thread Re: Contactless chip reader will not accept payments in Payments Troubleshooting

Contactless chip reader will not accept payments

Amiller79 — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 09:55:07 GMT

I have the contactless chip reader and it is not accepting payments.

It charges and connects to my

phone with no problem. However, it will not read a credit card once inserted and none of the lights come on at all.

I have tried resetting it by pushing the button for 20 seconds but the orange nor the red lights will come on.

I have had this hardware a little less than a year and I have only used it for about a month.

Any ideas what could be wrong with it? Thanks in advance!!

Re: Contactless chip reader will not accept payments

Candlestore — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 17:38:32 GMT

@Amiller79 :

When you say that the Reader is Connected to the Phone...... Did you connect it through the Phones Bluetooth or through the Square App adding a Card Reader? You need to add the Card reader through the Square App.

Since I have no idea which Phone or app you are using here is a link to some Troubleshooting steps:

5673-square-contactless-and-chip-card-reader-troubleshooting

Re: Contactless chip reader will not accept payments

Amiller79 — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 17:59:47 GMT

I use my phones bluetooth .

I open the square app and turn my bluetooth on and it connects.

I don't have a problem connecting it just will not read a credit card once inserted. It says try inserting card again then it tells me it can't read it.

Re: Contactless chip reader will not accept payments

Candlestore — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 18:35:25 GMT

@Amiller79 ;

I would recommend going through the Troubleshooting steps I sent earlier, and if that does not work call Square support. Since the reader is over a year old, it may have gone bad and a replacement is needed. Nothing lasts forever. Since you say you have had the Reader for about a year but only used it for a month, I am wondering if something with the battery being drained during storage may have caused a problem? I have 4 readers, 2 of which were actually soaked by a broken water pipe, and I have 1 out of the 4 that I have connection issues with. I have had these readers since at least 2019. Now I also have read on these forums that the thicker american express cards damage these readers when inserted. Could that be possible? Did you try a small charge with your Credit card, and then refund it if it goes through? I usually only use 1 card reader at my front counter, but have 2 Square stands with their own USB connected and each has a 2nd Bluetooth connected reader incase the USB connected readers goes bad or gives me an issue. I like to have redundant systems in case of failure.