Square UK Reviews 3,667

We only purchased Square recently & so far we are very pleased with our card reader. It is simple to use, reports are delivered quickly unlike some others. We haven’t had any problems so all good.

Easy to use.Small & compact. Reliable service

Great solution for a small business, I use a card reader, invoices and online checkout.
Competitive fees and quick transfer to my account

I use my Square Reader at markets and have never had an issue with it. It is super convenient and gives me more sales than if I didn't have it. Fees are excellent and money is transferred to my account quickly, very happy.

We use a square card reader for sales at different locations all across the UK. I have been very happy with it. It has only failed us once, when it was not used for a while and was in need of a software update. The support service got us back up and running quickly though.

All the Info on their website says Android 7 or above. What it should say is 'Android 7 or above for the very few devices that you can actually use it with'
I have brought a brand new Lenovo tablet on Android 11.0 only to find It isn't compatible.
Be VERY WARY when buying this reader as it is very limited in its use.
Online chat is no help whatsoever.

UPDATE 3 DEC.
I brought a new device that is on their ‘compatible’ list and guess what……… It isn’t.
Anybody want to buy a new Android tablet, seeing as it’s neither use nor ornament when it comes to using Square ???

I love this company. Never fails. Pays money on tine. Sane time dvery day. Can also get instant funds which is great for any small business My partner signed us up for Verifone for our new shop. On the 4th reader. Continually fails. Inconsistent payments. Cant use the portal still after 6 months. Please please use Square

The app has connectivity issues that square can not resolve. The reader will connect eventually but not great for customers and vendors who have to wait around

Some great features to this affordable and low fee solution. Connectivity problems are a pain!

Purchased Squsre reader. Very easy to set up and use. Prompt payments and no hassle

As a first time user this is simple to use (Card reader) connects to my phone. Works most times.

I have been using a Square card reader for a few months now, it works perfectly, it's easy to use, and money goes to my bank account the following day. My customers and I are extremely happy.

Excellent product and services. Mobile app and card reader very easy to use and super reliable.

Been using Square for my small business for a few months now and have nothing but great experience. The reader is so portable, simple to use and easy to set up. Really enjoy the SquareSpace website which allows me to put items up without any selling fees. Also really like the fact that it's flexible (so I'm not charged monthly for using the reader), the fees are minimal, and money is transferred into my account very quickly. Would highly recommend for any small (or big!) business.

Brilliant piece of equipment essential for any small business

I love square for my small 1 man band business. Easy to install and set up on my phone.

Very quick professional help from Joss - Square Team member. Thank you! My card reader working fine now.

Really poor quality reader broke despite being kept in original packaging and only used less than a dozen times so now I'm supposed to buy a new one - fat chance!

I have had no issues with square been using this for over 2 yrs my wife washed the reader twice they replaced it free of charge there is a big problem with chips for cars and gas boilers there is no Worcester/baxi/vaillant boilers in stock any were in the uk and people ordering new cars are waiting months due to the same problem it’s moved to computers and card readers you can still take a payment on the app with the card details so stop being so hard on them loads of company’s or in the same boat I have four card readers on order just going to wait as the customer service with these is great and yes they gave me free purchase fees on £1000 so i am more than happy well done square thank again steve

I need a bluetooth card reader for an event (my first) on the 12th of March. Ordered a card reader from Squareup on Monday, Feb 21. Was advised by email that the card reader is typically delivered within 2-3 days. On Feb 25 received an email telling me my order was delayed due to technical issues in the warehouse. On the 3rd of Mar I received another email advising they are working on a solution to resume deliveries and will contact me next week to advise when I can expect my order. I lost my nerve on the 8th of Mar and tried to cancel the order, only to find that the order cannot be cancelled because it has already been processed, it's currently in the warehouse and should arrive in 5 to 7 working days. This is no good to me, I need the card reader on the 12th. I searched really hard and found a customer service phone number and called them. I was told over the phone that they cannot cancel the order (even though they do communicate with the warehouse yep) and the only thing I can do is wait for the reader to arrive and send it back, unused and unwanted. I told the customer service rep that I won't need the reader as I've bought one from a different vendor (SumUp) and it's already been dispatched, on the same day I purchased it. There are huge problems with Squareup's supply chain/order fulfillment processes, this is obvious. No cancellation, only return and refund? I pointed out to the rep that the money wasted on postage could be better used by paying her more. She kept apologising and telling me how she understood how I felt, and I wondered how many times she's had the same conversation in the last couple of weeks. I didn't tell her that I watched youtube videos on how easily a Square card reader could be hacked and used to steal data from a customer's card. I also didn't mention that I've just learned that after every five contactless transactions the card will be declined unless the user puts the card in the machine and uses their PIN number. Sounds like a dealbreaker for a Square card reader, which has no keypad. I'm actually glad my Square card reader was delayed, as it prompted me to rethink my purchase and go with the other guy. Hopefully my new card reader will make it here before the 12th! No thank you, time-squandering, stress-inducing Squareup faffer-abouters!

