Mobile payment company Square introduces Square Register

The mobile payments company Square has introduced a new checkout device that looks like a tablet but runs only Square's checkout software.

Square Register

You will soon be able to swipe the Square Register and sign to pay for your meal or just coffee, instead of doing the same on an iPad. The new Square Register will serve as an alternative to other mobile devices used for the same purpose including Square's own contactless chip reader.

One advantage of the Square Register is that people are less likely to steal it. Square claims: “A built-in seller display means you don’t have to worry about iPad theft.” Businesses can still use iPads and other mobile devices with the Register but Square maintains that its device is the superior option.

The Register automatically checks for software updates. It can be connected over Ethernet or Wi-Fi. It has an offline mode that can be used if connections are down.

The Register comes with a USB hub that has five ports, so it can be connected to other devices. There is a two year warranty. You can swipe, tap, or insert a chip for payment.

The cost of the Square Register will be $999 or payments of $49 a month for two years.

The were a few retailers who tested Square Registers in New York before its release including Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and Cafe Grumpy.

The Register has separate screens so that the buyer and seller can see items as they are being rung up a feature that many larger sellers had wanted, according to CEO of Square Jack Dorsey. Dorsey is also CEO of Twitter.

The Register wont necessarily replace the Square's other hardware such as Stand, but will give larger sellers great choices.

Dorsey said that they were not shifting away from supporting smaller businesses. However he also said that the company decided early on that it was not going to just focus on small and independent businesses.

As well as the cost for the hardware, there will be a transaction fee of 2.5 percent and 10 cents per transaction charged.

Square and bitcoin

Square has accepted bitcoin as payment from the spring of 2014. A buyer can pay in bitcoin and the transaction is settled in US dollars.

CEO Dorsey said at the launch of the Square Register: “We started accepting bitcoin through our online store and enabled sellers to not have to think about anything. If a buyer wanted to use bitcoin, they could use it.”

However, in 2014 there were only one or two transactions each day and Dorsey said that not much has changed since then.

Dorsey said:“I think it’s seen less as a currency right now and more like a way to invest. And I think a lot of people are using it in a digital gold kind of way. We haven’t seen a lot of the currency aspects or the potential there just yet, but we’re definitely watching closely. There’s nothing that’s more impactful to our business than digital currency and everything that’s happening in cryptocurrency — and the tech behind it. So we are definitely paying attention and are learning as quickly as possible.”

Paying at the till by phone becoming common

Cash has long been losing out to credit cards but now both may be losing out in the battle for the most popular way of making payments to the smart phone.


There are many ways that you can now make payments with your phone. Some apps allow you to make payments for goods while others are used for other purposes. For example Venmo is popular in the United States among college students for sending money. It can send money to mobile numbers or email addresses.

Many people are now using digital wallets rather than having a physical wallet bulging with documents, credit cards and perhaps even cash. A digital wallet is described by Wikipedia:
A digital wallet refers to an electronic device that allows an individual to make electronic transactions. This can include purchasing items on-line with a computer or using a smartphone to purchase something at a store. An individual's bank account can also be linked to the digital wallet. They might also have their driver’s license, health card, loyalty card(s) and other ID documents stored on the phone.

Many of the digital wallet features involve software from large tech companies such as Google. Google wallet is a money transfer app. It allows you to send money from your phone to other person's emails or phone numbers. Recipients are notified by email and then go through steps to identify themselves to access the funds. Google Android Pay now in Canada since May enables users to pay by using their phone at participating merchants.

Square Inc. is also a company that has apps that allow merchants to accept credit card payments but has software that does much else for companies as well. Square Register is point of sale software that the company hopes will replace both traditional credit card terminals and cash registers. The software not only simplifies payment processing but at the same time can help inventory management. It will also be able to integrate with other third-party platforms. More information with a video included is available at this website.

As Wikipedia describes Square Register: "Square Register allows individuals and merchants in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, and the United Kingdom, to accept offline debit and credit cards on their iOS or Android smartphone or tablet computer."
Samsung Pay is available only on Android devices. It allows users to load their credit, debit, and gift cards to their platform. Having done so payment to stores may be made using the user's phone. Samsung Pay allows the phone to in effect mimic a physical card. The phone can be used to make payments to virtually any merchant who will accept the cards.

Competing with Google and Samsung is Apple Pay. It is an app that works on an iPhone. Apple may be a possible winner in the mobile phone payment competition. Apple Pay is already accepted by 50 percent of retailers in the United States. An Apple Pay website claims: " Unlike paying with a physical card, using Apple Pay in stores happens in seconds with your iPhone and Apple Watch. Just hold your iPhone near the reader with your finger on Touch ID or double-click the side button on your Apple Watch, then hold it near the reader." More and more you will see people reach for their phones at the checkout rather than for their wallet to take out a credit card or pay by cash.
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