Square: Frequently asked questions
If you've got any questions on the Square integration, you've come to the right place! Here we've gathered together the answers to some common Square questions!
The fees charged by Square are per transaction, and are:
In person card payments - 1.75%
Online payments - 1.4% + 25p for transactions with UK cards and 2.5% + 25p for transactions with non-UK cards
At the moment, the Square integration is available to WriteUpp users based in the UK who are taking payments in GBP. As this is expanded to other currencies, we will let you know! Those of you outside the UK or using a currency other than GBP can take online payments using Stripe.
Once WriteUpp and Square are connected and you've got everything set up, you should be able to start taking payments straight away. If you're new to Square, you might find that after setting up your Square account, you need to wait for a couple of days for your bank account to be verified. This is part of the Square account setup process, but means that you can't take payments until the verification steps are complete. You can check your bank account status by going to the Square dashboard -> Account settings -> Account -> Bank Accounts -> Status. You'll also be able to see in here if you haven't already set up your bank account. If you're new to Square, we'd recommend signing up for your Square account, waiting until your bank account has been verified, and then connecting to WriteUpp and connecting the setup steps.
If you're based in the UK and already using Stripe via WriteUpp, then nothing will change for you and there's no need for you to switch to using Square, unless you want to! Some things you might want to consider if you're thinking about a change are the availability of the terminal for card payments, and also the lower transaction fees via Square. With Square, terminal payments will incur a charge of 1.75%, and online payments a charge of 1.9%, vs the local rate for the UK for any transactions via Stripe of 1.9% + 20p/transaction for online payments.
No, you'll only be able to connect either Square OR Stripe to your account. They cannot be used alongside each other. If you currently have Stripe enabled, connecting to Square will disconnect Stripe and vice versa.
The minimum value for a payment processed via Square is £1. This applies to both terminal payments and online payments. There is no maximum value.
Of course! As above, the minimum transaction value is £1 so if you'd like to test the process before using it with your clients, we'd suggest setting up a test appointment type that has the value of £1. You can then set yourself up as a test client and book the appointment in for yourself. You will have to spend real money though, there is no way to process a 'test' payment with no actual charge involved!
If you need to issue a refund, this should be done from the Square dashboard. Find the transaction you'd like to refund, click on it and then choose Issue refund from the top of the information.
No, unfortunately not. Only one Square account can be linked to WriteUpp, it is a site wide setting.
No, afraid not! The Square Terminal is the only device that can be linked to WriteUpp. If you currently have another Square device, like the Reader, it's not that you can't use it to take payment alongside WriteUpp but Terminal is the only one that provides a seamless linked card payment pathway. Using any other Square hardware, you can manually enter the payment required on the device and then create and mark the WriteUpp invoice as paid once it has been processed. If you're thinking about upgrading to a terminal to remove that manual step and streamline your payments, you can find more information here, and buy one here. Square even offer a payment plan to help with that upfront cost for you.
Absolutely! Once you have connected your Square account, you can pair multiple terminals to your WriteUpp account, ideal if you practice across multiple locations and have a terminal at each place. Just follow the steps to pair a terminal as many times as you need to, and make sure you give each terminal an easily identifiable name that is unique to each location. When you take a card payment, you'll be able to choose which of your terminals you'd like to send the payment to.
If you work across different location or on the go using one terminal, you might need to change the network you're connected to depending on where you are. For example, you might use WiFi when based in clinic, but want to use your mobile hotspot while out and about. To do this, swipe open the terminal menu from the left hand side of the terminal screen and choose Settings -> Network. You'll then be able to choose a different network to connect your terminal to!
Yes, but you'll need a separately purchased Hub to do this, which is available in the Square store. For any guidance on setting up and connecting Terminal, you can contact Square directly here.
Nope! Terminal has a rechargeable battery, so it doesn't always need to be plugged into a power source. If you're out and about, simply make sure it's charged up, and plug it in to charge as and when you need to.
When taking payment via the terminal, the checkout will time out after 5 minutes. All this means is that if you send a payment to terminal and the client takes more than 5 minutes to process their payment, the terminal will cancel the process for security reasons. It will tell WriteUpp that the payment has been cancelled and you'll see this on screen. All you'll need to do is click on Retry payment to send the amount again, and click OK on terminal to take it back to the standby screen.
If any payments fail, the reason for the failure will be displayed on the terminal, but this won't be relayed back to WriteUpp. You'll be able to retry the payment on the terminal by tapping the white back arrow to the top left to go back to the payment screen. If you wish to go ahead and completely cancel the payment, tap on the white back arrow again and you'll be taken back to the standby screen. At this point, the payment will be cancelled and the message sent to WriteUpp. You'll then see this on screen within WriteUpp.
You can cancel a payment until it's being processed by the terminal. You'll have an option to cancel the payment on screen in WriteUpp, or by tapping the back arrow on the terminal. Once a client has inserted their card and entered their pin, or tapped/swiped a card, the payment can't be cancelled.
Yes! Terminal supports both Apple and Google Pay on any supported device.
Yes! The Terminal supports both contactless payments and chip and pin payments. Bear in mind that most new cards can't be used to make a contactless transaction without making a transaction using the PIN first. If clients have issues with contactless and it's a new card, suggest they use chip and pin instead.
Integration FAQs
What are the fees for using Square with WriteUpp?
The fees charged by Square are per transaction, and are:
In person card payments - 1.75%
Online payments - 1.4% + 25p for transactions with UK cards and 2.5% + 25p for transactions with non-UK cards
Is the Square integration available in all countries?
At the moment, the Square integration is available to WriteUpp users based in the UK who are taking payments in GBP. As this is expanded to other currencies, we will let you know! Those of you outside the UK or using a currency other than GBP can take online payments using Stripe.
