIN to ensure checkout security.
4. Tap Charge to process the payment.
5. Optional: Tap Print receipt.
6. Tap Done to return to the POS home screen.

POS checkout security

To prevent customers from checking out without paying, the Shopify POS has built-in security features. A staff member needs to re-enter their PIN during a transaction in the following situations:

• when a checkout error occurs
• when the checkout is canceled
• when a tip is canceled.