My magstripe reader is having trouble swiping cards, what can I do?

[pnutguy]

I have to keep swiping a credit card many times before it recognizes the card.

[echomerenovatio]

why is it that my reader will read most cards but some it wont read, and because I cant swip the card I have to manually enter the card number and therfore I get charged the higher amount for the transaction.  

[Kelly]

@echomerenovatio Sorry to hear about that trouble! Check out the information above, these tips shoud get you up and running right away! 

[dhanna88]

I've been charging cards for the last few months by manulally entering the CC #'s. When I swipe a card usually nothing happens and every once in awhile, there will be message when a card is swiped reallt slowly that says, "Card not charged, swipe straight through." Any ideas?

[Kelly]

@dhanna88 Sorry to hear that you're having trouble with your reader. Check out Sean's answer at the top of this thread for some tips that might help. 

[acts2382121]

My square reader will only let me type in the info, why can't i just swipe

[Tom]

Hi @acts2382121 — sorry to hear about the trouble with your reader. Some other sellers reported swiping issues, and were able to get them resolved. Have a look at Sean's reply and let us know how it goes. Hope that helps!

[normanjewl]

I have used my square before, but now when I tried to use it again it is only letting me type the card in manually. What do I need to do to get it to swipe?

[Kelly]

@normanjewl Sounds like an issue with your reader. Check out Sean's answer at the top of this thread. 

[mango77]

I can do manual payments but cant get the reader to read a card. 

[Sean]

Hi @mango77 — It looks like another seller had the same question, and received an answer. Check out the answer from me in this thread. 👍

[Molly1983]

I

I recently started with Square and used it at my first show this weekend.  I never did get it to swipe the cc but could put them in manually.  Can someone hlep?  I have a Moto 4G smartphone.

[Sean]

Hi @Molly1983 — It looks like another seller had a similar question, and received an answer. Check out the reply from me in this thread and let us know if that helps!

[D_awnie]

Hi Sean. I recently changed from an Iphone to an android phone. I have not been successful in taking a payment without having to manually enter my clients credit card info at the higher processing rate.

Can you help me?

[EJ_]

@D_awnie check out the tips in this existing thread to see if anything helps. 

[4ever8scarves]

I am STILL having problems swiping everyone else's cards. However, MINE will swipe. I have done all of the troubleshooting to no avail. And manually entering cards cost me more. Not happy. Please advise.

[EJ_]

@4ever8scarves That sounds strange since your personal card was working for you.

What was it that was happening when you try to swipe other cards? Were you getting any messaging?

Have you tried any of the listed trouble shooting steps in this thread?

[KimHeadlee]

I know that the post on Square's magstripe reader is too short to be compatable with my Otter case, and I do NOT want to take off my phone's case every time I need to swipe a card. (For the record, Etsy magstripe readers DO work with my case, so Square should get on board with updating their hardware.) Is there an adapter that I can plug in to get around this issue? Thanks.

[Helen]

Hi @KimHeadlee! We don't officially support audio jack adapters at this time (meaning we can't guarantee compatibility) however, some Sellers have had success with this adapter for the magstripe reader! 

[EnerqiPaul]

I'm no expert, but here's what worked for me.
1. Uninstall/reinstall the app.
2. RESTART your fon.

3. Turn the magstripe reader 90 degrees. I had already cleaned the contact, my case is NOT an obstruction, and the port is clean. Seems weird, I know. But success isn't weird, it's just success.

4. Swipe w/out entering an amount. The app should indicate that there is a $1.00 minimum, but that means it's reading the card.

Hope this is helpful. I also have contacted support. If I get more info from them, I'll share it here. Bon chance!

[Russell]

Hey @EnerqiPaul - thanks for making your first post to the 👥 community! 

You are spot on with these troubleshooting steps - you sound like an expert to me. 😉
If this still isn't getting the Magstripe reader working, you may need a new reader. We can definitely help with that, let us know.

Please definitely feel free to help and post more here on the community. 

[faded]

THANK YOU, THIS WAS THE ONLY THING THAT WORKED FOR ME