Author
Tatsiana Yablonskaya
Taking strong interest in blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and IoT, Tatsiana Yablonskaya got deep understanding of the emerging techs believing in their potential to drive the future.
First 100 local business owners have already got Square readers.
Square, a mobile payments company, has presented its new card reader which is intended to replace a standalone chip card-friendly reader. You can purchase a new device on the official website for $49. There has also been information that 250,000 readers will be given away for free.
There is a convenient possibility for those who want to give the new Square reader a trial first of all. Everyone will be able to try the device at Chicago’s Honey Butter Fried Chicken, Philz Coffee in San Francisco, St. Louis’s Sump Coffee, and Cafe Grumpy in New York. The choice of locations was well-targeted as Square believes food service is a major growth area.
We’re giving away 250K Square Readers free—because we want *every* business to be able to accept Apple Pay. http://t.co/s5hbf3hrZf #WWDC15
— Square (@Square) June 8, 2015
The new reader is a square pad separate to insert in the phone to make a purchase. It is wireless, works through a rechargeable battery and seems to be compatible either with a countertop system or with Square’s free mobile app.
The reader offers the highest level of security as it’s optimized for accepting authenticated payments like EMV and contactless like Apple Pay and Android Pay.
To start Square has decided to present its reader in the following cities: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Miami, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Seattle, St. Louis Tampa, and Washington, D.C.
“Until now, technology like our new reader has been out of reach for local businesses. Now Square sellers across the country can quickly and easily accept the new forms of payment that are crossing their counter tops”, says Jesse Dorogusker, head of hardware at Square. Square sees changeover from traditional cards to chip-based cards as a potentially large growth area. It requires tens of thousands of small businesses across America to upgrade their POS systems.
USA today has interviewed Josh Kulp, the owner and chef of Honey Butter Fried Chicken in Chicago. Josh turned out to be one of the first businessmen to get the new reader.
He admits: “It has allowed us to get up to date with where the world has gone. We’ve always wanted to offer our customers the option to pay with Apple Pay and we’re thrilled that Square has helped us make this a reality.”
Caroline Bell, owner of the New York City-based Café Grumpy coffee shops, echoes: “With Apple Pay it’s superfast and that was something our customers were really interested in us having. They have been asking about contactless payments. Now it’s here — with one tap, customers at our Grand Central location can grab a coffee right before they jump on the train.”
