Square Launches NFC Reader to Bring Apple Pay to Smaller Businesses

Mobile payments company Square today announced the launch of its new NFC reader within 100 small businesses around the country, letting stores who previously were unable to accept Apple Pay -- due to the lack of a required contactless reader -- begin supporting the service (via USA Today). The small square-shaped reader will act like all other Apple Pay-accepting terminals, letting users wave an iPhone or Apple Watch near the device to complete a purchase.

square reader

"Until now, technology like our new reader has been out of reach for local businesses," said Jesse Dorogusker, head of hardware at Square, told USA TODAY via email. "Now Square sellers across the country can quickly and easily accept the new forms of payment that are crossing their counter tops."

Business owners can buy the Square reader for $49 to begin allowing customers the option to use Apple Pay in their storefronts. With the recent surge in popularity of chip cards, touted as being a safer and more secure physical payment alternative, the reader also has the option to accept chip cards in a small slot located on the side of the device.

Square initially announced incoming support for Apple Pay last November, with no real hint as to what the device would be. The company then announced the Square reader during WWDC earlier this summer, confirming its NFC and chip-reading capabilities would bring the success of Apple Pay to businesses and merchants who as of yet hadn't had the chance to support the service. Merchants interested in adopting Apple Pay can visit Square's official website to reserve their own NFC reader.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay
Tag: Square

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

18 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Wednesday November 13, 2024 2:09 am PST by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 next month, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as well....
M4 MacBook Pros Thumb

M4 MacBook Pro Uses Quantum Dot Display Technology

Thursday November 14, 2024 4:19 pm PST by
The M4 MacBook Pro models feature quantum dot display technology, according to display analyst Ross Young. Apple used a quantum dot film instead of a red KSF phosphor film, a change that provides more vibrant, accurate color results. Young says that Apple has opted for KSF for prior MacBook Pro models because it doesn't use toxic element cadmium (typical for quantum dot) and is more...
AirPods Crackling Feature

Apple Customers Sue Over Unfixed AirPods Pro Crackling Issue

Wednesday November 13, 2024 11:01 am PST by
A trio of Apple customers this month filed a class action lawsuit against Apple, accusing the Cupertino company of violating California consumer protection laws and false advertising for continuing to sell AirPods Pro models that had ongoing issues with crackling or static sounds. A few months after the AirPods Pro came out in October 2019, buyers began to complain about crackling, rattling, ...
google gemini

Google Releases Standalone Gemini AI App for iPhone

Thursday November 14, 2024 2:54 am PST by
Google has launched its dedicated Gemini artificial intelligence app for iPhone users, expanding beyond the previous limited integration within the main Google app. The standalone app offers enhanced functionality, including support for Gemini Live and iOS-specific features like Dynamic Island integration. The new app allows iPhone users to interact with Google's AI through text or voice...
maxresdefault

M4 Max MacBook Pro: Real-World Usage Tests

Wednesday November 13, 2024 11:59 am PST by
Apple last week replaced the M3 Max MacBook Pro with the new M4 Max MacBook Pro, and we picked up one of the new high-end MacBook Pro machines to see how it compares to the prior model with both benchmarks and real-world tests. We tested an M4 Max with a 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, and 48GB RAM against an M3 Max MacBook Pro with similar specs. The two machines look similar, but the display on...

Top Rated Comments

konqerror Avatar
117 months ago
A bit expensive considering they make 2.75 to 3.5% (plus $.15) and fees on each purchase.
It's not that pretty. They take on high risk by accepting merchants off the street. Square is ultimately responsible for merchants that take the money and run, refuse to refund a defective purchase or go bankrupt before delivering the goods. They are also open to fraud, I've seen cases where criminals use their service to test credit card numbers, instead of going to a store or gas station where there's cameras.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KPOM Avatar
117 months ago
Apple should have purchased Looppay. It was only $0.3 billon. Apple instead have been spending $20 billion to purchase stocks and burn them every year.
Why purchase Loopay when swipe cards are supposed to be phased out within a year? It's better to get people using NFC and chip cards.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
geoff5093 Avatar
117 months ago
This will be great for iPhone and Android users! See how nice it is when using common standards?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
2457282 Avatar
117 months ago
I have always been a fan of Square (always thought that Apple should buy them out). Almost all the small vendors I run into, like the farmers at the farmers market, use square. I hope they will incorporate this little machine.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TehFalcon Avatar
117 months ago
My business is one of the 100!
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
realeric Avatar
117 months ago
Apple should have purchased Looppay. It was only $0.3 billon. Apple instead have been spending $20 billion to purchase stocks and burn them every year.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)