Can I take payments using Square straight away once connected?
Once WriteUpp and Square are connected and you've got everything set up, you should be able to start taking payments straight away. If you're new to Square, you might find that after setting up your Square account, you need to wait for a couple of days for your bank account to be verified. This is part of the Square account setup process, but means that you can't take payments until the verification steps are complete. You can check your bank account status by going to the Square dashboard -> Account settings -> Account -> Bank Accounts -> Status. You'll also be able to see in here if you haven't already set up your bank account. If you're new to Square, we'd recommend signing up for your Square account, waiting until your bank account has been verified, and then connecting to WriteUpp and connecting the setup steps.
Do I need to switch from Stripe?
If you're based in the UK and already using Stripe via WriteUpp, then nothing will change for you and there's no need for you to switch to using Square, unless you want to! Some things you might want to consider if you're thinking about a change are the availability of the terminal for card payments, and also the lower transaction fees via Square. With Square, terminal payments will incur a charge of 1.75%, and online payments a charge of 1.9%, vs the local rate for the UK for any transactions via Stripe of 1.9% + 20p/transaction for online payments.
Can I use both Square and Stripe in my WriteUpp account at the same time?
No, you'll only be able to connect either Square OR Stripe to your account. They cannot be used alongside each other. If you currently have Stripe enabled, connecting to Square will disconnect Stripe and vice versa.
Are there any minimum or maximum values to the payments I can take via Square?
The minimum value for a payment processed via Square is £1. This applies to both terminal payments and online payments. There is no maximum value.
Can I process a test payment?
Of course! As above, the minimum transaction value is £1 so if you'd like to test the process before using it with your clients, we'd suggest setting up a test appointment type that has the value of £1. You can then set yourself up as a test client and book the appointment in for yourself. You will have to spend real money though, there is no way to process a 'test' payment with no actual charge involved!
How are refunds handled?
If you need to issue a refund, this should be done from the Square dashboard. Find the transaction you'd like to refund, click on it and then choose Issue refund from the top of the information.
Can I connect multiple Square accounts to my WriteUpp account?
No, unfortunately not. Only one Square account can be linked to WriteUpp, it is a site wide setting.
Can I use a Square Reader with the integration?
No, afraid not! The Square Terminal is the only device that can be linked to WriteUpp. If you currently have another Square device, like the Reader, it's not that you can't use it to take payment alongside WriteUpp but Terminal is the only one that provides a seamless linked card payment pathway. Using any other Square hardware, you can manually enter the payment required on the device and then create and mark the WriteUpp invoice as paid once it has been processed. If you're thinking about upgrading to a terminal to remove that manual step and streamline your payments, you can find more information here, and buy one here. Square even offer a payment plan to help with that upfront cost for you.
Terminals FAQs
Can I pair more than one Terminal to my WriteUpp account?
Absolutely! Once you have connected your Square account, you can pair multiple terminals to your WriteUpp account, ideal if you practice across multiple locations and have a terminal at each place. Just follow the steps to pair a terminal as many times as you need to, and make sure you give each terminal an easily identifiable name that is unique to each location. When you take a card payment, you'll be able to choose which of your terminals you'd like to send the payment to.
How do I change the network that my Terminal is connected to?
If you work across different location or on the go using one terminal, you might need to change the network you're connected to depending on where you are. For example, you might use WiFi when based in clinic, but want to use your mobile hotspot while out and about. To do this, swipe open the terminal menu from the left hand side of the terminal screen and choose Settings -> Network. You'll then be able to choose a different network to connect your terminal to!
Can I use an ethernet cable to connect my Terminal to the internet?
Yes, but you'll need a separately purchased Hub to do this, which is available in the Square store. For any guidance on setting up and connecting Terminal, you can contact Square directly here.
Do I need to keep my terminal plugged into a power source?
Nope! Terminal has a rechargeable battery, so it doesn't always need to be plugged into a power source. If you're out and about, simply make sure it's charged up, and plug it in to charge as and when you need to.
What happens if a Terminal checkout times out?
When taking payment via the terminal, the checkout will time out after 5 minutes. All this means is that if you send a payment to terminal and the client takes more than 5 minutes to process their payment, the terminal will cancel the process for security reasons. It will tell WriteUpp that the payment has been cancelled and you'll see this on screen. All you'll need to do is click on Retry payment to send the amount again, and click OK on terminal to take it back to the standby screen.
Will I know if a Terminal payment fails?
If any payments fail, the reason for the failure will be displayed on the terminal, but this won't be relayed back to WriteUpp. You'll be able to retry the payment on the terminal by tapping the white back arrow to the top left to go back to the payment screen. If you wish to go ahead and completely cancel the payment, tap on the white back arrow again and you'll be taken back to the standby screen. At this point, the payment will be cancelled and the message sent to WriteUpp. You'll then see this on screen within WriteUpp.
Can I cancel a Terminal payment?
You can cancel a payment until it's being processed by the terminal. You'll have an option to cancel the payment on screen in WriteUpp, or by tapping the back arrow on the terminal. Once a client has inserted their card and entered their pin, or tapped/swiped a card, the payment can't be cancelled.
Does the Terminal support Apple and Google Pay?
Yes! Terminal supports both Apple and Google Pay on any supported device.
Does the Terminal support contactless payments?
Yes! The Terminal supports both contactless payments and chip and pin payments. Bear in mind that most new cards can't be used to make a contactless transaction without making a transaction using the PIN first. If clients have issues with contactless and it's a new card, suggest they use chip and pin instead.
Updated on: 13/12/2023
Thank you!