Setting up Square as your Checkfront payment provider

Square is a fast, flexible way to accept both online and in-person payments, fully integrated with Checkfront and available across multiple countries.

Learn more about Square, including:

• checking the service status
• understanding supported features
• setting up in Checkfront
• managing add-on setup
• configuring your Square location
• enabling and requiring country fields
• including billing information for Address Verification
• connecting to Square in sandbox mode
• card swiping via mobile apps
• understanding the mobile app booking flow
• and finding answers to frequently asked questions.

Accessing the features mentioned in this article

Where can I find this feature using the top menu?

• Manage > Ecommerce Setup > Payment
   

What more do I need to use this feature?

• Admin permissions are required to manage Payment Providers.
• Location configured within Square.

About Square

Square is a very popular Payment Provider, highly recommended by Checkfront for use with your business. 

Customers can make payments through Square online. Alternatively, our Checkfront iOS/Android apps support in-person payments through Square readers.

Square is available through Checkfront in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, and Ireland.

Google reCAPTCHA is now supported by Checkfront with Square. Learn more here: Using Google reCAPTCHA v3 with Checkfront

PSD2 and SCA compliant  This integration is Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2) compliant, including Strong Customer Authentication (SCA).  Checkfront is prepared to handle any transactions that the Payment Provider deems applicable.  These measures help reduce fraud and make online payments more secure!  Learn more about PSD2 and SCA here: What is PSD2 and How Will It Impact Your Business?

Learn more Square is the supported Payment Provider for our mobile apps. Learn more about our Android and iOS apps here: Downloading & installing the Android app Downloading & installing the iOS app

Checkfront blog post Learn more about the benefits of the Checkfront and Square integration here: Accept Online Payments With Square and Checkfront

Check the service status Check the status of Square services at any time here: https://issquareup.com/

The following is a list of standard Payment Provider features. Those available with the Square and Checkfront integration are marked as supported (✓).

Core Payment Capabilities

Checkout & In-Person Experience

Payment Methods

Security & Fraud Prevention

Currencies & Geography

Provider Setup

To enable Square, log in to your Checkfront account and navigate to Ecommerce Setup and Payment tab under the Manage menu. Locate and click on the Square tile within the list of featured providers.

 

In the Add-on Setup modal, click the Connect to Square option.

This starts the authorization process, in which you authorize Square to connect to your Checkfront account for payment processing.

If you are not already logged in to your Square account, a login screen appears for authentication. Enter your Email Address and Password, then click Sign In.

Once you successfully log in, the connection is established with Square, and you are redirected back to Checkfront, where Square is now marked as an Active Provider. 

Square sandbox The example in the screenshot above uses the test environment (Sandbox). When you go live with your Square account integrated, the provider should not be labeled as Sandbox.

Next, click on Setup to configure your location settings.

From Add-on Setup, verify the connected Square business location. You can change the connected location by selecting it from the drop-down menu.

Click Update to save your selection.

This step requires setting up a business location in Square. Learn more about Location Management in Square here: Square Support - Create and manage multiple locations

Single location support Each Checkfront account supports only one Square Location. Individual inventory does not allow specifying a location; instead, it uses the location selected in the integration setup.

No Locations Found If you encounter this error message, then it means that your Authorization token for the Square Integration has expired due to inactivity, as you haven't processed a transaction in recent days. Tokens expire after 30 days and can be renewed up to 15 days after the last expiry. Resolve this issue by disabling and then reactivating the Square Integration within Checkfront.

Ensure the Country field is enabled and required in the booking form (Manage > Layout > Booking Form) when using Square. Otherwise, payments may fail.

The billing address and postal / zip code information can be captured and sent to Square, where Address Verification (AVS) checks can be applied to help protect against disputes and fraud.

This is true for Customer-facing (Payment page) and Staff-side (add payment form) payments.

Address and/or postal/zip code fields are required Ensure that your booking form (Manage > Layout > Booking Form tab) includes the required fields—address and/or Postal/Zip code—and that these fields are marked as required. The payment page's billing address and postal / zip code fields are prefilled with the values entered in the corresponding Booking fields. The Staff-side add payment form includes these fields by default - no additional configuration is required.

