Connect a card reader

The device must be online when you connect a reader.

How you prepare the reader depends on whether it has its own screen.

Readers without a screen, such as the Stripe Reader M2, connect over Bluetooth. Turn the reader on and keep it next to your device.

Readers with a screen, such as the Stripe Reader S700, connect over Wi-Fi. You also need to register the reader in your Stripe Dashboard.

1. Turn the reader on.
2. In the reader settings, connect it to a Wi-Fi network.
3. Once it is online, the reader shows a pairing code. In your Stripe Dashboard, go to Terminal > Readers, then click Register reader.
4. Enter the pairing code, then click Next.
5. Enter the Reader name and choose your organization location. If you do not have a location yet, create it in your Tap to Donate settings first.
6. Click Register.

The reader then appears under Terminal > Readers as online. You register a reader only once.

The app lists every reader it can see on the Payment devices screen. Select your reader under Available devices. Connect it here, in the app, and not from the device Bluetooth settings.

The status reads Connecting…, and the reader then appears under Connected device with the status In use.

A reader stays connected to one device until you disconnect it. On the Payment devices screen, under Connected device, tap Disconnect device.

The reader returns to Available devices.

A reader works with one device at a time. On every other device, it stays hidden from Available devices until you disconnect it.

To hand the reader to a colleague, or to move it from a phone to a tablet:

1. On the device the reader is connected to, tap Disconnect device.
2. On the other device, select the reader under Available devices.

A reader may be missing from Available devices for one of these reasons:

• It is connected to another device. Disconnect it there first.
• A reader without a screen has gone to sleep. Press its power button, then check the list again.
• Your device is offline. A reader connects only when the device is online. Connect to the internet, then try again.

If the reader appears in the list but does not connect, the app shows the reason on screen. A timeout on a reader that connects over Wi-Fi means your device and the reader are not on the same network, or the reader has lost its Wi-Fi connection. Put both on the same network, check that the reader is connected to it, then try again.

With the reader connected, start collecting donations:

• Accept in-person donations with Tap to Donate — take each donation yourself on a phone or a tablet.
• Run a Giving Station — leave a tablet for supporters to use on their own.