Los Angeles Wildfires: Support and Resources

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To our Los Angeles sellers:

We hope you are staying safe. All of us at Square are thinking of you, your families, and your communities during these wildfires. 

We want to offer some support in the ways that we can. We’ve compiled a list of local resources for immediate relief:

• Safety Steps from the Red Cross Los Angeles
• Fire Updates and Evacuation Orders from the Los Angeles Fire Department
• Disaster Assistance from the U.S. Small Business Administration

We’ve also put together these Square resources for your businesses as you respond and recover in the coming days:

• Temporarily pause your subscriptions: If you need time to reopen your business, you can temporarily pause some of your software subscriptions, like Square Marketing or Square Loyalty, until your business is operational. Learn more here. 
• Reach out to the Square Loans team to learn about minimum payment delay and hold rate relief: If you have an active Square Loan and anticipate needing additional time to make your next minimum payment, we may be able to extend your due date by up to 30 days. For businesses that are still operating but need some additional support, we also may be able to temporarily reduce the repayment rate that’s applied to your business’s daily card sales through Square for the repayment of your loan by up to a month from the date requested. To take advantage of either of these offers, please reach out to the Square Loans team.
• Enable offline payments: If you’re able to operate your business safely but without a stable internet connection, you may still be able to take payments by enabling offline payments.(1) You can enable offline payments in your Square app settings.(2) Offline payments are processed automatically when your device regains connectivity, but please note that offline payments will expire if not processed within 24 hours. More information on how to use offline payments can be found here.
• Communicate with customers on your website: If you use Square Online, you can add a pop-up or banner to explain your circumstances to any potential customers, whether your business is taking a break or if shipping may be delayed.
• Pause active Square Marketing campaigns: You can easily stop any automated marketing campaigns and blast campaigns. Learn more here.
• Contact Square Support for additional help: If you have additional questions or need support, please reach out to us here. Resources, support, and advice from other sellers are also available through the Seller Community. 

As we receive more resources and information, we’ll update this post.

Please continue to take care of yourselves. We’re here to help.

The Square team

(1) Offline Payments for tap and dip transactions is available on Square Terminal, Square Register, Square Stand (2nd generation), Square Stand Mount, and Square Reader for contactless and chip (1st generation, v3; 2nd generation). Offline Payments for swipe transactions is available for Square Terminal, Square Register, Square Stand (1st generation), and Square Reader for magstripe. More information can be found in our Offline Payments Guide. 

(2) By enabling offline payments, you’re responsible for any expired, declined, or disputed payments accepted while offline. To set a limit for card transactions taken offline, enter an amount next to Per Transaction Limit. This limit automatically defaults to $100 when offline payments is enabled, and the maximum per transaction limit is $50,000.