"Local Cash" we did not opt in, what & why?!

[abrokenangel]

I arrived yesterday during a very busy shift to the unpleasant surprise of a new "Local Cash" feature popping up on our POS for customers. We have no idea how this functions. We did not opt in, and customers are asking about it.

Looking back, there were a few notifications of this feature in the POS (but not my email), along with dozens of other update notifications. We do not currently have the Loyalty program activated, but we were planning to do so.

What is "Local Cash," why were we automatically opted in, how is it different from the Loyalty program, and how can I turn it off until we're able to evaluate the pros and cons?! It sounds like there may be instances where we would not be tipped if the customer's "Cash" account doesn't have enough to cover it. WTF?

This is not a professional way to roll out a new feature.

[DonsDeli]

Agreed. I can’t figure out how to turn it off. 

[ChefJefe]

Has anyone figured out how to turn it off?

[DANSPOT]

We also got the e-mails but did not realize what it truly entailed or that it was going to be automatic.  The employees didn't know and customers were confused.  A few tried and got $10 in their app, but it also meant you had to sign up for Cash App if you weren't already (I think).  We were getting questions we couldn't answer, so we turned it off. 

We did quickly figure out how to turn it off though!  On your main menu, go to the "Neighborhoods" towards the bottom, and then local cash prompts can be turned off.  

[Kurlykurtosh]

Thanks !!

[abrokenangel]

Is this in the POS or on the computer? The day I posted, I had to chat with the Square bot and read a bunch of stuff to figure out how to keep the POS messages from popping up.

I was able to "pause" the POS prompts for now (from my laptop) at: https://app.squareup.com/dashboard/neighborhoods. "Local Cash prompts are off. Turn prompts back on to invite customers to follow your business and earn Local Cash at your point of sale and online. This applies to all locations."

"To fully opt out of Neighborhoods and disable Local Cash for your business, you need to submit a formal opt-out request." Not cool.

[MJ12]

THANK YOU! I would have never found that. 

[Kurlykurtosh]

Yes!!!! I need it off. Negatively impacts the customer experience and hurts Square because it appears to be some inconspicuous subscription program they are closed implementing with little clarity. 

[gelato-guy]

I hate how it's put my logo in some rectangle on the customer facing display. I just want my big wide logo back.

[LittleTown]

I’ve only found out how to “pause” for up to three hours. I have customers confused nearly every sale. With over 100 transactions a day, this isn’t helpful. Please implement a permanent toggle for the feature. 98% of my customers don’t even use CashApp. 

[SeattleKen]

Hi everyone — I’m Ken, a Square Employee. I hear the frustration here, and I’m sorry this felt unexpected during service.

A few quick clarifications:

• What is Local Cash: Local Cash is a promotional reward customers can earn and redeem through Cash App at participating businesses that use Square. It’s fully funded by Square and Cash App for the first 12 months and top sellers are already seeing 110% more transactions from participating buyers. The guide to Local Cash and these short videos walk through how it works at checkout.
• Why you’re seeing it: Eligible Square businesses were included automatically as Neighborhoods became available in select areas. We send email updates before Neighborhoods starts, but I hear that those can be easy to miss alongside other business updates — especially if your team first notices the change during service.
• How it’s different from Square Loyalty: Square Loyalty is something you create and manage for your own business. Local Cash is part of Neighborhoods on Cash App, where customers can earn and redeem Local Cash across participating businesses in their neighborhood.
• How to manage it: In Square Dashboard, go to Channels > Neighborhoods, or open Dashboard directly, to turn off Local Cash prompts. If you want to stop participating in Neighborhoods entirely, Square Support can help with that request.

On tipping: Local Cash works similarly to gift cards today, the buyer can tip out of their remaining Local Cash balance after paying for their transaction. This does mean they may have less money available to tip with then when using a credit card. We are working on a change to allow the buyer to tip on their credit card even after using all of their local cash.

Thanks for the candid feedback — especially around advance notice, staff readiness, and what appears on the customer-facing display. I’ll make sure this gets back to the Neighborhoods team.

[MAXSDELI]

Ken,

We were beta testing this from the get go and have our menu in place. Customers have ordered through the cashapp by finding it on Google however, I’m not certain we’ve been instructed on how to best implement the Neighborhoods program into our business. 

In addition, where I used to see the Neighborhoods icon in my own personal CashApp while I was testing it, it has since disappeared and I can no longer see or test it further, to know how the customer experience actually works. 

If someone from the team could reach out to me and quickly explain what I’m doing wrong or what I’m missing, I’d be grateful. 

Max

[SeattleKen]

Hey Max,

Happy to help! I will reach out to you directly.

Thanks! Ken