How to Use Square to Process Credit Cards & Run Your Business

Square is a mobile payment processing service that enables sellers to accept credit cards and debit cards. Square also provides tools like online invoicing, inventory tracking, order management, and analytics for small businesses. With these features in place, business owners can run their operations more efficiently without the need to hire additional staff or worry about having enough cash on hand.

Square credit card processing is a low-cost, simple, and quick solution to take card payments. Customers directories, inventory monitoring, customer feedback gathering, and an online shop are all included in Square’s free business management tools. You can get the most out of Square’s free tools if you learn how to utilize them.

Square’s credit card processing includes a comprehensive management toolbox, including a free point-of-sale (POS) software, as well as a number of transaction alternatives at transparent costs. It’s one of our top-recommended small-business merchant services. Square also offers a variety of software add-ons, like email marketing and reward programs.

How to Use Square to Accept Payments

With the free Square POS software, you can take both in-person and remote payments. Download the free Square POS app, which is available for both iOS and Android smartphones, for on-the-go mobile payment processing.

A card reader or other POS hardware is required for in-person payments. While you may always input payments manually, processing costs for card-not-present transactions are often higher, as is the case with Square. You can connect your smartphone to a card reader or have consumers pay by scanning a QR code if you’re using the mobile POS app. Remote payments may be accepted through invoicing, online shop checkout, virtual terminal, or payment links, all of which can be controlled from your Dashboard. You may also use your mobile POS app to produce and send invoices and payment links.

Square Mobile Payments: How to Use

You’ll need to download and login into the Square mobile POS app on your iOS or Android smartphone to utilize Square mobile payments. To record your sale, click the “Checkout” button on the left side of your screen after you’ve signed in.

To automatically tally the purchase total, either enter in an amount or choose a pre-set item from your product catalog when processing payments.

Press the “Charge” button when you’re ready to take payment. Payments may be made in a variety of ways:

• Cash
• A credit/debit card
• A gift card
• Card-on-file
• Invoice
• Payment link
• QR code

Square In-Store Payments: How to Use

Square’s free software may be used in conjunction with a card reader or other POS equipment to make in-store sales. Square also sells a number of other hardware and accessory alternatives. A checkout register with a cash drawer and receipt printer is preferred by many business owners.

Square provides a range of equipment alternatives, including this in-store hardware package, in addition to mobile POS solutions. (Image courtesy of Square)

How to Make Online Payments with Square

Square makes it simple to grow your current company into online sales or start one from scratch. Square offers the following online payment options:

• Create a free online store, link it to your Instagram account to make it shoppable, and integrate it with your Square inventory list.
• Create and email checkout links or buttons to handle payments without having to go to a website.
• Square Payments may be integrated with a variety of eCommerce platforms, including WooCommerce, Wix, Magento, BigCommerce, WordPress, Drupal Commerce, and more.

Square Online Store: How to Use

You can rapidly develop and start your free eCommerce site to sell things online if you currently utilize Square and have inventory items set up. Upgrade to a premium subscription to have access to more features and tools in the shop.

Square Invoices and Recurring Payments: What You Need to Know

Both the Square Dashboard and the POS app let you create and send invoices for free. Square also has a dedicated Invoices app for more detailed invoice handling. Using Square’s invoice template, you can quickly and easily produce invoices. Payment information may be saved by customers for subsequent or recurring purchases.

To utilize Square for invoicing, you’ll need to do the following:

1. Create a Square account for free: Download the Invoices app or choose “Invoices” from your Dashboard or mobile POS app.
2. Create and send invoices by following the template’s instructions. You may manually add goods or use your inventory library to do so, as well as define custom charges, apply discounts, and set payment conditions. Send clients quick digital bills that they may pay online, or produce invoices as PDFs for in-person or postal delivery.
3. Track payment status: Online payments are automatically logged, but you may additionally record checks, cash, and other payments in your dashboard or POS software.

Recurring payments are perfect for paying for monthly services such as lawn care and cleaning, subscriptions, and continuing dues. Customers will appreciate the simplicity of automatic payments, and you will be able to count on a consistent supply of predictable revenue.

Square’s invoicing capabilities may assist you in keeping track of payments and managing late accounts. When you combine invoice sales with other forms of sales, such as online, in-store, and mobile purchases, everything is tracked in your Square Dashboard for a complete picture of your company.

