External Card Payments

TL;DR

• External card records card takings from a separate EFTPOS or card provider.
• It does not process a payment, create a Stripe charge, or affect your Stripe payout.
• Owners can set up external card terminals in Settings -> In-person payments.
• Checkout uses the configured terminal name, so staff do not type provider names during payment.
• Web and mobile show the amount to collect and require the operator to confirm the amount actually charged by the external terminal.
• Use Terminal or Tap to Pay when OpenChair is processing the card payment.
• Use Close till later to compare each external terminal against its batch or settlement report.

External card payments are for card payments taken outside OpenChair. If a customer taps a Square, Tyro, Zeller, Smartpay, bank EFTPOS, or other separate card terminal, record the payment as External card so the order is paid in OpenChair without mixing it into Stripe Terminal totals.

What is an External card payment?

An External card payment is a record of a card payment that was processed by another provider. OpenChair marks the order as paid and includes the amount in reports and till close totals, but the card charge itself is handled by your external provider.

Use External card when the payment has already succeeded on another card machine. Do not use External card for failed, pending, or not-yet-presented card payments.

Tender	What it means	Where the money settles
External card	Card payment taken on another provider's device or app	Your external provider
Terminal	Card payment processed through a Stripe Terminal reader	Stripe payout
Tap to Pay	Card payment processed through Stripe on a supported phone	Stripe payout
Online	Card-on-file, deposit, payment link, or web payment through Stripe	Stripe payout
Cash	Physical cash taken by the venue	Cash drawer

How do I record an External card payment?

Record External card after the customer has paid on the separate card terminal.

Web checkout

1. Open the booking checkout or Counter sale.
2. Confirm the customer has paid on your separate card terminal.
3. Click the configured terminal name, such as Square, or click External and choose the provider.
4. Confirm or enter the amount actually charged on the external terminal and add a receipt or terminal reference when available.
5. Review any mismatch warning, then record the payment.

Mobile checkout

1. Open checkout from a booking or Counter sale.
2. Confirm the customer has paid on your separate card terminal.
3. Tap the configured terminal name, such as Square, or tap External and choose the provider.
4. Confirm or enter the amount actually charged on the external terminal and add a receipt or terminal reference when available.
5. Review any mismatch warning, then record the payment.

How do split payments work with External card?

Split payments can include External card and cash. The split payment panel records each portion against the order until the balance reaches zero.

The amount equation stays visible. If the terminal amount is lower, OpenChair records the actual partial payment and leaves the remaining balance open. If it is higher, OpenChair records the actual financial truth, marks the order overpaid, and creates a linked Wrong amount payment issue for the excess. OpenChair does not claim to have verified or reversed the external provider's funds.

1. Click or tap Split between methods.
2. Enter the first amount.
3. Choose Cash or External card.
4. Record that portion.
5. Repeat until the remaining balance is paid.

On web, split payments now show External card and Cash for manually recorded split portions. Stripe Terminal and Tap to Pay payments still use their own processing flows.

How does External card affect till close?

External card totals are counted separately from Stripe card totals in Close till. This keeps external provider takings separate from OpenChair's Stripe Terminal, Tap to Pay, online, and wallet payment totals.

At till close, OpenChair shows:

Close till total	Source
Cash tender	Cash payments minus cash refunds
External card	External card payments minus external card refunds
Stripe card	Stripe Terminal and Tap to Pay payments
Online	Stripe online and card-on-file payments

When closing the till, OpenChair shows configured external terminals separately. Enter the amount shown on each provider's batch report. Older payments without a configured provider appear as Unclassified external card.

Settings

Owners set up external card terminals from Settings -> In-person payments. This works even if Stripe Connect is not active.

Setting	Options	Default
External card terminals	Square, Tyro, Zeller, Smartpay, Bank EFTPOS, or custom	None
Default terminal	One active terminal can be the default checkout button	First provider added
Payment reference	Optional receipt, terminal, batch, or settlement reference	Blank
Unclassified external card	Fallback when no terminal is configured or legacy data exists	Available when needed

Who can use this

Role	Access
Owner	Configure terminals, record External card payments, split payments, close the till, and review till history
Manager	Record External card payments, split payments, close the till, and review till history
Team	Record External card payments during checkout if they can access checkout

Common mistakes

Using External card for Stripe reader payments. If the customer is paying through an OpenChair-linked Stripe reader, use Terminal, not External card.

Expecting External card to appear in Stripe payouts. External card payments are not processed by Stripe through OpenChair. Reconcile them against your external provider.

Recording the payment before the external terminal approves it. Wait until the external terminal says the payment is approved, then record it in OpenChair.

Entering the OpenChair balance instead of the terminal amount. Confirm the amount the terminal actually charged. That expected-versus-actual evidence cannot be rewritten later; use the linked payment issue to correct the outcome.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
External card does not appear in my Stripe payout	Check your separate card provider. External card is record-only in OpenChair and does not settle through Stripe.
The customer paid partly in cash and partly on my EFTPOS terminal	Use Split between methods, record the cash amount, then record the remaining amount as External card.
I accidentally recorded Terminal instead of External card	Void or correct the order using your normal manager workflow, then record the payment with the correct tender.
The till close external card variance is wrong	Compare each provider row with the provider's batch report and check whether a refund or split payment was recorded under the wrong tender.

Related Articles

• Closing the Till
• Checkout
• Mobile Checkout & Tap to Pay
• Setting Up Stripe & Card Payments