Collecting payments and information from groups oftentimes requires a transition from online payments to in-person (or point-of-sale) payments. Fortunately, Cheddar Up can serve both needs for group organizers – keeping all payments within one platform. Cheddar Up’s iOS and Android mobile apps and card reader create a seamless point-of-sale solution for group organizers.
Collect in-person payments
Cheddar Up has point-of-sale functionality built into its mobile apps. It’s perfect for collecting for events, camps, classes, etc., where an organizer begins collecting online payments weeks in advance, but then needs to collect more payments in-person the day of the event.
Collections created on Cheddar Up can be seamlessly managed across both its web platform and mobile apps, which means all funds (online and in-person) remain tracked and located in one spot.
Here’s how to collect using Cheddar Up’s point-of-sale functionality:
- If you haven’t already, download the Cheddar Up app (available in both iOS and Android) and create a collection (using either our website or mobile app).
- Turn on your Bluetooth card reader, open the Cheddar Up mobile app and log into your Cheddar Up account. Or, if you were given a POS Code, on the mobile app home screen, click "Get Started" and then click "I have a POS Code".
Make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your device. You can do this by clicking the Settings app on your device and toggling Bluetooth "On." Make sure NOT to connect your Cheddar Up Bluetooth card reader within your device settings. Instead, the reader will automatically pair when you reach the "Connect Reader" screen during your first point-of-sale checkout within the Cheddar Up mobile app. If you connect the reader within your device settings, the reader will not connect properly. See our "Getting Started with Your Card Reader Guide" (M2 | BBPOS) for what to do if you accidentally connected your reader within your device settings.
- If you're logged in as the organizer, tap on the collection in which you plan to collect and click the “Point of Sale” button.
You are now ready to start accepting point-of-sale payments.
- Tap the item(s) the customer is purchasing to add it to the cart.
- Click “Checkout”. Upon clicking "Checkout", you'll be prompted to enable location services.
- If your collection has forms on it, you’ll be prompted to complete any required form fields, and click “Save”. If no forms exist, skip this step.
- Select the customer’s payment method – credit card or cash/check - and complete the customer's information in order to send them an email receipt. If you skip entering the customer's information, the customer will not receive an email receipt and you will have no record of who made the payment. Learn more here. Then click "Pay Now".
- If only one card reader is within range, you will see a screen that says "Reader Found", which will ask you to connect the reader. If there are multiple card readers within range, you will instead see a screen that says "Connect Reader" with a button prompting you to select a reader.
- Once you've connected to a reader, click the orange "Accept Payment" button.
- Next you will see a "Tap, Insert or Swipe Card" view. Please note that if you are using the insert method, be sure to NOT remove the card until the message on your device indicates to do so (similar to checkout at any retail store). If the customer is paying with cash or check, enter the amount tendered and the app will record the payment and calculate the customer’s change for you.
Don't have our awesome card reader? To accept point-of-sale payments more efficiently, get one here. In addition, you can also scan embossed credit cards using your smart phone’s camera or enter the card number manually).
Know when to tap, dip or swipe!
Dip: If a card has a chip, use the dip (if in doubt, start by dipping).
Tap: If a card has the NFC symbol (or if using Google or Apple Pay), tap.
Swipe: If a card does NOT have a chip and ONLY has a magstripe, swipe. - If signature is enabled, have the customer enter their signature on the device and click “Done Signing”.
- Click “Add a New Payment” to accept your next POS payment.
Key Point-of-Sale Tip:
If efficiency is important to prevent long lines, consider eliminating as many item questions and form questions as possible (delete any fields that are not critical for in-person checkout).
Looking for a downloadable how-to guide?
Download this step-by-step guide (with visuals!) that outlines what to expect when accepting point-of-sale payments with our Bluetooth card reader.
Guide for Account Owners Guide for POS Code Users
Common Questions
If your customer is using a credit card with raised (or embossed) numbers, you have the option to scan the credit card information using your smart phone's camera (instead of using a credit card reader or entering the number manually).
To scan a credit card, after clicking “Pay Now” in the POS flow on the mobile app, click the “scan card” button. This will prompt you to give Cheddar Up access to your phone’s camera. Click “OK” to this request. Next, you’ll want to hold the credit card in the palm of your hand in front of your smart phone’s camera. Hold it until the card is outlined entirely in green, which indicates a successful scan.
Please note that scanning a credit card does NOT take a photo of the card. Instead, it simply replaces the job of a card reader and pulls in the credit card numbers to process the payment. Please note that while this method can work well, the quickest and more superior method of processing point-of-sale payments is by using our card reader.
If there are any issues with a payment - such as a dispute or the need for a refund - not being able to associate unique point-of-sale payments with unique payers can be problematic. You’ll want to weigh the pros (speed) and cons (lack of reporting) when you decide to skip Receipt Information during point-of-sale checkout on Cheddar Up’s mobile apps.
For both iOS and Android, go to your Settings app and tap Notifications. There, you'll see a list of your apps that can send notifications. Find and tap the Cheddar Up app, and toggle off "Allow Notifications".
