Use Card on File with Square
- Account owners or team members with the checkout permission to add customers to a sale can store payment cards during a sale.
- Account owners or team members with the checkout permission to take payments can charge a card on file.
- Set permissions in Square Dashboard.
About Card on File
With Card on File, you can securely add and store payment cards in your Customer Directory, making transactions quick and seamless for your regulars. Safely charge a customer's stored payment card or Square Gift Card with either your point of sale app or Square Virtual Terminal, and Square will handle the PCI compliance and authorization on your behalf. If your business has multiple locations, you can use a card on file to process a transaction at any of them.
Before you begin
Once a card on file expires, you or your customer will need to unlink the card information from their profile in your Customer Directory.
You’re unable to save contactless payment card or device information for sales completed with Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay.
Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) cards are supported with Card on File.
It’s a violation of PCI standards to record a customer’s CVV, so there won’t be a field to enter it.
Square’s public APIs all use the same infrastructure to support Card on File. When using Square's eCommerce API or Customers API to store cards on file, you can use these cards to complete payments with the Square POS and Square Invoices apps.
Customers can securely pay for single or recurring invoices by adding and storing a Card on File or Bank on File. Learn how to use payment methods on file with Square Invoices.
Step 1: Enable Card on File
To use Card on File, you must first enable the feature. You can do so from your point of sale app or from your Square Appointments calendar.
- Sign in to your point of sale app and tap ☰ More > Settings > Checkout > Customer management.
- Under Save a Card on File, toggle on In the Customer Profile.
- Optionally toggle on After checkout to save cards after checkout.
- Sign in to Square Dashboard and go to Appointments > Calendar.
- Enter your customer’s name or create a customer on the spot. On the right, you’ll see Client Notes, Card on File, and Appointments History. Note: You must have written authorization from your customer to save their payment card.
- Click Add Card and enter the card details > Confirm.
Card on File doesn’t have to be enabled for use on Square Dashboard.
Step 2: Get authorization
Download our card authorization form template >
You need your customer’s signed authorization to save their card and protect you from chargeback liability. Have your customer fill in the authorization form. Make sure to keep authorization forms on file to comply with PCI-DSS and data privacy requirements and store them securely to help prevent payment disputes.
Sign in to Square Dashboard and go to Customers > Customer directory > Directory.
Select an existing customer or click Create to add a new customer.
Under Payment on File, click (•••) and click Add Credit or Debit Card or Add Gift Card.
Click fill in and sign this form.
Download the form and send it to your customer to sign and authorize before adding the card details to their customer profile.
Upload the signed copy by clicking on the customer’s profile, then navigate to Files > Upload File.
Step 3: Store card information
A card on file can be stored from the Customer Directory in either your Square Dashboard or point of sale app.
- Sign in to Square Dashboard and go to Customers > Customer directory > Directory.
- Select an existing customer. For new customers, create their profile before proceeding.
- Under Payment on File, click Add and choose Add Credit or Debit Card or Add Gift Card.
- Enter the required payment details, customer name, and/or customer email address.
- Click Save. Your customer will receive an email confirming that you’ve saved a card on file for them.
- Sign in to your point of sale and tap ☰ More > Customers.
- Tap an existing customer. For new customers, create their profile before proceeding.
- Under Card on File, tap Add Card and choose Credit or debit card or Gift card.
- Enter the required payment details, customer name, and/or customer email address.
- Tap Save. Your customer will receive an email confirming that you’ve saved a card on file for them.
You can also add a card on file just before or after completing a sale.
- Before a sale: To add a card on file before a sale, ring up your customer as you normally would. From the “Current sale” screen, tap Add customer. Once the customer is added, tap the customer name on the “Current sale” screen and tap View full profile to add a payment on file.
- After a sale: To add a card on file after a sale, ring up your customer as you normally would. Once you’ve completed the payment, store the payment card information by tapping View customer from the receipt screen to add a payment on file.
From the Square POS app in services mode or from the Square Invoices app:
- From your point of sale app, tap Customers.
- Create a new profile or select an existing customer.
- Under Card on File, tap Add Card.
- Enter the card details, including the expiration date and CVV. Tap Next.
- Confirm the customer’s email address so you can send digital receipts for purchases. Tap Next.
- Enter the Billing Code to authorize the card for future purchases. Tap Agree and Save Card.
- A Card and Customer Profile Saved confirmation message will appear. Tap Done to return to the customer profile.
Step 4: Charge a card on file
You can charge a card on file from either your point of sale app, Square Virtual Terminal, or with Square Invoices. When you charge a customer’s card on file, a receipt is automatically sent to the email address associated with their customer profile.
While completing a transaction, add your customer to the sale, tap Charge, and choose the Card on File option.
- Sign in to Square Dashboard and go to Orders & payments (or Invoices & Payments or Payments) > Virtual Terminal > Overview then go to Take a payment.
- Enter the transaction details and select your customer with a saved card on file.
- Under Payment details, confirm Customer card on file is selected.
- Click Charge.
Delete a card on file
A card on file can be deleted from the Customer Directory in either your Square Dashboard or point of sale app.
Your customers can also remove their own cards by following the link provided to them on all Card on File email notifications. The link in these notifications will take them to their Card on File Dashboard, where they can view and remove the cards on file associated with your business.
- Sign in to Square Dashboard and go to Customers > Customer directory.
- Select a customer with a saved card on file.
- Under Payment on file, click the trash icon next to the card you want to remove.
- Select a reason for deleting the card and click Confirm Delete Card.