***UPDATE*** On the 14th of March I received an email advising my hardware had shipped. This email included a tracking number. On the 15th of March the card reader arrived. I have now tried to use the online form to return the card reader, only for the system to advise me that the order has not yet been sent. I called Square and spoke to a young man who tried to be helpful but failed miserably, as there doesn't seem to be any way to override the system manually to correct the shipping information error. There is no way to return this hardware. After being placed on hold three times, he admitted that the only way for me to return the card reader was to send it back, keep my receipt for posting and they would refund me my shipping costs and the purchase price of the card reader. I asked him what the chances were of the card reader coming back without being lost in the warehouse, and how could they possibly refund me a random postage amount when there doesn't seem to be any way whatsoever to override the computer system. I told him I was better off eating the cost of the card reader than sending it back and being any further out of pocket. I asked him if there was anyone to escalate to, and he advised that his managers didn't have any more access to the system than he did. I then pointed out my reasons for not wanting to do business with Square, as the challenges I've encountered just trying to get a card reader have been nearly insurmountable, and I cannot in all honesty fathom why Square would even think I'd let them near any of my money. I DO NOT TRUST THEM. I don't think they are interested in doing business well or having anything close to a sensible relationship with their customers, if my experience is anything to go by. Apparently they are going to refund my purchase between five and seven working days from now, but I don't believe this either. Is this what a fly feels like when it gets stuck to fly paper?

**Update: The end of the story. Somehow the customer service people finagled something and they resent me the email saying my order had shipped. This time when I went to the returns form I was able to navigate the form and print off a prepaid address label. Just back from the DPD drop off shop and hopefully the Square people are out of my life for good. I've had a refund and I've returned their card reader. I've also deleted their direct debit details from my bank account and will see if I can delete my account from their system. Never again!

I recently setup a square account for my business. I like their bluetooth card reader. The app is pretty good. I really like the idea of the integrated cashflow tools in the account. But...

Just one problem: It does not work for me. What I mean is, they will take payments but the money sits in their account. For days. And still does not get to me while they ask. more. questions.

I joined Square because a friend runs all his business payments through square and likes it. For over a year he's a happy business bunny. However, my experience is a little different.

I run a small business. I ran through the setup queries, started taking payments and then wondered why nothing turned up in the business account after a few days. Checking the online dashboard, I looked through everything I could find. No clues. I could see that square are holding onto money that my clients have paid but how to get it into the business bank account was beyond me - and I run an IT consultancy.

So I think, "time to ask square". Then I found that their telephone contact was disabled in the portal. No reference to the phone number, just a statement that it was not available. So I am getting the message: apparently I am not their favourite customer. Email got no response - and their disclaimer promised nothing for a looong time.

No worries, I am pretty good at searching. A few minutes later I found their customer services number which is 0800 098 8008 in the UK. But why make it so difficult? Do they want to annoy me?

Their perfectly pleasant rep tells me that hidden in the bowels of the dashboard are some questions that may need answering. Why not make them loud and obvious: "answer these or we hold onto your cash"? Hmm, no. Square want to keep them quiet: no sign of a reference to them when I log in. That would be way too simple.

So I answer these questions, all perfectly reasonable-ish. Things like copies of invoices, passport, eye colour, favourite soda flavour...Ok, I made up those last two. But apparently my answers are not enough. So, answer some more questions. And then some more... Gosh, but I think that I answered these ones before... like, several times.

The days go past. My few hundred pounds sit rather despondently in Square's account wishing to come home. But square seem unequal to the task of squaring up to getting this little baby working.

Now I may be a slow learner but even I do not want to add to that little mountain of cash sitting in Square's cellar. I mean, using their app is fun but not that much fun.

Conclusion: Square are brilliant in principle - heck, I reckon it could be brilliant in reality. But actually it has been pretty awful in practice so far. Sorry but it's true.

--

Well, that was Friday. Now it's Monday evening and nothing yet. Perhaps they are busy with their Valentines...

--

To be fair to Square, they did finally put this right - thank you.

The issue in my experience was that their front line support team are divorced from their compliance team. And unfortunately the compliance team communicate using fairly impenetrable signs. Here is what I mean...

I would expect a message by email and the dashboard to clearly explain what additional information or clarification they may require. Instead, when compliance feel that they need something they send a weird 'We’ve recently noticed some unusual activity on your Square account' email. When I log into the dashboard, compliance ask questions that I have answered before such as 'what does my business do', 'send a document about one of the directors'.

These are questions that I have answered before... at least once and often several times more.

Yet from this hint I have to GUESS what kind of problem they have bumped into. Now I love the parlour games of mind reading or charades. But those are games where communication is deliberately limited for fun. When nearly £500 of my business money is sitting idle for days and weeks then I feel quite differently...a great work out for the heart both physical and mental. And developing forgiveness. And then exploding again. Hmm, not sure I have that forgiveness part quite settled yet.

Now Square could be great. A little pricey but great.
As I said, a friend puts quite a lot of money through every week and he loves it. I want to love it too.

So I guessed what Square needed and I guessed right. Yay! My money hostages have been released. Yet there is that lingering doubt about whether the taps will be turned off again in the future...

So here's my advice if you are going to use Square.
1. Watch their money transfers like a hawk.
2. Be prepared to call, to guess what they mean sometimes, to be damned determined to get to the bottom of what's happening.
3. Have a backup plan in case Square turn funny.

With that in mind, I am putting their support number into my phone: 0800 098 8008

Good luck!