Boost recurring donations this giving season with the upsell prompt!Soapbox Engage Onsite offers a Stripe Terminal reader only while it is powered on, online, and registered to the same Stripe account as your site.
When none is available, the Terminal Reader option is still shown on the Payment Method screen, greyed out and reading No terminal reader available in place of its description. That is the symptom to look for — the option is not missing, it is inactive.
Work through these in order.
The reader is asleep or off the network
The most common cause, and the quickest to fix. Wake the reader, confirm it shows as connected on its own screen, and reopen the payment screen in the app.
The reader is on a different Stripe account
A reader registered to another Stripe account — a second organization, or an account used for testing — never appears, however healthy it is. Confirm in your Stripe dashboard that the reader belongs to the same account your site uses.
The battery is flat
A reader running on battery through a long event can drop off without anyone noticing. Keep readers on power where you can.
Your staff member already chose a different reader
Reader choice is remembered for the rest of that person's session. If they are looking at the wrong reader rather than no reader, tap Change reader on the payment screen to pick another.
No readers at all
If your organization does not use Terminal readers, Terminal Reader stays greyed out with No terminal reader available. This is expected and needs no action. Collect payment by QR Code or Manual Entry instead — see Choosing how to collect a payment.
Keep taking money while you fix it
Do not hold up a payer while you diagnose a reader. Switch to QR Code and let them pay on their own phone.
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