Processing EMV Chip & Contactless Card Sales

Accept chip, contactless (tap), and swipe card payments through a connected Stripe reader, right from the register.

Plan: Freemium includes 5 Tap to Pay sales per month (see "Tap to Pay on the Freemium Plan"); once those are used, the Charge Card button opens manual card entry until the month resets. Unlimited Tap to Pay starts at Lite; the Stripe M2 reader needs Premium or higher.

1. Before You Charge a Card

  1. Connect a reader first. Go to the Reader tab in the bottom navigation and connect either Tap to Pay on iPhone (or Tap to Pay on Android) or a Stripe M2 reader.
  2. Back on the POS screen, a status pill above the product grid shows your connection: ● [reader name] when connected, or ○ No reader — connect in Reader tab when not. Tapping the pill jumps straight to the Reader tab.
  3. If you try to charge with no reader connected, you'll see an alert: "No reader — Connect a reader in the Reader tab first."

2. Charging a Card

  1. Add items to the cart on the POS screen.
  2. Tap the checkout button in the footer. It reads Charge Card when a Stripe M2 is your active connection, or the Tap to Pay button label when Tap to Pay is active.
  3. The payment screen shows "Present card to reader" with the subtitle "Tap, insert, or swipe" — any of the three methods works once the card or wallet is presented to the reader.
  4. Once Stripe confirms the charge, you'll see "Payment accepted!" along with the order number.

While the charge is in progress, a Cancel button is available if you need to stop the transaction before it completes.

3. Sending a Receipt

After a successful charge, you can optionally send a receipt:

  1. Under "Send a receipt?", choose Email or SMS.
  2. Enter the customer's email address or phone number.
  3. Tap Send. A confirmation (✓ Receipt sent) appears once it goes through.

This step is optional — tap Done to skip it and return to the register.

4. Entering a Card Manually

If a customer's card can't be read by the reader (damaged chip, no contactless, reader unavailable), you can key it in instead:

  1. Tap Other… in the checkout footer.
  2. Choose Enter Card Manually from the options.
  3. Enter the card number, expiry (MM/YY), and CVC.
  4. Tap Charge card.

Manual entry carries a "Card-not-present rate applies" notice, since keyed-in transactions cost more to process than a tapped, inserted, or swiped card. It also requires an active internet connection — if the app can't reach Membrzs, you'll see an alert telling you to reconnect before trying again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the Charge Card button greyed out?

Either your cart is empty, no reader is connected, or a payment is already in progress. Connect a reader from the Reader tab and add at least one item to enable it.

Can I cancel a charge after presenting the card?

Yes — while the screen reads "Present card to reader," a Cancel button is available. Confirming shows: "Cancel payment? This will cancel the current transaction."

What if the card is declined?

The payment screen shows "Payment failed" with the specific reason from Stripe. You can retry with the same card, try a different card, or switch to Enter Card Manually from that screen.