Using Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android

In this article, you'll learn how to take a card payment in person with just your phone. With Tap to Pay, your phone is the card reader. The customer taps their card, or their phone with Apple Pay, Google Pay or another wallet, and the job's paid on the spot. You don't need a terminal or any extra hardware.

Tap to Pay is already on for every company, so there's nothing to switch on in Features. It does need your Stripe account connected under Settings › Payments first. Until that's done, the Tap to Pay buttons take you to that setup page.

Note: On iPhone and Android, the phone app takes the tap itself. The web CRM works differently: it gets the invoice ready, and you take the tap in Stripe's own app. Both ways are covered below.

To open Tap to Pay in the phone app:

  1. Open the menu.
  2. Tap Tap to Pay.

You can also pick Tap to Pay as one of your home screen shortcuts.

What's on the Tap to Pay page

At the top it says Tap to Pay is Active, with a line saying your phone is the card reader. Under that you'll find:

  • Collect a payment, with a Go to jobs button.
  • Set up Tap to Pay on this iPhone (or on this phone on Android), with the setup button.
  • How Tap to Pay works, with a See how it works button. It shows where the customer holds their card, how the phone wallet works and what happens after the tap.
  • Recent card payments, showing the date, job, description and amount of your latest card payments.

If Stripe isn't connected yet, you'll see Connect Stripe to start tapping and a Go to Payments settings button instead of the first three cards.

Setting up your phone

Do this once on each phone, before your first customer, so the tap opens right away at checkout.

  1. On the Tap to Pay page, tap Set up this iPhone or Set up this phone.
  2. Wait while the screen says Setting up Tap to Pay. It might show a percentage while the phone gets ready.
  3. On iPhone, Apple's Terms and Conditions might appear. Accept them to carry on.
  4. If the phone asks for location access, allow it.
  5. When setup finishes, a short walkthrough on taking a tap opens. Close it and you'll see This iPhone is ready or This phone is ready. Tap How to take a tap to watch it again, or tap Done.

Once Stripe is connected, you can also set up the phone from Settings › Payments in the app. Tap Set up Tap to Pay on this iPhone (or on this phone). The How Tap to Pay works button is there too.

Note: Only an account admin can run setup. Anyone else sees An admin sets this up. Once an admin has set up a phone, everyone allowed to charge cards can take payments on it.

If setup fails, you'll see Couldn't finish setup with the reason and a Try again button. A phone that can't run Tap to Pay will say so here. On Android, that usually means there's no NFC chip, NFC is turned off, or developer options are on.

Taking a payment in the phone app

  1. Open the job.
  2. Under Payments, tap Add payment. The Collect payment page opens with the amount due.
  3. Tap Tap to Pay on iPhone on an iPhone, or Tap to Pay on Android.
  4. On the Tap to Pay payment screen, check the summary and tap Approve Amount.
  5. If tips are on, the customer picks a percentage, enters a Custom tip amount or picks No tip. Then they tap Add tip or Continue.
  6. The customer taps the Tap to sign box, signs, then taps Pay with the total.
  7. When the screen says to, the customer holds their card or phone to the top of your iPhone, or to the back of your Android phone.
  8. When it says Approved, tap Done. The job shows as paid right away.
Tip: If the client has a card on file, Charge card ending sits at the top and the Tap to Pay button moves just below it.

A card tap always collects the full balance. If you tap Edit next to the amount due to take less, that lower amount only applies to cash, check and the other methods.

If a tap doesn't go through, you'll see Didn't go through with the reason and a Try again button.

You can also take a tap from an invoice. Open the invoice, tap Add payment under Payments, and then follow the same steps.

Note: You'll only see the Tap to Pay button if your role is allowed to charge credit cards.

Taking a Tap to Pay payment from the web

On the web, the CRM gets the invoice ready and you take the tap in Stripe's own app (Stripe Dashboard) on your phone. Sign in to that app with your Stripe login.

  1. Open the job and go to the Payments tab.
  2. Next to Job payments, click Tap to Pay. The CRM gets the job's invoice ready.
  3. A blue note shows the invoice number and the amount to enter.
  4. On your phone, open the Stripe app, tap Collect payment, enter that amount and take the tap.
  5. Leave the job open. It updates itself as soon as the card taps. If you change your mind, click stop waiting.
Finding the Tap to Pay button on a job

The web has its own Tap to Pay page in the menu, with a short setup guide: connect Stripe, download the Stripe app, sign in, then try a small payment. Tick the three boxes under Confirm your setup and click Complete setup. Before marking setup done, the CRM checks that a real card payment has come through Stripe. After that, the page shows Collect a payment, links to the Stripe app for iPhone and Android, and your recent card payments.

The Tap to Pay page on the web
The Tap to Pay page on the web

Common questions

  • Does it cost extra? There's nothing to turn on or buy in the CRM. Card payments run through your own Stripe account.
  • Where does the money go? To your Stripe account, then your bank, like every other card payment in the CRM.
  • What can customers tap? Contactless cards and phone wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay.
  • The button sends me to Settings. Your Stripe account isn't connected yet. Finish that under Settings › Payments.
  • The app says Update the app to tap. Your copy of the app is too old for Tap to Pay. Install the latest version, then try again.
  • It says Tap to Pay needs a newer iOS or Android. Update your phone's software, then try again.

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