Shopify Tap & Chip Card Reader Review

As you would expect of a device called Tap & Chip Card Reader, both EMV/chip card transactions and NFC/contactless transactions are accepted. Specifically, the reader will accept the following:

• Visa and Visa Debit
• Mastercard and Debit Mastercard
• American Express
• Discover
• Apple Pay
• Google Pay

You’ll need to pair your reader with a Shopify POS-enabled device via Bluetooth. The following devices can connect to the reader:

• iPhone: iPhone 5 or better running iOS 11.4 or higher
• iPad Air: Generation 2 or better running iOS 11.4 or higher
• iPad: Generation 4 or better running iOS 11.4 or higher
• iPad Mini: Generation 2 or higher running iOS 11.4 or higher
• iPad Pro: All iPad Pro models running iOS 11.4 or higher
• Android: Android device running version 5.0 (Lollipop) or higher

As for battery performance, Shopify states the following: “The Tap & Chip Reader takes one to two hours to charge fully. After the reader’s fully charged, its battery should last for a week of selling.” Of course, if you’re using the dock, you won’t need to worry about the state of the battery.

Additionally, you must use Shopify Payments as your payment processor to use the Tap & Chip Reader.

• Accept Two Or More Payment Options: Shopify POS allows you to split tenders and accept more than one payment type in a single transaction.
• Gift Cards: Create gift cards that are redeemable either in-store or online.
• Custom Payment Options: One of Shopify POS’s most unique features is the ability to generate custom payment options. Want to accept personal checks, gold coins, or Monopoly money as payment? This is how you do it.
• Multiple Sales Channels: Create a “Buy Button” to paste into your website and/or social media channels. Sell items from wherever you want — not just directly from your Shopify online store.

• Automatic Tax Calculations: Shopify POS automatically calculates sales tax based on the location of your store. Additionally, you can set up custom taxes for specific products or orders.
• Shipping Addresses: You can store a customer’s address and contact details so that you can ship their orders in the future.
• Custom Receipts: You can fully customize both your digital and printed receipts. This requires the Shopify POS Pro add-on, though.

• Integration With Accounting Software: Shopify POS can integrate with accounting software, including QuickBooks and Xero.
• Order Histories: View all past orders, whether made in-store or online.
• Multiple Staff Accounts: This option is available with the more advanced Shopify POS plans.
• Reporting: Shopify POS gives you several analytical tools, including dashboards that track sales, orders, and traffic patterns.

• Product Organization: You can organize your products in just about any way you want. You can also offer multiple sizes, materials, and color options for your products, each with its own price, weight, SKU number, etc.
• Inventory Management: Shopify’s advanced inventory management system makes tracking your best-selling items easy and keeps tabs on what items are the most cost-effective.
• Barcode Support: Each product can either be assigned an existing barcode or fitted with a new one.

Getting your Shopify reader ready for selling is a breeze. Do the following, and you’ll be prepared to accept payments:

1. Charge your card reader. When the reader is fully charged, all four battery indicator lights on the top of the device will light up. This should take one to two hours.
2. Download and install the free Shopify POS app onto your mobile device.
3. Open the app and log in to your Shopify store (sign up for an account if you haven’t already).
4. Press the power button on the back of the reader to turn it on.
5. At this point, the reader should connect to the app via Bluetooth automatically (make sure you have Bluetooth enabled on your mobile device). To check that the connection has been made, touch the Home button in the lower left of the app, then select Settings from the menu that comes into view. Next, scroll down to the link that reads Set up hardware. Select Card Reader from the next menu and then select Tap & Chip. At this point, if your reader is on, the app should discover it. A Connect card reader link should display. When I did this, I got a message saying, “Pairing failed — already paired,” as the pairing had already happened automatically.

The device comes with a USB charging cable but no wall plug, so if you don’t have a wall plug handy, you’ll need to connect the cable to a laptop or battery pack to charge. If you use the reader with the dock accessory, the dock will need to be plugged in — and it doesn’t come with a wall plug, either. However, the dock’s 6-foot USB cable should give you some flexibility in terms of device placement.

Let’s discuss how you accept payments with the reader. To accept a tap payment, do the following:

1. From the Shopify POS Select payment screen, tap Credit.
2. Tap the contactless payment card or device on the face of the card reader and hold it in place until the four blue notification lights appear. When Shopify POS displays a Payment received message, the transaction is complete.

To accept a chip payment:

1. From the Shopify POS Select payment screen, tap Credit.
2. Allow the customer to insert their card. The chip should face up toward the Shopify logo.
3. If a signature is required, allow the customer to sign their name on the signature screen. When a customer is happy with their signature, they tap Submit signature.
4. When the transaction is successful, choose whether to provide a receipt and then tap Start new order. The customer can now remove their card.

While Shopify POS and Shopify both come in for more praise than criticism, there are several common complaints.

• Offline Functionality: Shopify POS’s lack of offline functionality has been a sticking point for some users. Some services allow you to continue to process transactions during an outage, but not Shopify.
• Extra Costs: Some have found the cost of using Shopify to be significantly higher than is initially apparent once they find that they need to purchase software/feature add-ons to have the functionality they need.
• Bugs: Many users have complained about bugs and errors harming their experience.
• Poor Service With Shopify Payments: Many users have faulted Shopify Payments for withholding payments. However, this is a risk common to third-party processors. Read our article on avoiding account holds and terminations to learn more.

Overall, Shopify’s services are very well-received by users, especially when compared to similar services. Here’s what people tend to like about Shopify.

• Ease Of Use: Merchants have raved about the supreme simplicity and ease of use of both Shopify POS and Shopify as a whole. Simply put, there are a few easier ways to start a shop and begin selling, both online and in brick-and-mortar settings.
• Inventory Management: Many customers have noted how easy it is to import inventory and how well Shopify POS handles a wide variety of products.
• Good Customer Service: While not everyone loves Shopify’s customer service, the mere fact that Shopify offers a phone line and live chat with 24/7 availability places it ahead of many competitors. Plenty of users have praised the support staff’s friendliness and helpfulness as well.
• Extendability: Many user reviews have noted Shopify’s interconnectedness with the rest of the eCommerce software universe.