POS CC Reader (Non Shopify-Payments)

[AlanK]

Hello All,

I have both an online store and POS, neither use Shopify-Payments. I am using Stripe and PayPal for processing sales.  I need a credit card reader for the POS system and it seems I can not use the Shopify hardware (card reader) as I am not using the the Shopify payment system (Shopify-Payments).  Is this correct?  I contacted strip about a credit card reader and it seems they only off CC Readers for their own POS system and I need payments to still go through Shopify to track them and handle inventory.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated. 

Thank you for you all for your time.

-Alan

[Julie]

Hi, Alan!

Julie here from Shopify Support.

You can most definitely use the Shopify POS app with an external card reader, including Stripe’s. To do so, you’ll first need to set up an account with Stripe (or possibly upgrade your existing account to accept in-person payments), and then purchase a terminal from them. 

After you have set up your account with Stripe and you have a card reader, all you will need to do on Shopify’s end is simply enable the External terminal as a payment method in your POS settings. We have instructions on how to do so here.

Once that’s done, whenever you accept payment in person, you will just need to select “External terminal” as a payment method. The Shopify POS app will then record the transaction and mark it as paid, adjusting your inventory as necessary, but the payment is processed and collected by your external terminal provider, not Shopify.

I hope this clears things up! Let me know if you have any further questions.

[AlanK]

Gotcha, that helps!  Am I correct in thinking that I can not use Shopify Card Readers if I am not using Shopify Payments?  

I already purchased two wireless card readers and I can't return them and I couldn't get them to connect.

[Julie]

I'm glad that helps! 

That is correct. Although, there is an exemption for merchants who are using the swipe card readers (both the audio-jack and lightning models), as these particular card readers support Authorize.net and First Data Payeezy as third-party payment gateways. Unfortunately, however, they are not compatible with Stripe. Aside from those two third-party providers, all of our card readers are exclusively for Shopify Payments. 

Is there a reason why you are using Stripe as opposed to Shopify Payments? Which card readers did you purchase? 

[Timbucktew]

HI Julie, 

Very helpful, and seems to be working to a degree. We're using Authorize.net, set up our Auth.net account in Shopify and walked through steps for External Terminal. Processed a test sale using my card. However, any additional sale is processing before tapping/swiping/chipping the card. Seems to be defaulting the card account I used to test.

Also, there is a "Connect Card Reader" alert box that pops up in front the External Terminal button during the customer checkout process. 

Is there a process we missed?

Thanks

Tim

[Julie]

Hey, Tim!

Which card reader are you currently using? Because Authorize.net is a payment gateway compatible with the Shopify POS, you could use one of our own card readers. Doing so, you wouldn't need to select the "External Terminal" option and would instead be able to process the transaction by selecting the "Credit Card" option. If you are using a third-party card reader, however, then you will need to use the "External Terminal" payment option when processing a transaction. Are you able to elaborate more on the issue you are facing when using this method?

As for your question regarding the "Connect Card Reader" notification, this is intended for those who are looking to connect a card reader that was purchased through the Shopify Hardware Store. If you have a supported card reader, then you can connect it to the POS app using this option. Please let me know which card reader you're using; it sounds like it may be compatible with the Shopify POS, but it would be great to confirm whether this is the case. 

Looking forward to hearing from you!

[drama]

I'm also having a problem setting up Authorize.net with Shopify POS. Unfortunately to use a Shopify card reader in Shopify POS you have to enable Shopify Payments. I ordered a POS from Authorize.net but it doesn't seem like it can be connected to the Shopify POS either. Is there a solution that will allow me to use Authorize.net with Shopify POS?

[Julie]

Hi, @drama!

It's entirely possible to use Authorize.net with the Shopify POS. However, there are a few conditions. For example, your payment account must be based in either Canada or the United States. You also must be on the Shopify plan or higher and using a compatible card reader. The full list of requirements for using Authorize.net with the Shopify POS can be found here.

If your store does not meet those requirements, then you could use an external card reader. When you mention that you ordered a POS from Authorize.net, do you mean that you ordered a card reader? If so, you could use this card reader with the Shopify POS app. To do so, you will just need to select External terminal as a payment method when processing a transaction in the Shopify POS app. This will tell Shopify that the payment was accepted through a third-party device and Shopify will record the transaction as such. 

I hope this answers your question! Let me know if you have any further questions. 

[Casey_Samson]

But not really. If you use Authorize.net, you cannot process ANY credit/debit cards within the Shopify POS.

