Review: Square Contactless and Chip Reader

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When you own a Silhouette or Cricut small business, you will need to collect payments. I’ve been using Square’s Contactless and Chip Reader for about 6 months. I’ve now used it enough times that I feel comfortable sharing a review of it.

If you aren’t familiar with EMV cards (commonly called chip cards), you can read more about them in another post on Cutting for Business. In a nutshell, chip cards are more secure and you should be accepting them in your business. If you do not provide a chip card checkout option for in person sales and have a fraudulent charge, you can be held liable.

Let’s look at the pros and cons of the Contactless and Chip Reader.

Pros

• Wireless. I love that the contactless and chip reader works on Bluetooth. It’s nice to go wire free!
• Quick. Processes transactions faster than I expected.
• Easy to use. Simply insert the card or hold the phone/watch with Apple Pay or Android Pay near the device.
• Payment options. Accepts chip cards, Apple Pay, and Android Pay.
• Long battery life. I’ve used the Contactless and Chip Reader for several hours straight and the battery always lasts.

Cons

• Wireless. Like other electronics, the Contactless and Chip Reader needs charged. A charging cable is included.
• No Mag Stripe Reader. I wish that the Contactless and Chip Reader also accepted magnetic stripe cards on the same unit. While it does not, a free magnetic reader is included.
• Cost. The Contactless and Chip Reader costs $49.

Would I recommend it for your Silhouette or Cricut small business? Yes, absolutely! If you don’t feel that you will use the contactless portion of the reader, Square also has a EMV chip reader for $29.

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