Card readers

Connect a Stripe card reader to accept in-person card payments at the point of sale.

Sailia integrates with Stripe Terminal to accept in-person card payments through physical card readers. Once connected, staff can process tap, chip, and swipe payments directly from the point of sale.

Prerequisites

Before setting up a card reader, make sure you have:

• A connected Stripe account
• At least one location configured in Sailia
• A compatible Stripe Terminal card reader with its registration code

Register a card reader

1. Go to your location settings

   Open the location where you want to use the card reader.

2. Enter the reader details

   Provide a name for the reader (for example, “Front desk reader”) and the registration code displayed on the reader device.

3. Save the reader

   Sailia registers the reader with Stripe and links it to your location. The reader appears in your terminal list and is ready to accept payments.

Each card reader is registered to a specific location. If you have multiple locations, register a reader at each one.

Remove a card reader

1. Open your location settings

   Navigate to the location where the card reader is registered.

2. Find the reader

   Locate the card reader you want to remove in the terminal list.

3. Remove the reader

   Select Remove next to the reader. Sailia deregisters it from Stripe and removes it from your terminal list. The reader can no longer process payments until re-registered.

Process a card payment

Once a card reader is registered, you can use it to take payments at the point of sale:

1. Build a basket

   Add items to the basket in the POS — activities, shop products, memberships, or any other product.

2. Select card payment

   Choose Card as the payment method. The POS sends the payment to your connected card reader.

3. Customer taps or inserts their card

   The card reader prompts the customer to present their card. The payment is processed through Stripe in real time.

4. Payment completes

   Once the card is authorized, the basket is marked as paid. A confirmation appears in the POS.

Cancel a card reader action

If you need to cancel a payment in progress — for example, if the customer wants to change their order — you can clear the card reader from the POS:

1. In the POS, select Cancel on the payment screen while the reader is waiting for a card.
2. The pending transaction is cancelled and the reader returns to its idle state.
3. You can then modify the basket and start a new payment when ready.

Cancelling a card reader action only works before the customer presents their card. Once a card has been read and the payment is being authorized, the transaction must complete before you can make changes.

Send a payment link by email

If the card reader is unavailable or the customer wants to pay later, you can send a payment link by email directly from the POS:

1. Build the basket with the customer’s items.
2. Choose Send payment link as the payment method.
3. Enter the customer’s email address and confirm.
4. The customer receives an email with a link to complete the payment online through Stripe checkout.

Payment links are useful for phone orders, deposits, or when a customer forgets their card. The link remains active until the payment is completed or expires.

Troubleshooting

Issue	What to do
Reader offline	Check that the reader is powered on and connected to the internet. Stripe Terminal readers require a network connection to process payments.
Reader busy	The reader is processing another transaction. Wait for it to finish or cancel the current action.
Invalid registration code	Double-check the code displayed on the reader. Registration codes expire after a short period — restart the reader to generate a new one.
Payment already completed	The payment was processed successfully before the POS received confirmation. Check your Stripe dashboard to verify the transaction.

Related guides

Point of sale

Process in-person sales and manage till shifts.

Payments and Stripe

Connect Stripe and manage payouts.