thread Re: My card reader says connected but won't accept a chip card in Payments Troubleshooting

Contactless card reader flashing/not connecting

skkm — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 14:31:36 GMT

Recently my contactless card reader has been flashing two red lights at a time in a row then flashes all green for a split second and starts all over. I have the square stand and iPad set up so the reader should always be charged and set up when I get into checkout. I’ve had success a couple times with a hard restart but it only lasts for an hour or so before it’s flashing again. I cannot seem to find any thread with this type of flashing issue. This is the second reader I’ve had to buy since they came out with them and I only work 3 days a week so it’s not like it’s getting overused.

Re: Contactless card reader flashing/not connecting

ryanwanner — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 22:51:34 GMT

Hello @skkm

Sorry to hear you're having trouble with your contactless reader! Mine has been rock solid since day one, so this is quite odd.

Have you tried the troubleshooting steps on Square's help center? Specifically the My Reader Keeps Disconnecting and the Reset Your Reader sections? If you have, there may be something wrong. I recommend contacting customer support and/or filing a warranty claim if you're still in the time period.

Good luck!

Contactless reader not working after 2 weeks of using it

Ababieh80 — Wed, 16 Oct 2019 18:23:53 GMT

This reply was created from merging an existing thread.

Contactless reader not working after 2 weeks of using it

Re: Contactless reader not working after 2 weeks of using it

GlassJudy — Wed, 16 Oct 2019 16:36:49 GMT

See this thread for help with your problem, especially the answer from @ryanwanner. There's a link to a trouble-shooting site and how to contact Square's support if none of those work.

Good luck!

My card reader says connected but won't accept a chip card

OrganicHealth — Sat, 04 Jan 2020 20:16:03 GMT

My square contactless reader won't accept any cards, nor will the POS allow me to swipe. When I check my settings, swipe and chip are not listed, just manual entry

Re: My card reader says connected but won't accept a chip card

JustinC — Mon, 06 Jan 2020 18:37:20 GMT

Hey @OrganicHealth - Swipe and dip are both payment types that are built into the software and cannot be disabled, so you wouldn't find those options in Settings.

It sounds like there might be an issue with your app or chip reader. When you get a moment, check out @ryanwanner's post on this thread I moved you to for some troubleshooting.

Let me know how it goes!

Re: My card reader says connected but won't accept a chip card

btw — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 15:25:30 GMT

I'm having the same issues, reader will not accept payment, "chatted" with customer support and was told I needed a new reader. This is a BRAND NEW reader that ordered back in March and it had NEVER worked. This is very frustrating as I can't return it for a refund, my only option is to purchase another one, truthfully? why would I want to...this one doesn't work so I'm guessing replacing it won't be any different. I asked to speak with a support person and was told they wouldn't be able to help me other then going through the troubleshooting steps. VERY frustrated with the lack of support.