Card Readers: Take In-Person Card Payments at Your Box Office
Overview
Not every sale happens online. Sometimes a customer is standing right in front of you: at the box office, on the door, or at a stall. A card reader lets your staff take a card payment there and then. The customer taps, inserts or swipes their card on a Stripe Terminal reader, and the payment is recorded against the order in Seaty exactly like any other sale.
At its simplest, a card reader answers one question: How do I take a card payment from someone standing in front of me?
In-person card payments are a Seaty-enabled service. While the feature is new and we are rolling it out carefully, Seaty switches it on for each organisation on request. This may open up in future, but for now it is Seaty-gated. Once it is enabled, you connect your own readers and take payments yourself.
Who uses this: Organisation administrators and box-office staff taking payments in person. Connecting readers and taking reader payments needs the terminal management permission (see Team Permissions).
Key capabilities:
- Take card payments in person at the box office or on the door
- Works inside the normal Seaty checkout: choose "Pay by card reader" and the reader collects
- Connect and manage your own card readers
- Payments are recorded against the order automatically, alongside your other sales
- In-person card fees are absorbed, so the customer pays the face value
How It Works
At a glance: Seaty switches card readers on for your organisation; you connect a reader; staff take card payments in person from the normal checkout.
1. Seaty enables card readers for your organisation
Because this is a new feature we are launching carefully, it is switched on by Seaty per organisation. Contact Support@Seaty.co.uk to have in-person card reader payments enabled. Once enabled, a Terminals section appears in your organisation admin.
Why is it Seaty-gated for now? In-person card payments involve real card hardware and your payment account. While we launch the feature, Seaty enables it organisation by organisation so we can support each setup properly. We expect to open this up over time.
2. Connect a card reader
Open the Terminals section and choose Connect a reader. Generate a registration code on the reader itself (or in your Stripe dashboard), then enter it in Seaty along with a name such as "Box office reader". The reader is now linked to your organisation and ready to take payments.
3. Take a payment in person
When you create or check out an order as an administrator, choose Pay by card reader as the payment method and select the reader. The reader prompts the customer to present their card. Once the payment is approved, the order is completed and the payment is recorded against it.
4. Manage your readers
The Terminals section lists each reader with its type, whether it is online or offline, and whether it runs on your own connected account or is Seaty-managed. You can rename a reader or remove it at any time.
Think of it this way:
- A card reader is a modern till: it takes a card in person and records the sale against the order
- Seaty decides whether the feature is switched on for your organisation while it launches
- You supply the readers, connect them, take the payments, and own the takings
Who Does What
| Task | Who handles it |
|---|---|
| Switching card reader payments on for your organisation | Seaty |
| Agreeing your in-person rate | Seaty |
| Buying a supported card reader | You |
| Connecting and naming readers | You |
| Taking payments in person from the checkout | You |
| Renaming, removing and managing readers | You |
| Refunds and order management | You, as with any order |
Supported Readers
Seaty uses smart card readers that Seaty drives directly, so there is no separate app to pair. There are two kinds, and the right one depends on where and how you want to take payments.
- Versatile internet readers (Stripe Reader S700, WisePOS E) — these connect to the internet on their own and can be driven from any device signed in to your Seaty admin. A staff member can start a payment on their own phone, tablet or laptop and the reader takes the customer's card. This is the most flexible option for a box office or taking payments on the door, and it is the reader you connect yourself in the Terminals section.
- Kiosk-attached USB readers (such as the WisePad) — these are wired directly to a single kiosk and driven by that kiosk, and they come as part of a Seaty-provided kiosk rather than being connected on their own. Because the reader is bound to the device it is wired to, it can only take payments at that kiosk. It is an excellent, lower-cost option for a fixed, hard-wired, secure self-service point, but it cannot be used to take payments from other devices.
The key difference: an internet reader works from any device your staff are signed in to; a kiosk-attached USB reader only works at the kiosk it is wired to. If you want staff to take a card payment from their own device, choose an internet reader such as the S700. If you want a fixed, secure, self-service point at the lowest cost, a kiosk with a WisePad is the better value.
