thread Why are Debit cards not swiping on the Magstripe? in Hardware Setup & Troubleshooting

Why are Debit cards not swiping on the Magstripe?

redcatbakery — Sun, 21 Sep 2025 12:19:56 GMT

I have been testing payments with different cards...and the debit visa cards have been declined. Platinum visa processes but not the other one...is this normal? Do customers have to enter their card information manually if they wish to pay with their debit card or is there a way to make the payment work by just swiping?? Thank you.

Re: Why are Debit cards not swiping on the Magstripe?

ashc — Thu, 02 Apr 2020 11:18:39 GMT

Hey @redcatbakery and welcome to the Community,

In Canada, debit cards cannot be processed on the magstripe reader due to Interac regulations.

Chip cards must be taken in a chip card reader such as our Contactless + Chip reader or Terminal since the magstripe can only accept credit cards.

Re: Why are Debit cards not swiping on the Magstripe?

Ljohnstone790 — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 19:55:02 GMT

If no debit cards work in Canada on maestro reader why doesn't customer service know this. I have tried several cards and all say declined. Was with customer service for an hour. So your saying magistrip reader is useless in Canada?

Re: Why are Debit cards not swiping on the Magstripe?

Frida — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 18:43:48 GMT

Hello @Ljohnstone790,

Thank you for reaching out and good to see you posting in the Seller Community again, welcome! 😊

With Square, Interac cards require NFC (tap) or EMV Chip + PIN (insert) to function; No Magstripe readers can be used at Point of sale if a Interac debit card is used. You are still able to use a Magstripe reader for credit cards.

Hope this helps clear this info, and please let me know if you have any follow up questions.

Thanks 😊