Card Readers

A card reader lets a cashier collect a tap, dip, or swipe on an order without typing in a card number. Card Readers is where you pair readers, keep them assigned to the right register, and check that they are online. Readers run on your connected Stripe account.

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Before You Start

• You need the payments.create permission to see Card Readers and the reader list.
• You need settings.edit to pair, rename, assign, test, refresh, deactivate, brand, or clean up readers. Without it, the page is read-only and those controls are hidden.
• Stripe must be connected under Settings > Integrations > Connectors.
• Create the location and, if you use drawers, the register the reader belongs to before you pair it.

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Open Card Readers

1. In the deck, open Settings.
2. Under Payments & Checks, choose Card Readers.

The breadcrumb reads Settings > Payments & Checks > Card Readers. The Cash Registers page also links here: Manage beside a register’s reader, and Add a reader on a register that has none.

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What You See

• Mode badge: Live mode or Test mode, matching your Stripe account’s mode.
• Refresh: reloads the reader list and statuses.
• Register a reader: opens the pairing wizard.
• Status tiles: counts of active readers that are Online, In use, Offline, and Needs attention. The tiles appear once you have at least one reader.
• Reader list: one row per reader, with its name, model, register, location, and status.
• Reader branding: the idle-screen image for your readers.
• Show deactivated readers: adds deactivated readers to the list.

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When The Page Is Empty

• Connect Stripe to use card readers: Stripe is not connected. Use Go to Integrations, connect Stripe, and come back.
• No card readers yet: Stripe is connected but no reader is paired. Use Register a reader, or Order a reader from Stripe to buy one.

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Pair A Reader

1. Click Register a reader. The Pair a card reader wizard opens at Step 1 of 3.
2. Location: choose the location where the reader lives. Next stays disabled with “Pick a location to continue.” until you choose one.
3. Pairing code: type the pairing code shown on the reader’s screen, for example quick-brown-fox. Next stays disabled with “Enter the pairing code to continue.” until you enter it.
4. Name and register: give the reader a name such as Front Counter (optional; it defaults to the reader model) and, optionally, pick the register it serves. You can assign a register later.
5. Click Pair reader. Arcus confirms with “Card reader paired”.

Each register holds one reader. A register that already has a reader shows “(already has a reader)” and cannot be picked.

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Reader Status

The four tiles split your active readers with no overlap, so each reader counts under exactly one tile. Needs attention counts active readers that are stale or were paired in a different Stripe mode than the one you are in now. A reader that is offline counts only under Offline, and a reader busy with a payment counts only under In use. An amber banner appears when an active reader has no register: “Assign a reader to a register so a cashier can one-click charge that station.”

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Manage A Reader

Click a reader’s name to open its detail panel: status, last seen, when its details were last synced, model, serial number, firmware, IP address, mode, register, location, and its Stripe reader and location IDs (with a copy button). Use the actions menu on a reader row for:

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Deactivate A Reader

1. Choose Deactivate on the reader.
2. Read “Deactivate this reader?”. The reader stops appearing for charges and its register pin is released. You can pair it again later.
3. Optionally tick Also remove this reader from Stripe. Do this when you will pair the reader to a different account or location. It is blocked while a charge is in progress.
4. Click Deactivate.

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Reader Branding

Reader branding shows your logo on the reader’s idle screen. Click Choose image and pick a tall (portrait) image; Arcus crops it to the reader’s 1080 x 1920 screen. Under Apply to, choose All readers (account default) or A specific location, then click Apply branding. The image is sent to Stripe in your current mode and appears after the reader’s next restart. Until you set one, the card reads “Using the default Stripe splash screen.”

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Clean Up Unused Locations

When Stripe holds reader locations that have no readers, a row reads “unused Stripe Terminal locations with no readers. Safe to clean up.” Click Clean up, review the list in “Clean up unused locations?”, and confirm. Readers are never touched.

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Messages You May See

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What Changes Elsewhere

• Taking payments: an active, online reader assigned to a register becomes the one-click card option for that station when a cashier collects on an order.
• Your Stripe account: pairing registers the reader with Stripe; removing it from Stripe on deactivation deletes it there; branding changes the reader’s idle screen; cleanup deletes empty reader locations at Stripe.
• Money: the test payment is an authorization only and is never captured, so no charge settles.
• Audit trail: reader changes are recorded in the activity log.

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