Solved: Re: Does anyone know how long a fully charged chip...

jailstock · ‎06-25-2016

I used my chip reader ($29 one) for the first time today. I made sure my reader was fully charged. My first swipe took place at 12:01pm today and it worked 4 more times. At 3:53 when I went to use it, it was dead. I had to manually enter a card number and then switched back to my old card reader. I just want to make sure I didn't do something wrong. I have a big event in two weeks and really need it to work for the whole day.

EJ_ · ‎06-28-2016

Hello!

The batter levels on the plug in Chip Card Reader should definitely last you more than 5 times in a day.

However, one thing that sellers do is keep the Chip Card Reader plugged in all day.

Leaving this reader plugged in will in fact drain the battery even if you're not swiping or dipping cards.

If you're not using the reader, unplug it, and plug it back in when it's time to take a payment.

This should improve the battery life for you.

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EJ_ · ‎06-28-2016

Hello!

The batter levels on the plug in Chip Card Reader should definitely last you more than 5 times in a day.

However, one thing that sellers do is keep the Chip Card Reader plugged in all day.

Leaving this reader plugged in will in fact drain the battery even if you're not swiping or dipping cards.

If you're not using the reader, unplug it, and plug it back in when it's time to take a payment.

This should improve the battery life for you.

pawpaw1 · ‎10-01-2016

i also charged my chip reader as instructed. we were in the country at a craft fair without electricity...when i tried to use it the first time (probably 3-4 hours later) it said reader not charged...i know it was in fact charged, the light turned green. it was embarrassing and annoying in front of a customer...i'm glad i had my old reader with me to use....why did it not keep its charge??

srqpcfix · ‎08-25-2022

I don't personally think that this is a very good "Best answer". A small $50 Bluetooth device should definitely last at least a few hours on a full charge and not barely an hour and then be completely dead like even before I use it the first time. Keeping it tethered to a charger is not always possible. This also places a wire across my checkout counter which eliminates the whole reason for buying a rechargeable chip card reader.

Rand. -TCP

JJ_ · ‎08-27-2022

Hey there @srqpcfix

This thread is a little old and the reader referenced here has been discontinued. The Square Reader for Contactless and Chip should last a full day of use. If this is not your case, then yes, you may have received a defective reader.

In regards to the Replacement process requesting card details is because our program offers Advanced Replacement in which Square will send you a brand new reader as a replacement and you will have 14 days from the moment of delivery to return the defective one. If you fail to return the reader Square will automatically bill the card for the total price of the replaced reader. It's important to know that we will not place a hold on your card.

I hope this information is helpful!

JJ
Community Moderator, Square
Sign in and click Mark as Best Answer if my reply answers your question.

VanKalkerFarms · ‎10-02-2016

From my experience I strongly recommend the contactless Bluetooth reader. The plug in one just is not good, between. battery life and randomly being "permanently damaged".

The contacless one lasts us for days and days using them 5-25 times a day while we are at our mobile farmers market. We have 3 we use.

Bob Van Kalker
My Van Kalker Farms Garden Center website
My Rise'n Roll Bakery Schererville Indiana Facebook Page
My Rise'n Roll Bakery Cedar Lake Facebook Page

metalartist17 · ‎10-20-2018

The reports posted here re: the battery life of the "chip reader (emv) are correct. I got burned at a show after using the chip reader 3-4 times. I, too, had the old magnetic strip reader with us, and had to use it for futher sales. I did return one of the chip readers to Square because it was defective. Little did I realize these chip readers are useless because of their inability to hold a charge for a reasonable amount of time. No where in the description of the chip reader does it say how long the charge lasts. Shame on Square!

I have always been pleased with the promptness of Square posting funds to my account. I just wish they would improve the quality of their readers. Even the magnetic strip readers are difficult to work; the credit card usually has to swiped several times before you get a reading, unless you have the magic touch.

Helen · ‎10-22-2018

I'm really sorry for the trouble this caused @metalartist17, this definitely isn't the experience we want you to have with Square hardware. The Square Chip Card Reader should have enough batter to last a full days' worth of sales. (This is mentioned in our Support Center but not on the Square Shop. I'll flag this to our Content team!) However, as EJ mentioned above leaving the reader plugged in to your device can drain the battery.

If your reader only lasts for a handful of sales I suggest exchanging it for a new one under warranty. In the meantime, I'll send your report to our Hardware team.

And finally, if you're having trouble swiping cards with the magstripe reader these reader troubleshooting steps shoud help.

️ Helen
Seller Community Manager

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nwsongbird · ‎01-16-2022

I don't know if this is still a problem for folks. I was using my PayPal mag card reader. It wasn't a battery issue for it, but a login issue. My PayPal reader wasn't keeping me logged in all day. Perhaps this is a similar problem with the Square card reader?

srqpcfix · ‎08-25-2022

Ive completed the warranty/ return form and at the completion page with the "submit" button I'm being asked to enter my credit card details.

Can you please tell me why I'm being asked for payment info? I've already paid for this device and am exchanging it for a different one.

Thanks for your help.

Rand -TCP

srqpcfix · ‎08-25-2022

Yes I agree. I have to do a little more checking to see if maybe I just got a bad one because I can't imagine that this is how all of them are. A $50 card reader should stay charged for at least a day. Mine stays charged for about an hour after being fully charged.

srqpcfix · ‎08-25-2022

Wow you're lucky. In the morning I charge mine fully and then when I go to do my first charge a few hours later there's only one or two green lights on it. So for $50 there should be a good battery in here or maybe I got a bad one and I'll exchange it. I mean it's an Apple product so..

Does anyone know how long a fully charged chip reader will last before it needs to be re-charged?