QuickBooks
Credit Card Reader Troubleshooting

Use this guide to diagnose and solve problems with the QuickBooks All-in-One Bluetooth Credit Card Reader. If you have not yet set up the reader, visit our setup article.

Table of Contents

Setup Issues

This section covers issues that may occur while setting up a QuickBooks credit card reader or connecting a QuickBooks Payments account to ShopKeep.

I do not see 'QuickBooks Payments' in BackOffice.

This option on the ‘Integrations’ menu is only visible to the Business Owner when an account is configured to use QuickBooks Payments as a processor.

  1. Follow the steps here to sign out of BackOffice and sign back in as the Business Owner.
  2. If the problem persists, contact Customer Care.

I do not see 'Add a new card reader' in the ShopKeep Register app.

If the ‘Card Readers’ screen in the ShopKeep Register app displays ‘No Card Readers Found’ instead of the option to ‘Add a new card reader’, it means you skipped a step during setup or the app needs to be updated.

  1. In ShopKeep, open the Main Menu and tap 'Get Updates from BackOffice', then 'Get Updates'.
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  2. If the problem persists, follow the steps here to update the ShopKeep Register app.

“Turn on Bluetooth to allow ShopKeep to connect to accessories.”

This error appears if Bluetooth is not enabled before attempting to connect the QuickBooks credit card reader. Turn Bluetooth on to finish connecting the reader and complete setup.

  1. Click 'Settings' to open the Settings app.
  2. In Settings, tap 'Bluetooth' and toggle Bluetooth on.
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  3. Reopen the ShopKeep Register app and continue setting up the reader.

"Intuit requires your location"

If this error appears during a credit sale, it means you did not enable Location Services for the ShopKeep Register app during setup. Turn on Location Services for ShopKeep in the Settings app to be able to run credit transactions with QuickBooks Payments.

  1. Tap 'Open Settings' to open iPad settings for ShopKeep.
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  2. Tap 'Location'.

    If ‘Location’ is grayed out, follow the steps here to enable Location Services for the iPad, then complete steps 2 – 4.

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  3. Select 'While Using the App'.
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  4. Reopen ShopKeep to finish processing the sale.

Common Error Messages

This section covers common error messages related to processing transactions with the QuickBooks credit card reader.

“Card reader not connected”

This error occurs when processing a credit sale if the QuickBooks credit card reader was never set up or if it was intentionally disconnected from the register.

  1. Follow the steps here to connect the QuickBooks credit card reader to ShopKeep.

“Gateway error”

This error occurs either as a result of the iPad having little to no internet connectivity or if a QuickBooks Payments account is not linked to your ShopKeep account in BackOffice.

  1. Press the iPad’s home button to exit ShopKeep.
  2. Open Safari and perform a Google search.
    • If results load, force quit and re-open ShopKeep, then run the credit transaction again. If the problem persists, complete step 6.
    • If search results do not load, follow the additional steps below.
  3. Open Settings and tap 'Wi-Fi'.
  4. Check if the iPad is connected to the correct network.

    If the iPad is connected to the wrong network, switch it to the right one, then try the sale again.

  5. Make sure your network follows all recommendations in our Best Practices guide.
  6. In BackOffice, make sure a QuickBooks Payments account is connected.

    If the QuickBooks Payments page does not say ‘Connected’, click ‘Connect to QuickBooks’ to connect your account.

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  7. If the problem persists, reboot the router or contact your internet service provider for help restoring the internet connection.

"Card Declined" Or "Decline"

‘Card declined’ and ‘Decline’ both mean the attempted charge was refused by the customer’s bank.

  1. Tap 'Retry' to try charging the card again.
  2. If declined again, have the customer contact their bank or finish the sale with a different card or tender.

“Unable to read card data”

This error appears when an employee swipes something other than a credit card (e.g. a gift card) after tendering a credit sale, if a card is not swiped properly through the reader, or if the magnetic stripe on the card is damaged.

  1. Swipe a valid credit card.

    If the customer is paying with a ShopKeep gift card, tender the sale as Gift Card and swipe again.

  2. Swipe the card again, making sure the entire magnetic stripe travels through the reader.

    The magnetic stripe must face forward as shown below.

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  3. If the problem persists, tap 'Other Payment Options' and 'Key Card' to perform a manual credit sale.

“Error reading the card”

This error appears when an EMV chip card is inserted the wrong way into the QuickBooks credit card reader.

  1. Remove the card from the reader.
  2. Reinsert the card chip-end first, making sure the chip is facing up.
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I'm receiving an error not listed on this page.

  1. Contact Customer Care for assistance.

Miscellaneous Issues

This section covers miscellaneous issues unrelated to the sections above.

The QuickBooks credit card reader will not turn on.

If the QuickBooks card reader will not turn on, chances are its battery is not charged.

  1. Follow the steps here to charge the reader for at least 20 minutes.

How can I tell which register the reader is connected to?

With multiple QuickBooks credit card readers, you may need to identify which reader is connected to which register if things get mixed up.

  1. In the ShopKeep Register app, open the Main Menu and tap ‘Integrated Hardware’.
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  2. Select ‘Card Readers’.
  3. Tap the connected card reader.
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  4. Select 'Identify Reader'.

    This will cause the status light on the connected reader to blink green.

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  5. Find the QuickBooks credit card reader with the blinking green light.

    This is the reader connected to the register where you tapped ‘Identify’.

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How do I disconnect the QuickBooks credit card reader from my register?

Disconnect the QuickBooks credit card reader to use it with a different register, if asked to by a Customer Care advisor, or as a troubleshooting step to help resolve a stubborn issue.

  1. From the Card Readers screen in the ShopKeep Register app, tap the connected card reader.
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  2. Select 'Disconnect Reader'.
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  3. Tap 'Forget Reader'.
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