thread Re: My magstripe reader is having trouble swiping cards, what can I do? in Archived Discussions (Read Only)

My magstripe reader is having trouble swiping cards, what can I do?

pnutguy — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 01:35:44 GMT

I have to keep swiping a credit card many times before it recognizes the card.

Re: Why does it take many swipes for my phone to recognize the card?

Sean — Mon, 21 Nov 2016 14:29:53 GMT

There could be a couple things going on here. With a bit of troubleshooting, we should be able to get this issue sorted out! Check out these steps below:

1. Make sure the black magnetic stripe is facing the thickest part of the card reader.

2. Remove any case or cover from your device. Some cases prevent the reader from plugging in completely.

3. Firmly plug in the reader. You'll hear a small click when the reader has been correctly inserted.

4. Make sure there is no lint or dust in your headset jack.

5. Wipe the metal connector with a cloth.

6. Disable any Bluetooth wireless headsets or earpieces while taking payment cards.

7. Remove the app from your device and reinstall. See Apple's support site and Google's support site for instructions on how to do so. (Before uninstalling, make sure you've uploaded any payments accepted while in Offline Mode by connecting your mobile device to the Internet. Deleting the app will permanently remove pending offline payment data and the funds will not be captured).

If you're still having issues, please reply with the exact make and model of the smartphone/tablet you're using.

You can also check out this Support Center Article: Square Magstripe Reader Troubleshooting

Thanks!

My square is not allowing me to swipe cards. I am using the regular card square.

jlh — Thu, 16 Jun 2016 12:59:52 GMT

My square is not allowing me to swipe cards. It has worked fine until yestterday. It is the regular card not the chip reader square. I was able to enter the credit card manually but I do not want to pay a higher transaction fee for manual entries and would like to know how to fix this. I tried it on both of my phones (Droid and Iphone) and neither worked. I also made sure I took the phone case off since I read in one of the threads that it could cause problems.

Please advise. I have clients all day most of whom pay by card.

Thanks,

Josie Hudson

Square Reader not working. Help.

dkmoore4 — Wed, 22 Jun 2016 01:29:41 GMT

I got the free Square Reader. I plug it into the headphone jack. A message flashes that reads "reader connected". Then not even a second later a message flashes that reads " magnetic reader disconnected ". Why? How can I fix it?

Re: Square Reader not working. Help.

Tom — Thu, 23 Jun 2016 19:45:18 GMT

Hey @dkmoore4, sorry to hear about the reader connection issue. 😕

Take a look at @Sean's answer in this post. If those tips don't fix the issue, please contact our support team and we'll have a closer look. 🙂

cost effective

ladyv — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 04:39:40 GMT

for the past few months I have been challenged by the uneasy swipeness of credit cards this is costing me extra money because I have to enter the number in opposed to swiping

Re: cost effective

Kelly — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 15:54:00 GMT

Sorry to hear about that trouble @ladyv. Check out Sean's tips above for some help!

why is it that my reader will read some cards but not some others

echomerenovatio — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 00:59:29 GMT

why is it that my reader will read most cards but some it wont read, and because I cant swip the card I have to manually enter the card number and therfore I get charged the higher amount for the transaction.

Re: why is it that my reader will read some cards but not some others

Kelly — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 18:49:38 GMT

@echomerenovatio Sorry to hear about that trouble! Check out the information above, these tips shoud get you up and running right away!

My card reader is not working.

dhanna88 — Thu, 28 Jul 2016 01:30:57 GMT

I've been charging cards for the last few months by manulally entering the CC #'s. When I swipe a card usually nothing happens and every once in awhile, there will be message when a card is swiped reallt slowly that says, "Card not charged, swipe straight through." Any ideas?

Re: My card reader is not working.

Kelly — Thu, 28 Jul 2016 19:18:08 GMT

@dhanna88 Sorry to hear that you're having trouble with your reader. Check out Sean's answer at the top of this thread for some tips that might help.

my square reader will only let me type in the info, why can't i just swipe

acts2382121 — Tue, 02 Aug 2016 03:59:33 GMT

My square reader will only let me type in the info, why can't i just swipe

Re: my square reader will only let me type in the info, why can't i just swipe

Tom — Fri, 05 Aug 2016 01:47:34 GMT

Hi @acts2382121 — sorry to hear about the trouble with your reader. Some other sellers reported swiping issues, and were able to get them resolved. Have a look at Sean's reply and let us know how it goes. Hope that helps!

Re: Why does it take many swipes for my phone to recognize the card?

JeraldPope — Wed, 10 Aug 2016 13:40:40 GMT

DOne all these things - twice. App sez reader is installed but doest react to any cards passing through

Re: Why does it take many swipes for my phone to recognize the card?

Tom — Fri, 12 Aug 2016 01:35:44 GMT

@JeraldPope, thanks for giving them a shot and sorry to hear you're still encountering the issue. Please let our Support team know. They'll get back to you with next steps ASAP.

Re: Why does it take many swipes for my phone to recognize the card?

ultrublu — Sun, 28 Aug 2016 18:06:06 GMT

Tried all the tips in the suggested thread (leaing contacts, uninstall/reinstall, etc). No luck. I'm using a Samsung-SM-G850A (Android version 5.0.2). I'll get a message "Reader connected. Swipe card to charge." When I swipe, I get the message "Magstripe reader disconnected." Same thing happens on my wife's Samsung.

The contactless reader works fine though. Could this be a bug in the latest software? This never happened in the past.

Re: Why does it take many swipes for my phone to recognize the card?

Sean — Sun, 28 Aug 2016 18:17:31 GMT

@ultrublu - Sorry to hear about the trouble, and thanks for those details. It sounds like a connection issue (hardware), more so than software. Out of curiosity, are you using a case on your devices? In my experience, this is the number 1 reason that someone would see a message like this. The reader has to be pretty snug in the headphone jack.

It will not allow me to swipe the card only enter it manually.

normanjewl — Fri, 02 Sep 2016 12:05:15 GMT

I have used my square before, but now when I tried to use it again it is only letting me type the card in manually. What do I need to do to get it to swipe?

Re: It will not allow me to swipe the card only enter it manually.

Kelly — Sun, 04 Sep 2016 21:29:17 GMT

@normanjewl Sounds like an issue with your reader. Check out Sean's answer at the top of this thread.

Running an apple iphone 6S, the card reader is recognized but does not read the card

mango77 — Mon, 05 Sep 2016 16:49:22 GMT

I can do manual payments but cant get the reader to read a card.