[Julie]

Hey, @Casey_Samson!

Thanks for reaching out. You can most definitely accept credit card payments using Authorize.net and the Shopify POS as long as you are using a supported card reader and are currently on the Shopify plan. 

As mentioned above, Shopify offers a couple of card readers that are compatible with Shopify POS, like the Swipe (audio-jack) card reader and the Swipe (Lightning) card reader, both of which are currently only available in Canada, however. Where are you located? If you aren't located in Canada, then you can still accept Authorize.net using an external card reader and the Shopify POS app. 

Are you running into any issues trying to use an external card reader with the POS app? If you need any further clarification, please let me know!

[Casey_Samson]

Let me clarify. If you use Authorize.net in the USA, you cannot process ANY credit/debit cards directly within the Shopify POS. Having to use an external credit card processor is redundant. I should be able to use the card readers we purchased from Shopify to complete a transaction. 

[Casey_Samson]

Unfortunately your reply does not seem to be accurate either. The POS does NOT give me the option to pay via an external reader. 

[Julie]

Thanks for following up, Casey. 

Testing out the order process on the Shopify POS app here on my end, I can see that "External terminal" is a payment option alongside the other payment types I've enabled, like "Cash" and "Gift card". Here's what that looks like on my end: 

Once you select "External Terminal", you'll then be presented with an option for "External debit", as well as Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. The payment option you select here will then be recorded in your sales and payment reports, and will also reflect in the order details page. Here's what that looks like:

Based on the fact that you are not seeing an option to pay via an external reader, it sounds like you may not have the External terminal option enabled in your POS settings. We can confirm if this is the case by heading to Store > Payment types > External terminal. From there, you'll want to ensure that "Enable external terminal" is toggled on. Let me know if you're not seeing that option there!

That being said, I do appreciate your frustration about Authorize.net not being a compatible gateway with Shopify's card readers, and I'd be happy to pass this feedback along to our Retail team. I do hope that we can integrate with other payment types in the near future. 

[davidcastorio]

If and when we integrate authorize.net into our shopify system we can manually input credit cards and then they would show the card details with the order. Why is shopify blocking external card readers from doing the same thing it is obvious your system already has the capabilities to link the two. 

[ScaleNorthJoe]

Hi!

We are evaluating Shopify POS Pro as a solution for a US client and they may desire using authorize.net to accept credit card payments. What are the current processors that can be used via authorize.net? Also, is there hardware that can accept the external payment that is available in the US? Lastly, I didn’t see external payment options on the POS Pro demo, is it still available?

If all of these thing align, are there charges from Shopify to use authorize.net?

[davidcastorio]

Based off my experience there are charges from Shopify to use authorize.net.
The percent they tack onto sales vary depending on the account you pay for
monthly with them. They currently have 3 different plans.

[ScaleNorthJoe]

Thanks David,

Can authorize.net be an integrated processor on the new POS with the hardware and when credit card is used at the payment type in UI? 

[davidcastorio]

I don't think so that is my complaint with shopify right now.

[Julie]

Hi, @ScaleNorthJoe!

Thanks for joining in on the conversation. As mentioned here: 

While it is possible to use Authorize.net with Shopify POS, you will need to ensure that you are using a card reader that's compatible with this particular gateway. Currently, the only card readers compatible with Authorize.net include: 

• Swipe (audio-jack) card reader(available in Canada only)
• Swipe (Lightning) card reader(available in Canada only)
• Swipe (30 pin) card reader(discontinued)

If you are using Authorize.net, then you will need to source a card reader directly from them and enable External Terminal as a payment option in the POS app. Once that's done, you can then select External terminal as a payment method when processing a transaction. 

This applies to all Shopify POS plans. You can use any card reader that you like and you'll still be able to select "External terminal" as a payment option through the POS app. As mentioned in my previous reply, the "External terminal" option first needs to be enabled in your POS settings, under Payment types. It's likely that this payment type was not enabled as you were demoing the POS Pro, but you can see that this is an available option from the POS Pro features page here.

Because the External terminal payment type indicates that the payment was accepted using a device external to Shopify, it really doesn't matter which hardware you use, as long as it is capable of integrating with your payment gateway (in this case, Authorize.net). While I'm not sure if Authorize.net allows you to use external card readers, they do have their own card readers you can purchase here. Again, these will work perfectly fine with the Shopify POS Pro app using the External terminal payment type. 