Contact Support@Seaty.co.uk to confirm the right reader before buying, especially if you already own hardware.
How Your Readers Are Set Up
There are two ways to run in-person card payments, shown next to each reader in the Terminals list:
- Seaty managed (the default) — Seaty collects the payment and settles it to you alongside your other Seaty funds, the same way your online sales work by default. You do not need your own payment account. Readers in this mode show as "Seaty managed".
- Connected account — if you connect your own Stripe account, payments land directly with you and the in-person fee is cheaper again. Readers in this mode show as "Connected account".
Either way, Seaty's fees for in-person card payments are much lower than the normal online rates. Using your own Stripe account is the cheapest option and puts you in direct control of your money. Contact Seaty for current in-person rates for each option.
Fees
- The fee is always absorbed. "Absorb fees" is the only option for in-person sales: the fee is never added on top for the customer, so the customer pays the face value of the ticket, plus anything they choose to add such as a donation or Gift Aid.
- In-person rates are much lower. Seaty's fees for card reader payments are much lower than the normal online rates, and cheaper again if you use your own Stripe account (see above).
Why is the fee always absorbed? A card machine cannot add a fee at the moment of payment the way an online checkout can, and adding a card surcharge for a customer paying in person is legally risky in the UK. So in-person sales always absorb the fee, and the price the customer sees is exactly what they are charged.
Refunds
An in-person card payment is refunded exactly like any other order, from your admin. See Cancelling and Refunding.
Common Questions
Getting Set Up
Can I switch card readers on myself?
Not yet. While the feature is launching, Seaty enables it for each organisation. Contact Support@Seaty.co.uk to request it.
What reader do I need?
It depends on how you want to use it. To take payments from your staff's own devices at a box office or on the door, you need a versatile internet reader such as the Stripe Reader S700 or WisePOS E. For a fixed, self-service kiosk, a lower-cost USB reader such as the WisePad is wired to the kiosk and used there. Contact Support@Seaty.co.uk to confirm the right reader before buying.
How do I connect a reader?
In the Terminals section, choose Connect a reader. Generate a registration code on the reader (or in your Stripe dashboard) and enter it with a name for the reader.
Is this available everywhere?
In-person card payments are currently for UK organisations selling in pounds. Other regions and currencies are planned for later.
Taking Payments
How does a staff member take a payment?
In the admin checkout, they choose "Pay by card reader" as the payment method and pick the reader. The reader then prompts the customer to present their card.
Can I pass the card fee on to customers?
No. "Absorb fees" is the only option for in-person sales, so the fee is never added on top. The customer pays the face value, plus anything they choose to add such as a donation or Gift Aid. Seaty's in-person rates are much lower than the normal online rates.
Where does the money go?
If your reader is on your connected account, payments land directly with you. If it is Seaty-managed, Seaty settles the money to you with your other Seaty funds.
Can customers use contactless or chip and PIN?
Yes. The reader handles the usual card payment methods.
Can I take a payment on a kiosk's reader from another device?
No. A kiosk's card reader (such as a WisePad) is wired to that kiosk and can only take payments at the kiosk itself. It will not appear as a card reader option when you take a payment from another device such as your own phone or laptop. To take a card payment from any device, use a versatile internet reader such as the Stripe Reader S700 or WisePOS E.
Managing Readers
Can I use one reader for more than one event?
Yes. Readers belong to your organisation, not to a single event, so you can use the same reader across all your events.
A reader shows as offline. What do I do?
Check the reader has power and a working internet connection. The status in the Terminals list shows whether the reader is online.
Can I move a reader to a different organisation?
Yes. Connecting a reader to a new organisation removes its previous pairing. You will see a note confirming this when you connect it.
How do I remove a reader?
Remove it in the Terminals section. This deregisters the device; you can reconnect it later using its registration code.
Card Readers vs Kiosks
What is the difference between a card reader and a kiosk?
A card reader is operated by your staff to take a payment, for example at a box office. A kiosk is an unattended, self-service device where customers browse, buy and pay for themselves. A kiosk uses a card reader behind the scenes, so kiosks depend on this same in-person payments feature being enabled.