Boost recurring donations this giving season with the upsell prompt!A Stripe Terminal reader is the closest thing to a familiar shop checkout: the payer taps, inserts, or uses their phone's wallet at the reader, and your staff member never handles the card.
To collect a payment on a reader:
- Complete the donation, order, or bidder record as normal.
- Tap Collect Payment.
- Tap Terminal Reader.
- If you are asked to Select Reader, tap the reader you are using.
- Ask the payer to tap or insert their card on the reader.
- Wait for the app to confirm.
The app shows its progress — connecting to the reader, then waiting for the card — so your staff member can tell the payer what to do next.
Choosing a reader
The first time a staff member takes a reader payment in a session, the app asks which reader to use. If only one is online it is chosen automatically. That choice then holds for the rest of their session, so they are not asked again on every sale.
To switch readers, tap Change reader on the payment screen.
Note: Only readers that are powered on, online, and registered to the same Stripe account as your site are listed. See Setting up Stripe Terminal readers for Soapbox Engage Onsite.
If the payer cancels at the reader
If the payment is cancelled on the reader itself, the app says so and returns your team to the Payment Method screen. Nothing has been charged. Choose another method or try again.
If the reader does not respond
If the reader does not answer in time, the app reports that and lets your team try again. Check the reader is awake and on the network before retrying — and if it has dropped off entirely, collect by QR code instead so the payer is not left waiting.
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