Lastly, there won't be any transaction fees or other charges from Shopify if you decide to use a third-party gateway for in-person POS transactions. If online payments are processed using Authorize.net, however, then transaction fees will apply and these vary based on the plan you are on. 

Has your client considered using Shopify Payments instead? Where are they located and what kind of products are they selling?

[Georgeaga]

But will it send the payment automatically do the external card reader or do i have to manually i put the transaction amount on the card reader?

i have Authorize.Net on shopify pos and i just tried to do a transaction and its asking me to manually enter the credit card.

[JessBarfield]

I have the same issue and spent over an hour talking to support.

They kept telling me to set up a custom payment method. So I did and named it external, but it just gives the option to mark the order as paid.

This is using the NEW POS system and not the old one. Every single response here has been referencing the older version. If I wanted to use that, I would, but I don't. I want to use the new version nd I want it to work and nobody can give me any information on how to make that happen. 

[Julie]

Hey, @JessBarfield!

Welcome to the conversation.

That's right. When setting up a custom payment method using the new Shopify POS, you will need to mark the order as paid once you've processed the transaction using an external card reader. This will tell Shopify that the order was processed using that particular payment method. 

Have you tried marking the order as paid yet? When you do so, you should see it in your sales reports and it should reflect that the order was processed using the custom payment method you created. 

I hope this clears things up! 

[davidcastorio]

I mark orders as paid, but it becomes an issue with returns. There is
nothing noting the card used, brand, last four digits, anything. It defeats
the concept of having the POS do it all.

[waynevanrooyen]

Hi.

I am trying to clarify something here for a partner customer here. Being based in South Africa we dont have the integrated POS card readers etc. So we setup a custom payment type

in the new POS lite version, when ringing up a sale we choose our Custom Payment method which we called card for example. ringing off the sale and going to the register that custom payment is not reflected at all.

Are you stating its due to us not marking the sale as PAID.
Can anyone confirm they can see any custom payment types in the daily register. For us if this isnt the case to see what was done in split over card or cash for the day is a no brainer fail on shopify side. We know the payment is not processed but it should at least keep track of the payment type taken.

Thanks

[Julie]

Hey, @waynevanrooyen!

Thanks for joining in on the conversation. 

When you use your third-party card reader to accept a payment, Shopify POS marks the order as paid while the actual payment is processed by your terminal provider, not Shopify. If you're doing split payments, then the order should reflect as partially paid via your custom payment method.

When it comes to reporting, Shopify tracks the following order details for custom payment methods:

• Order number
• Associated customer information
• Line items
• Order total, including taxes
• Order date/timestamps
• Custom payment type used

For better payment tracking, custom payment options can be created for the terminal itself (for example, TD terminal), or you can create custom payment options for each of the card types that is accepted by the terminal (for example, Visa or Mastercard). In your case, it sounds like you named your custom payment method "Card", so this is what will be shown as the method of payment in your order details and sales reports.

Are you able to clarify where you're not seeing the custom payment reflected? 

[Casey_Samson]

Well, that is Shopify's MO here lately. Bad support, no direction. 

[ScaleNorthJoe]

Thanks Julie, 

A few questions, I'm getting conflicting information from Support (Excerpt from Chat):

Me: With Shopify's new POS, can authorize.net still be an integrated payment processor?

Me: I continue to read about third party credit card processor functionality being transitioned to External Terminal payment types and no longer integrated but that seems like a step back in functionality so I'm confused

Shopify: To answer your question about Authorize.net, yes it is still an integrated processor for Shopify POS.Even with the new POS

Me: To confirm, we don't have to use external payment functionality in the new POS to use authorize.net. Credit card can be taken at POS hardware and the credit card transaction will be processed in Shopify?

Shopify: That is a YEs on the POS question and authorize.net. However for the New Shopify POS, there will be a fee after october 31,2020.

Can I input the authorize.net credentials into the settings for the new POS and process credit card transactions using Shopify's credit card reader, have the credit info populate in the POS UI and run reports with the transactions out of Shopify? 

My client is in the US and the hardware list seems to only have options in Canada, there aren't any credit card readers in the US that can support authorize.net and Shopify POS? 

I have vetted their industry and they do qualify for shopify payments; however, they have strong existing relationship with their current processor so we'd like to provide them all options available for consideration. 

In advance, thanks for your help Julie. These are critical decision points for my high volume client and your assistance is much appreciated. 

[Julie]

Thanks for the quick followup, @ScaleNorthJoe.

