Accepting Credit Cards

Learn how to accept credit and debit cards with your Lightspeed Retail POS and card reader. In addition to EMV chip card transactions, this article covers how to process swiped cards, accept Apple Pay payments, and manually enter card information.

  • Need help setting up credit card processing? Learn how to get started here.
  • Accepting credit cards requires an active internet connection if Offline Payments are not enabled.
  • Debit cards are processed in the Lightspeed Retail POS as credit transactions.

    • Table of Contents

    EMV Chip Cards

    Insert chip cards into compatible credit card readers to authenticate EMV chip card transactions.

    EMV is currently available to merchants who process credit cards with ShopKeep Payments by Lightspeed and use an eligible EMV reader.

    Please read our FAQ for more information on Lightspeed and EMV.

    Using the Clover Mini or Clover Flex All-in-One Credit Card Reader and Printer? Visit Using the Clover Mini to learn how to process EMV chip cards.

    1. In the Retail POS (S-Series) app, ring up a sale and tap ‘Credit’.
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    2. If prompted, the customer selects a gratuity option or ‘No Tip’.
      • If your customers sign and tip on paper receipts, enter the tip from the signed receipt or tap ‘Adjust/Add Tip Later’ to enter the tip at a later time.
      • To prompt for tip entry later in the sale after inserting a credit card, toggle the BackOffice setting found in step 4c of the Enable Gratuity Settings section here.
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      Learn how to change tip and signature settings, pay out tips to staff, request tip adjustments, and view gratuity reporting here.
    3. The customer confirms the amount, then taps 'Charge'.
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    4. If prompted, the customer either taps ‘Yes’ to confirm the gratuity amount or ‘Re-enter Gratuity’ to enter a different amount.

      This warning appears when the gratuity entered is more than 50% of the sale total.

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    5. The customer inserts their card, chip-end first, into the card reader.
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    6. The customer follows the instructions on the screen of the card reader or register, removing their card when prompted.
    7. If prompted, the customer signs the screen and taps ‘Next’.
    8. Select a receipt option and tap ‘Done’, or tap 'No Receipt'.

    9. Tap 'Done' to finish the transaction.
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    Swiped Cards

    Process credit and debit card transactions using the magnetic strip on the back of the card if your account is not set up for EMV processing.

    Using the Clover Mini or Clover Flex All-in-One Credit Card Reader and Printer? Visit Using the Clover Mini to learn how to process swiped credit cards.

    1. In the Retail POS (S-Series) app, ring up a sale and tap ‘Credit’.
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    2. Swipe the card through the card reader as shown below.
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    3. If prompted, have the customer select a gratuity option and sign the screen.

      If your customers sign and tip on paper receipts, the cashier enters the gratuity from the signed receipt or selects ‘Adjust Tip Later’.

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      Learn how to change tip and signature settings, pay out tips to staff, request tip adjustments, and view gratuity reporting here.
    4. Tap 'Charge' to confirm the sale total.
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    5. If prompted, tap ‘Yes’ to confirm the gratuity amount or ‘Re-enter Gratuity’ to have the customer enter a different amount.

      This warning appears when the gratuity entered is more than 50% of the sale total.

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    6. Select a receipt option and tap ‘Done’, or tap 'No Receipt'.

    7. Tap 'Done' to finish the transaction.
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    If you run into issues, visit a credit card reader troubleshooting guide.

    Apple Pay

    Use Apple Pay to quickly and securely check out your customers.

    Using the Clover Mini or Clover Flex All-in-One Credit Card Reader and Printer? Visit Using the Clover Mini to learn how to process contactless payments.

    1. In the Retail POS (S-Series) app, ring up a sale and tap ‘Credit’.
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    2. The customer prepares their Apple Pay device for payment.

      For help with this step, visit Apple Support.

    3. The customer holds their device within 1" of the credit card reader.
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    4. The customer waits for a vibration, checkmark, and beep on their device to confirm the payment
    5. Complete the rest of the sale as usual.

    Manual Card Entry

    Manual Entry allows you to enter card information to process a credit or debit card without inserting or swiping it.

    Using the QuickBooks All-in-One Bluetooth Credit Card Reader? Visit our setup guide to learn how to manually enter credit cards.

    1. Ring up a sale and tap ‘Credit’.
    2. Select 'Manual Card Entry'.
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    3. Enter the card details and tap 'Continue'.

      Using the Clover All-in-One Credit Card Reader and Printer? Customers enter their card information on the screen of the Clover device.

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    4. Complete the rest of the transaction as usual.

    Already set up but running into issues? Visit a troubleshooting guide for solutions to common problems!
    Still have questions about accepting credit cards? Check out our FAQ!