Hardware solution
Square Reader for magstripe
Square Reader for magstripe gives a mobile seller a simple way to take swipe payments through a compatible phone, tablet, MacBook, or Chromebook setup. Pick the connector that matches your device—3.5mm headset jack, Lightning, or USB-C—plug it in, open the Square Point of Sale app, and keep selling without charging another battery.
Built for your day-to-day
It is a particularly practical low-cost backup for markets, service calls, pop-ups, and other places where a full countertop terminal is unnecessary. The tradeoff is important: this reader accepts magstripe swipes only. Businesses that routinely see chip or contactless cards should pair the workflow with a chip/contactless reader or Tap to Pay rather than treating this as a complete payment setup.
Key capabilities
The first reader is free for one redemption per Square account holder; additional readers are listed at $10 each. There is no separate monthly hardware charge for the reader itself.
Square offers headset-jack, Lightning, and USB-C versions. Choose the connector that physically matches the phone, tablet, MacBook, or Chromebook you plan to use, and check the specific device in Square's compatibility tool before ordering.
The reader draws its power through the connected device and does not need charging, which keeps a mobile checkout kit small and ready for a shift, route, or event.
Use the Square Point of Sale app to build the sale, apply items and taxes, charge, and offer a digital receipt. Square says card data is encrypted at swipe and includes payment-dispute management and fraud prevention at no extra cost.
Offline payments can be available when the reader is connected to supported Square hardware such as Square Reader for contactless and chip or Square Stand. Payments must be uploaded after reconnection, and the seller remains responsible for expired, declined, or disputed offline transactions.
Explore the details
This product is a magstripe-only reader: it accepts a card swipe, not an EMV chip insert or NFC tap. A phone's Tap to Pay capability or Square Reader for contactless and chip can cover those payment methods. Square's swipe guide also identifies the reader as working with the latest Square POS app on supported devices; confirm the current app and device combination before deploying it across a team.
Square's technical page lists iOS 17.1+ or Android 9.0+ for the reader and identifies USB-C as usable with Apple or Android devices; the compatibility tool is the final check for a particular model. The headset-jack version can also be used with a MacBook or Chromebook through Square Virtual Terminal. The reader has a six-month limited warranty. Cases may need to be removed so the connector seats fully.
Square Free lists 2.6% + 15¢ per tap, dip, or swipe; Square Plus lists 2.5% + 15¢; Square Premium lists 2.4% + 15¢. These are per-transaction processing rates, not monthly hardware fees. Square says its POS software is free, while paid plan pricing and any custom rate depend on the seller's account. To process payments and receive funds, the seller needs a Square Account, must be a U.S. legal resident/citizen or authorized U.S. business entity, and must pass Square's review; a verified bank account is needed for normal ACH payouts.
Plan details
First reader free for one redemption per Square account holder; additional readers are $10 each. Square Free, Plus, and Premium publish different card-present rates. No monthly fee is listed for this hardware, although optional Square subscriptions can change the processing rate.
Per swipe on the Square Free plan; applies to the transaction amount including tax and tip.
Per swipe for Square Plus subscribers.
Per swipe for Square Premium subscribers.
Applies when the payment card was issued in a different country from the Square account location; in addition to the base processing rate.
This reader accepts magstripe swipes only; it does not accept EMV chip inserts or contactless taps.
The free-reader offer is limited to one redemption per Square account holder. The $10 figure is the published additional-reader price, not a claim that every connector or future promotion will be identical.
Offline payments are not risk-free: reconnect and upload promptly; expired, declined, and disputed offline payments remain the seller's responsibility. Square's support article says pending offline payments expire after 72 hours if not uploaded, while the product page emphasizes reconnecting within 24 hours.
Processing rates are current published U.S. rates checked on 2026-10-27 and can vary by plan, account, custom pricing, payment type, and Square policy changes.
The six-month limited warranty and connector/device requirements should be confirmed against the order and compatibility tool before purchase.
This record is informational and does not establish Square eligibility for any particular business; Square conducts its own underwriting and may restrict unsupported activities.
Questions
No. It is a swipe-only magstripe reader. Add Square Reader for contactless and chip, or use Tap to Pay on a supported phone, when your customers need chip or contactless acceptance.
No monthly hardware subscription is listed, and Square says its Point of Sale software is free. Square Free publishes 2.6% + 15¢ per tap, dip, or swipe; optional Square Plus or Premium plans publish different rates and may have their own subscription pricing.
Offline payments may be enabled in supported Square POS configurations, but a magstripe reader needs to be connected to supported Square hardware such as Square Reader for contactless and chip or Square Stand for the listed offline scenario. Reconnect and upload the payments within the applicable time limit; the seller bears the risk of expired, declined, or disputed offline payments.
Keep exploring
Hardware
Square Reader for contactless and chip (2nd generation) gives mobile operators and small counters a compact way to accept EMV chip cards, contactless cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and Afterpay through a compatible phone or tablet.
Explore Square Reader for contactless and chip
Hardware
Square Stand turns a compatible USB-C iPad into a tidy countertop POS with built-in contactless and chip payments.
Explore Square StandInformation as of 2026-10-27. Product details date: 2026-10-27.
Ready when you are