I'm sorry to hear that you've been given conflicting information. I should clarify that we haven't transitioned away from third-party credit card processing with the POS. The only Shopify card readers that were ever compatible with Authorize.net were exclusively for Canadian merchants and this hasn't changed (aside from the fact that one of those card readers has been discontinued, which shouldn't affect your client as they are in the US).

If you head on over to our Hardware Store, you’ll be able to browse all of our card readers available to your client in the US. Doing so, you’ll also be able to see which gateway each card reader can integrate with. There, you’ll notice that the card readers are only compatible with Shopify Payments. This means that in order to use Authorize.net, your client needs to purchase a card reader directly from them.

When using Authorize.net with Shopify POS, all of your orders and sales reports in Shopify will still be accurate; the only difference is that you’re selecting “External terminal” as a payment option, then using Authorize.net’s card reader to actually accept the payment. If you have the new POS app, then the process is slightly different and instead requires you to set up a custom payment method that you can then label "External".

That being said, I strongly recommend that your client uses Shopify Payments to ensure a smoother POS experience. With Shopify Payments, you can use any of our in-house card readers and our Retail team will be able to fully support any potential issues that may arise. If your client also plans on accepting payments through their online store, then they won't be subject to any transaction fees that would typically apply if they were to use a third-party gateway like Authorize.net.

Ultimately, if your client is already approved to use Shopify Payments, then I would strongly suggest having them consider making the switch, as this would not only allow them to use one of our own card readers, but it would also save them a considerable amount when it comes to transaction fees on online purchases. 

[Casey_Samson]

This is the most hated thing with Shopify and Shopify POS. Which, I will say, does accurately describe the product 😉

Shopify, being so liberal it's sickening, won't allow us to use Shopify Payments because we sell...... HUNTING KNIVES..... so scary. 

Then, on top of that, we were entirely misled, which it seems I wasn't the only one, into believing we could use Authorize.net with the POS. 

SIMPLE ANSWER IS NO YOU CAN NOT...... Authorize.net is NOT compatible with the POS.  To say it is compatible is like saying you can get McDonald's McNuggets with Burger King BBQ sauce.

By simply hitting a button for external payment, you could swipe the card in your armpit and the POS would accept the "external payment"

[ayrity]

In the exact same position as you. I sell wine, and since it's an "age restricted product" we cant use shopify pay. I refuse to use their external processing solution, because it looks SO unprofessional, and I am looking to integrate and streamline my systems, not add weird appendages that don't talk to one another!

[ayrity]

Can we get more Shopify employees in here please? I am unable to use shopify Pay since I sell alcohol. I am FINE using an external payment method/terminal, but I am not OK with having there be no communication to it. Is there any way to have shopify POS send the price total data to the external card reader, and then have the card reader send info back to shopify POS that the order has been paid for? I'm on shopify Plus, can we make a Flow that will do this somehow? Can we use the POS API to do it? How about hacking the shopify tap&chip reader? Please respond ASAP!

[Julie]

Hey, everyone!

First off, I really appreciate everyone's feedback here. While there are some workarounds previously mentioned in this thread, I can understand the need to have Authorize.net integrated with all of Shopify's card readers and I have shared this feedback with our developers. 

I also appreciate you joining the conversation, @ayrity and it's great to hear that you've recently made the move the Shopify Plus. Because you've recently upgraded to Plus, you should have been assigned a dedicated Launch Manager and/or Solutions Engineer. Is this something you have discussed with them? If not, I recommend reaching out to the Plus Support team directly so they can explore some options with you. Our Plus team is here to help you work through this and identify a solution that works best for your own business. 

Thank you again for all of your feedback. 

[Casey_Samson]

I am doing my first event this year due to covid. Usually run about 30-35 trade shows a year. I have to say not being able to use the chip and dip reader is absolutely insane. So much slower. I ended up buying a headphone jack reader but swiping each payment is very time consuming and customers really didn’t like it with the pandemic going on. Just make the dang readers work with Authorize.Net

If the swipe can be used with Authorize.Net, there’s no reason the newer, more secure and safer readers can’t. This is a critical failure on Shopify. I for one, will not be doing next season if this is not fixed.

[Casey_Samson]

@Julie any update with the developers in eliminating the monopoly on card payments?

[ayrity]

@Julie I would love an official response here as well. Will you guys be accepting other processors on your POS platform any time soon? I can not use shopify pay, and want to use your POS, but having to type in the total amounts manually between systems is a dealbreaker. Please allow us to connect to external payment providers!