- What you can use, by country
- Phones that work with Tap to Pay
- How to switch on Tap to Pay and take a payment
- Selling with a Square Reader in the US
- Discounts, tax, cash and gift cards at the counter
- Where in-person sales end up
- Fixing Tap to Pay errors
- My verdict on Squarespace POS
- Frequently asked questions
Squarespace POS is the point of sale built into the Squarespace app: you take in-person payments on your phone with Tap to Pay, a Square Reader, Pay Links, Quick Pay or cash, and the sales land in your store's orders. As of October 2026, it's for sellers in the United States and the United Kingdom, and what you can use depends on which one you're in.
Here's the catch for UK sellers. In the UK, you get Quick Pay, Tap to Pay and Pay Links, and Tap to Pay only works with Squarespace Payments connected. The Square Reader integration is US only. If a UK customer needs to insert or swipe a card, Tap to Pay alone won't cover it, because chip and swipe payments need a separate card reader paired with your phone.
What you can use, by country
| Method | United States | United Kingdom | Updates inventory? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tap to Pay on iPhone or Android | Yes, with Squarespace Payments, Stripe or Square | Yes, with Squarespace Payments only | Yes |
| Square Reader (chip, swipe, contactless) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Pay Links (link or QR code) | Yes | Yes | No; update stock by hand |
| Quick Pay (type in an amount) | Yes | Yes | No items chosen |
| Cash | Yes, with a Square account connected | Not listed | Yes |
Tap to Pay needs an active online store on a Basic, Core, Plus or Advanced Commerce plan, or a Legacy Business plan, and your store currency must be US dollars in the US or pounds in the UK. If you're comparing plans, here's how Squarespace pricing breaks down.
Phones that work with Tap to Pay
On iPhone, you need an iPhone 11 or later on the latest iOS, with a passcode, an Apple ID and Location Services switched on. Tap to Pay on iPhone takes Visa, Mastercard and Amex, plus Diners Club and Discover in the US, and payments from the Wallet app. On Android, you need Android 13 or higher with NFC and location services on. It takes Amex, Mastercard and Visa, plus Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. Both need the latest Squarespace app and a stable internet connection.
How to switch on Tap to Pay and take a payment
- Open the Squarespace app and the point of sale screen, then tap the settings icon.
- Tap Payment options and switch on Tap to Pay on iPhone or Tap to Pay on Android.
- On iPhone, confirm the Apple ID you want to use and accept Apple's terms, then tap Done.
- To sell, tap the plus icon, then Start new transaction, and add items to the bag.
- Tap Charge or Checkout, then choose Tap to Pay as the payment method.
- The customer holds their card or phone near the front of your iPhone, or the back of your Android phone, until it beeps. Send an email receipt if they'd like one.
On iPhone, once Tap to Pay is on for your store, it pairs with every compatible iPhone logged into your store's point of sale, with no extra setup. On Android, you add more devices from Hardware in the point of sale settings. You can run several devices at once, which helps if you've got more than one person serving.
Selling with a Square Reader in the US
For chip, swipe and contactless cards in the US, Squarespace works with a supported Square Reader. You need a Square account, a linked bank account, and owner or administrator access to the site. Square processes the payment and the funds go to the bank account linked to Square. Squarespace and Square are different companies, so payment failures go to Square's support, and app or connection problems go to Squarespace.
It doesn't work with the Square Register, Stand or Terminal countertop devices, or with subscription products. Point of sale shows up to 500 of your most recent physical and service products, alphabetically, and sold-out items stay hidden unless you change the display setting. If you already use Square for stock, note that this connects to your Squarespace inventory, not your Square inventory. If you're still choosing a processor, my Stripe or Square comparison covers the trade-offs.
Discounts, tax, cash and gift cards at the counter
You can't apply your existing store discounts to a point of sale purchase. Instead, add a one-time discount on the Bag screen, as a percentage or an amount. Tax uses your location and existing tax rules, and you can move the pin if the app picks the wrong place. Cash works without a reader, but you still need a Square account connected, and you can't take cheques. Afterpay and Clearpay aren't accepted through point of sale, and you can't collect signatures.
Gift cards are awkward. You can't take them through point of sale, but in the iOS app you can check the balance, add a one-time discount for the amount, then redeem that amount from the Discounts panel after the sale. This isn't available in the Android app.
Where in-person sales end up
Point of sale orders show in your Orders panel, marked Fulfilled, with how the customer paid and their email if they gave one. Customer names aren't collected, and these purchases don't show in a customer's account. Customers who agree can join your mailing list after the sale. To compare in-person and online sales, open Analytics on a computer and pick the POS channel; the Analytics tab in the app doesn't include point of sale data.
To refund, exit point of sale, go to Commerce, open the order under Fulfilled, tap Manage, then Issue refund. The items go back into your inventory. Refunds don't include the Square transaction fee, and customers may get a receipt from Square as well as from you.
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Fixing Tap to Pay errors
- Payment failed or Transaction canceled: ask the customer to tap again or use another payment method.
- Something went wrong: set date and time to automatic, check your internet and Bluetooth permissions, make sure Squarespace Payments isn't in test mode, then restart the app. On Android, also turn off Developer options.
- Terms of Service not accepted: with Stripe, accept Stripe's terms in your Stripe account; with Squarespace Payments, finish every step in the Payments panel.
- Stripe setup is incomplete: add your business location details in Stripe.
- Software update required: update iOS, then switch Tap to Pay on again.
- Recent Apple account changes: wait 15 minutes and try again.
Point of sale needs Wi-Fi or mobile data to take card payments. If you're offline, you'll need a different payment type. For a wider look at hardware options, here's my guide to card machines in the UK.
Matching in-person sales against your online orders every week is a chore that can run on its own. I run AI training and workshops for teams, and help businesses with AI enablement and workflow automation, so the busywork runs itself and people get time back. Most of that work is with SaaS marketing teams and small businesses. Here's how we can work together.
My verdict on Squarespace POS
I'd use it if you already sell online with Squarespace and do markets, pop-ups or appointments in the US, because Tap to Pay plus a Square Reader keeps every sale and every stock count in one store. In the UK, it's fine for contactless and Pay Links, but skip it as your only till if lots of customers pay by chip and PIN, since there's no Square Reader option there. Test a small sale before your first event, and keep Pay Links for anything that doesn't need stock tracking.
Frequently asked questions
Does Squarespace POS work in the UK?
Yes, as of October 2026 UK sellers can use Quick Pay, Tap to Pay and Pay Links. Tap to Pay in the UK needs Squarespace Payments, and the Square Reader integration is US only.
Which phones work with Squarespace Tap to Pay?
An iPhone 11 or later on the latest iOS, or an Android phone on Android 13 or higher with NFC switched on.
Can I use a Square Terminal with Squarespace?
No. Squarespace point of sale doesn't work with the Square Register, Stand or Terminal.
Do Squarespace Pay Links update my inventory?
No. Pay Links don't track product inventory, so you need to update stock levels by hand after the sale.
Can I use my store discount codes in Squarespace POS?
No. You can't apply existing discounts to point of sale purchases, but you can add a one-time discount on the Bag screen.
