Square Reader for contactless and chip (2nd generation)

The Bottom Line The Square Reader remains the "gold standard" for small business owners and mobile vendors who need a reliable, sleek, and incredibly easy-to-use payment solution. However, for a device that essentially only "reads" the card and requires a separate smartphone or tablet to function, the upfront cost can feel steep—especially when compared to Square's free magstripe reader. The Pros • Seamless Setup: You can go from unboxing to taking your first payment in under five minutes. The Bluetooth pairing is consistent and stable. • Modern Payment Support: It handles EMV chips and NFC (Apple Pay, Google Pay) effortlessly, which is essential as fewer customers carry physical cards or want to swipe. • Battery Life: The 2nd Gen model has impressive longevity, often lasting a full day of heavy sales on a single charge. • Portability: It's pocket-sized and professional-looking, making it perfect for pop-ups, markets, or service providers on the go. The Cons • High Upfront Cost: At $59, it's a significant jump from the free (or $10) magstripe reader. For a device that doesn't have a screen or a built-in printer, the price feels high for what is essentially a peripheral. • Processing Fees: While there are no monthly fees, the standard rate of 2.6% $0.15 per transaction can eat into margins for businesses with many small-ticket items. • Limited Utility: It does one thing well (read cards), but you are still tethered to your phone. If your phone dies or the app glitches, the reader becomes a paperweight. • No Magstripe Slot: If a customer has a damaged chip or an old card, you have to use a separate (often free) magstripe reader or key it in manually at a much higher fee. Final Verdict If you need to accept Apple Pay and chip cards to keep your business modern, this is a good product that won't let you down. However, Square is definitely charging a premium for the convenience and the brand. If you only process a few transactions a month, it might take a while for the hardware to pay for itself.

I do events and my square gen 1 stopped connecting and flashing weird light combos. Forgot about it when I got home but needed another within 2 days. Not an Amazon prime member and would have been very expensive to ship. Walmart had it same price and I had it next day!

I run a small business with a partner. We only had 1 reader, so he always had to be the one traveling to make collections. Now, either of us can do collections.

I upgraded to this tap square reader and it was an absolute game changer. It allowed us to check customers out very quickly. I highly recommend this reader.

Bought this a replacement for an older style reader we deopped in water and ruined it. Have not tested it yet I will add to the review once we use it next weekend.

Super easy to set up charges really fast makes a sound that lets users know that the transaction went through and the cord is around 25 watts and the design is small and can fit and tighten space is easy

my mobile business needed a new reader immediately. Thanks to Walmart stocking this item i lost zero sales.

I have purchased the Square Reader before. However it was through a different website. I was happy that I didn't have a limit on the number of Squares that I could purchase.

My square contactless reader came out defective. When I contacted say user to help in case I was setting it up wrong, they said that the item was defective. They sent me another one through my warranty of the product. I didn't two hours after work on the phone with them to be able to get it with the warranty. Then when I got the second one it still wasn't working. I spent another two hours on the phone with them to get it to work. They said that the ones you buy from a third party like Walmart or Target or Amazon have a greater chance to come out defective. Even if it is the Square company selling them out of these platforms. I spent almost two weeks dealing with this issue and almost four hours with customer service. Let's see how well and how long the one I have now works for. I've been with square for twelve years. I've never had an issue with their devices before. But then again… I always bought out got my devices straight from square. I just needed it faster because I use it for my business and wanted a seamless point of sale platform for my clients to feel safe using their cards in my business. I would recommend save your time and buy straight from the company to increase your chances.

It only worked a week, I am returning it today, purchased another one from Walmart and it also only worked a couple weeks that is why I bought this last one. I am returning both today.