You may use Square’s invoicing tools to:

• Create and send invoices individually or in batches.
• Track customer sales and payments
• Keep track of accounts that are past due or haven’t been paid.
• On a single invoice, charge for parts, goods, and services.
• Accept credit card, check, and cash payments for invoices.
• Set up recurring billing in a safe and simple manner.
• Get the most up-to-date sales reports.
• Automatically send payment reminders

How to Integrate Square with Other Ecommerce Systems

Other eCommerce systems, such as WooCommerce, Wix, Magento, BigCommerce, WordPress, and Drupal Commerce, may utilize Square as their online payment processor. If you want to concentrate on online sales, these eCommerce systems provide a more robust collection of capabilities than the free Square Online shop. Square charges no costs for integrating payment processing into these services (you just pay payment processing fees).

Only a few systems can completely integrate inventory, sales, and customer monitoring data with Square, which is a significant benefit whether you sell online, in-store, or through mobile.

You’ll need to do the following to utilize Square with one of these eCommerce platforms:

1. Create a Square account for free.
2. Select an eCommerce platform.
3. Use the platform’s built-in connection app to connect it to Square.
4. Create an online shop.

How to Run Your Business Using Square

Square’s mobile POS software may help you operate your company on the move in addition to payment processing. The app includes the following management tools:

• Add goods to your library, maintain in-stock inventory, and check order progress using order and inventory management. When you make a sale, Square changes your inventory immediately, so your stock counts are always current.
• Sales reports: Sales are documented and summarized to aid in the tracking of growth and the making of important business decisions.
• Customer management: Enter information about your customers, such as email addresses and purchase histories, so you can give better service or use email marketing to promote your company.
• Profiles of team members: To easily reference contact information, add and see team members.

Because your Square Dashboard serves as your business’s core, it’s here that you’ll control many of your company’s payment-related functions. You may use your Dashboard to have access to tools and features such as:

• Create a free online store with the website builder and make it shoppable by connecting your Instagram account. Create marketing campaigns, sell online, manage items, check reports, and arrange fulfillment choices. You may also utilize your online shop to receive contributions, arrange appointments, and place food orders.
• Add/remove workers, monitor clock-ins/clock-outs, examine timecards, and manage breaks and overtime with team management. For $35/month, you may have access to staff activity records as well as complete sales and labor reports.
• Payroll: With Square Payroll, you can administer payroll with direct payments at any time, manage benefits such as healthcare and pay-out gratuities, complete new employee paperwork, and check federal and state tax withholdings and filings.
• Create email campaigns for discounts, company information, and offers, among other things. You may also set up automatic promotions for new clients, lapsed customers, birthdays, and other special occasions. Set up marketing campaigns and get marketing data by connecting your Facebook account.
• Pull complete sales figures and trends on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Keep track of payment methods, individual team member sales, labor vs. sales, comps, voids, disputes, taxes, and other metrics.
• Inventory management: From your mobile POS app or Dashboard, adjust and sync inventory. The app is wonderful for quick updates, but the Dashboard makes bulk uploads and edits, variation management, and low-stock monitoring much simpler.
• Virtual terminal: Without any hardware, use your virtual terminal to easily handle transactions such as phone orders and execute payments.
• Create estimates and send one-time or recurring bills to send and receive invoices. View bills that have been paid and those that have not, as well as pending and accepted estimates. Create invoice reminders and estimate expiry dates, then track when clients see or pay them.
• Monitor bank transfers, set up a Square Card (a business debit card attached to your Square sales balance), and apply for a Square Capital business loan.

What Is the Cost of Using Square?

Creating a Square account and using the POS and payment software are both free. Every transaction is subject to a processing fee, which varies based on the payment type. Some of these apps, such as Square Online, provide upgrade plans that allow you to access more sophisticated capabilities for a fee.

You’ll get a free magstripe card reader when you sign up for a Square account, which you can attach to your smartphone and use to take swiped card payments. Additional hardware and POS equipment, such as chip/contactless card readers, terminals, registers, and accessories, may be purchased.

Conclusion

Square may be used for a variety of applications, including mobile sales, in-store sales, internet sales, and invoicing. The first step, though, is to create a free Square account and download the free Square mobile app.

Square credit card processing is popular among merchants because it is rapid, simple, and cost-effective. You won’t have to deal with complicated connections, equipment add-ons, or software learning curves once you’ve mastered Square. Everything is condensed into a neat container.

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