Payment Providers: Square

Admin permissions to manage Payment Providers.
One or more Locations configured within Square.

About Square

Square is a very popular Payment Provider and 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 currently available through Checkfront in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan and Ireland.

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

Google reCAPTCHA

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?

Square is the supported Payment Provider for our mobile apps. Learn more about out Android and iOS apps here...

Setup in Checkfront

Ecommerce Setup Square

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.

- Connect to Square

Add On Setup Square

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

This initiates the authorization process, where you authorize Square to connect your Checkfront account for the purpose of payment processing.

- Log into Square

Square Login

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

- Manage Add-on Setup

Square Activated

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

The example in the screenshot above is using the test environment (Sandbox). When you go live with your Square account integrated, the Provider should not be labelled as Sandbox.

Next, click on Setup to configure your Location setting.

- Configure Location

Square Location

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

Click Update to save your Location selection.

This step requires that you have one or more Locations created within Square. Learn more about Location Management in Square here:

Square Support | Location Management

No Locations Found

If you encounter this error message, 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 re-activating the Square Integration within Checkfront.

Country Field Required

Square Country Field

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

Address Verification (AVS)

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 both Customer-facing (Payment page) and Staff-side (add payment form) payments.

Make sure that your Booking Form (Manage > Layout > Booking Form tab) includes the fields you require - Address and/or Postal / Zip code and that the fields are marked as required.

The Billing Address and Postal / Zip code fields on the Payment page 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

Connecting in Sandbox Mode (Test Mode)

Add On Setup Sand Box

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

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

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!

The minimum payment amount for Square (1.00) applies to test as well as live transactions.

What is the minimum payment amount for Square?

Credit Card Swiping via Mobile Apps

Square provides its own 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.

- Mobile App Payment Process

iOS & Android App Booking Flow

The payment flow for Square in our iOS and Android mobile apps is as follows:

1. Ensure that you have both the Checkfront and Square Point of Sale apps installed on your device.
2. Make sure you’re logged into the Square app, and specifically, the location matching your Checkfront configuration.
3. Find and view the booking in Checkfront mobile app.
4. Select Payments.
5. Select Take Payment.
6. Set the amount to be processed if it differs from the total balance owing. This will not be editable once you’re in Square, other than to split that amount across multiple cards, add any notes, then click the ‘Pay $999.99 on credit’ button.
7. Checkfront sends a request that opens the Square app, and you'll be presented with an option to pay by Credit Card. If you have a contactless reader connected, you will also see the option to take a Contactless payment.

Note: Gift Certificates purchased through Checkfront cannot be redeemed through Square or Gift Certificates purchased through Square redeemed through Checkfront.

You should select this option if you wish to make the payment via the tap method, rather than swiping. If you don't select this option, tap will still work, but the payment will not be recorded in Checkfront. In that case, you will need to go into the Checkfront Booking Manager and process a manual POS payment to record the transaction.

8. Either swipe, tap (if applicable) or key in credit card information. Note: if possible, we suggest swiping/tapping over keying in the card number as Square provides a lower rate on card-present transactions.
9. [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.
10. Click Charge
11. Both failed and successful payments redirect back to the CF app (with an error message, if applicable).
12. Booking is be updated with transaction details.

To facilitate payments processed through the Square mobile app, Checkfront utilizes the Custom Amount feature in Square.

Within the Sales Taxes section of your Square Dashboard, it is possible to add taxes to Custom Amounts.

However, if you add taxes to Custom Amounts in Square, then 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, and you try to collect the $100 outstanding balance from a booking. The payment amount is set as $100 in Checkfront, but the transaction amount is $115 in Square!

To avoid this conflict, please make sure no taxes have been applied to the Custom Amount item in Square.

Frequently Asked Questions

Have more questions about the Square?

To learn more about our Square integration you can also check out our list of Frequently Asked Questions or email support@checkfront.com.

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