Card readers
Which reader to buy, how to pair it to the right shop, and what taking a payment on it looks like from both sides of the desk.
2 min readUpdated August 15, 2026Managers
A client is standing at the desk with a phone in their hand, ready to tap. A keyed-in card number is slower, costs more per transaction, and makes them read sixteen digits out loud in a room full of people.
A reader fixes all three. It's a one-time setup of about two minutes per device.
What to buy
Two readers work with RewireBox: the BBPOS WisePOS E and the Stripe Reader S700. Both are self-contained — their own screen, their own battery, their own WiFi — so there's no tablet to pair and no cable to the desk. Order either from Stripe's hardware store, in the country your business is in.
Nothing else works, and that's a hard limit rather than a preference. In particular, the client taps on the reader, never on your phone.
Pairing it
Settings → Payments → Card readers, which appears once card payments are connected.
The section lists each of your locations separately, with its own readers and its own pair form. That's the part to get right: a reader belongs to one shop, and a till at another shop will never find it.
- 1
Power the reader on and put it on the salon's WiFi — on the device, Settings → Network.
- 2
On the reader, generate a pairing code: swipe in from the right edge, open Settings, enter the admin PIN, then Generate pairing code.
- 3
In RewireBox, find the location the reader will live at, type the pairing code into Pairing code, and give it a Name you'd recognise at a glance — "Front desk", "Colour bar".
- 4
Press Pair. The reader appears in that location's list and flips to Online within about half a minute.
The Online and Offline badge is live — it refreshes on its own, so this screen is the honest answer to "is the reader awake?" without walking over to it. Each row also renames and removes from the same place.
Taking a payment on it
At checkout, Card reader is one of the payment tiles.
Press Connect card reader and the till finds the online readers paired to that sale's location. Then Charge with the amount on it: the total appears on the reader's screen, and the client taps, dips or swipes there.
If the reader hangs because nobody has presented a card yet, Cancel in RewireBox releases it, and you can start again or take the money another way.
Common questions
Which readers work?
Two: the BBPOS WisePOS E and the Stripe Reader S700. Both are all-in-one units with their own screen, battery and WiFi. Order either from Stripe's hardware store.
Can I take a tap on my phone instead?
No. The client taps their card or phone on the reader, not on yours. RewireBox does not turn a phone into a card reader, and a reader that pairs over Bluetooth to a tablet won't work either.
Do I need one?
No — you can key a card in without one. A reader is cheaper per transaction and much faster at a busy desk, and it's the only way to take a tap or a chip.
It says No card readers found.
Either the reader is off or off the network, or it's paired to a different location than the sale. Check the badge on this screen first: if it says Offline here, it's the reader, not the till.
Can I move a reader to my other shop?
Remove it here, then pair it again under the other location. A reader belongs to one location and is only discoverable there.
Related articles
- Connect your payment accountPayments · The one-time setup that turns on card payments — what Stripe is doing, what it needs from you, and what it switches on across the rest of RewireBox.
- Taking a card paymentPayments · The two card tiles at checkout, what to type where, splitting a bill across methods, and what to do when the card says no.
- Take a paymentSales · From the chair to the till — starting a checkout, building the cart, adding a tip, and taking the money by cash, card or gift card.
Can’t find what you’re looking for?
Book a 20-minute walkthrough and we’ll answer it on a screen share — or start free and try it on your own salon’s data.