Can a Square Terminal integration be reused with the Square Contactless + Chip Reader?

Questions
, , ,
1

Hello Square Developer Team,

We’re currently integrating Square into our client’s platform (City Keys Live) using the Square Terminal API.

We initially purchased and shipped a Square Terminal to our development team so they could begin building and testing the integration. However, our client has since decided they would prefer to use a Square Contactless + Chip Reader instead of the Square Terminal.

Before we move forward, we’d like to better understand whether our existing development work can be leveraged, or whether this would require a different implementation.

Specifically, we’re hoping you can help clarify the following:

  1. Can an integration built for the Square Terminal API be adapted to work with the Square Contactless + Chip Reader, or does the reader require a completely different API and implementation?
  2. If a different API is required, are there significant architectural or development differences we should be aware of?
  3. Are there any feature differences between the Terminal and the Contactless + Chip Reader that would affect a workflow where third-party reseller users process customer payments through our platform?
  4. If we anticipate supporting both devices in the future, is there a recommended integration approach that minimizes duplicate development effort?

Our goal is to understand whether changing hardware at this stage would require minor modifications or a substantial redevelopment effort.

Any guidance or best practices would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

2 
The Square Terminal API and the Contactless + Chip Reader use different APIs, so switching devices will require some integration changes. You can still reuse most of your backend payment logic, but the device-specific implementation will need to be updated. If you plan to support both in the future, separating your payment logic from the hardware integration is the best approach.