Learn more about Address Verification (AVS) with Square here... Risk Manager Payment Guide

We highly recommend you test the integration with Square before processing any live payments through your account. 

To use Sandbox Mode in the testing environment, ensure the Square live integration is disabled (Setup > Disable), then follow the steps above, choosing to Connect to Square in Sandbox Mode. A test location, for example, CAD Test Location, is preselected to match your account's currency.

Important! Don't forget to deactivate the Sandbox connection and connect to Square with your live account when you have completed your testing and are ready to take live payments!

Square provides its hardware for in-person payments. You can use any Square reader available in your region to swipe card-present transactions for your bookings through our mobile apps.

iOS & Android App Booking Flow The payment flow for Square in our iOS and Android mobile apps is as follows: Ensure you have the Checkfront and Square Point of Sale apps installed on your device. Make sure you’re logged into the Square app, specifically the location that matches your Checkfront configuration. Find and view the booking in the Checkfront mobile app. Select Payments. Select Take Payment. Set the amount to be processed if it differs from the total balance owed. This is not editable once you’re in Square, other than to split that amount across multiple cards. Add any notes. Click the Pay $999.99 on credit button. Checkfront sends a request that opens the Square app, and you can pay by Credit Card or Gift Card. Only gift cards purchased through Square can be redeemed in the Square Point of Sale app; Gift Certificates purchased through Checkfront cannot. If you have a contactless reader connected, you also see the option to take a Contactless payment. You should select this option to pay via tap instead of swiping. If you don't select this option, the tap option still works, but the payment is not recorded in Checkfront. You must go into the Checkfront Booking Manager and process a manual POS payment to record the transaction. Either swipe, tap (if applicable), or key in credit card information. We suggest swiping/tapping rather than entering the card number if possible, as Square offers a lower rate for card-present transactions. [Optional] A split payment can also be created in Square, allowing you to split the amount previously noted (e.g., $999.99) for payment across multiple credit cards. Click Charge. Both failed, and successful payments redirect back to the CF app (with an error message, if applicable). The system updates the booking with the transaction details.

To facilitate payments processed through the Square mobile app, Checkfront uses Square's custom amount feature. You can add taxes to custom amounts in the Sales Taxes section of your Square Dashboard. However, if you add taxes to custom amounts in Square, Square adds those amounts on top of whatever value Checkfront sends for the transaction. For example, if the item in Square has a 15% tax applied, you try to collect the $100 outstanding balance from a booking. The payment amount in Checkfront is $100, but the transaction amount in Square is $115! To avoid this conflict, please make sure no taxes have been applied to the custom amount item in Square.

Square Point of Sale app The Square Point of Sale app allows Staff to create payments through mobile browsers. Find out more here: Adding payments through a mobile browser with Square

Can I use Square and Stripe at the same time?

Yes, if both are enabled, Stripe is the default provider for your web-based payments, and Square can then be used simultaneously for in-person payments via our mobile app.

The Square integration may also be your eCommerce and mobile payments solution.

How far back in the past can I process refunds with Square?

Square allows rebilling and refunds. These processes are done using tokenized payment information.

The Square website states the time window during which refunds can be processed after the original payment date. After this window, you must refund your Customer outside of Square.

Once you have refunded your Customer outside of Checkfront and Square, log the refund on the Customer's Checkfront booking Transactions tab using a POS transaction type, as in our example above.

Does Checkfront support Square gift cards as a payment method?

Square gift cards are only supported as a payment method through our mobile apps, which redirect to the Square Point of Sale app. See the Paying through mobile apps section above for more information.

What Square hardware can I use for in-person bookings?

We recommend the Square Stand (iPad-based) device for in-person bookings/rentals through Checkfront.

The Square Register is not recommended because it only allows Square programs to run.

Does Square accept debit cards for payment, including Visa/MasterCard debit and Interac Debit?

With our Square integration, both Visa/MasterCard debit and Interac Debit are accepted. A chip-and-pin device from Square, such as the Square Contactless and Chip Reader or Square Terminal, is required. You can learn more here.