Credit Card Reader ID

[lennys26]

I am connecting my store with a service provider (EdenRed - Ticket Restaurant) and they are asking for the "MERCHANT CODE (THE TERMINALS)". They explain to me that it is the ID of the credit card 'machine'.

Where can I find this number for my Square Register and also for my cell phone that uses the card reader (bluetooth)?

[TheRealChipA · Accepted solution]

Hey @lennys26.  EdenRed is a payment platform like Square.  Unlike Square, EdenRed does allow you to bring your own payment terminals to connect to their platform.  But neither Square Register — nor any of the Square readers — are supported by EdenRed.  Square readers are not like traditional card readers.  They are created to work with Square payment processing only — not to be readers for a competitor’s payment processing platform.

In other words, what you are trying to do by connecting the two is simply not possible.

[lennys26]

@TheRealChipA Hmm. Ok, thanks for this. I will see if there is another solution or if EdenRed offers card readers for cases like this. (although between the register, printer, customer display, scale and several delivery platform machines, I am running out of space at my table! 😂)

[TheRealChipA]

Can I ask you to explain what the EdenRed account is for?  Is it something that Square can’t handle for you somehow, either by itself or through a third-party developer that connects with Square already?

[lennys26]

EdenRed has/markets/is the "Restaurant Ticket". I never had anything similar in the US, but in Europe it is not uncommon for large companies give employees what is ultimately a food stipend for meals as a benefit to be spent at participating businesses. Originally a ticket book looking like a travellers check (hence the name), now it is in a 'credit card' format. 

As a deli and supermarket, I reached out to EdenRed to become a business that also accepts them. I was told by EdenRed that I swipe the card as if it were any credit card. It gets to EdenRed the same way any charge gets to the respective provider (Visa, MC, AMEX, Discover, etc) and I am paid by them as any card. I am surprised that it cant be handled like the rest, but I dont know the in's and out's to form much of a knowledgeable opinion.

[TheRealChipA]

@lennys26.  I understand, now.  Thank you for the clarification.  This works a lot like our WIC/Food Stamp program in the US.  But those do require special hardware and/or software to process them.  

Anyway, I did look in the Square App Marketplace and did not see any reference to EdenRed.  Also, I double-checked and currently EdenRed payment/network cards are not accepted by Square as payment method.  In a way, I am not that surprised.  Since this is an EU-based thing it probably hasn’t hit Square’s radar just yet.  One suggestion would be to see if EdenRed is willing to create an app to put in the Square App Marketplace to integrate them with your Square account.  This would probably necessitate an additional reader, but it could work, I think.

Anyway, best of luck.