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When something goes wrong

The card terminal is not responding

What to check, in order, when the till cannot reach the card terminal or says Terminal not ready.

When the till cannot reach the card terminal, card payments are greyed out with Terminal not ready, or the top of the screen says Terminal unreachable. Work through these checks in order. Meanwhile you can still take cash, or a payment link if your till has it.

1. Is the till online?

If the till itself says Offline, the terminal is not the problem. See When the till is offline.

2. Is the terminal on and connected?

  • Wake it up and check it is charged. Plug it in if the battery is low.
  • Check that it has Wi-Fi or mobile data.
  • On a phone with CheckoutX, open the CheckoutX app.

The till asks about the terminal every 30 seconds, so give it a moment after the terminal is back.

3. Is this device using the right terminal?

Tap the terminal badge at the top of the till, or go to Settings and press Change next to Terminal. The Payment terminal list shows every terminal with its status:

  • ready: it should work. Pick it if it is not the one in use.
  • registered, not switched on yet or switched off: turn the terminal on.
  • not answering: it is off, asleep or without a connection. Go back to step 2.
  • blocked or deactivated: ask support.

Each device remembers its own choice, so a second tablet may be set to a different terminal.

4. Register it again

If the terminal is not in the list, or it says it sits in another till's store, register it again. Do the same right after switching from demo to real payments: terminals are registered again after the switch. A manager or the owner does this.

  1. Go to Settings and press Register a terminal.
  2. Read the 6-digit code on the terminal's screen and type it in. The code changes every 90 seconds, so read it again if it has changed.
  3. Press Register and use here.

You can also register it in the builder under Go live, with the same 6-digit code.

If the till asks for a serial number, the device is not activated for your shop yet. Type the serial number from its label once, then the code from the screen, and press Activate and register.

5. Still stuck?

Ask the assistant in Help. It can look up your terminals and their status, and draft a support ticket with the details. See Get help and support.