AT&T begins selling Square Card Readers

US operator AT&T has made mobile payment firm Square’s card reader available in more than 1,000 of its retail stores.

The Square Card Reader plugs into the headphone jack of an iOS or Android  smartphone or tablet and enables individuals and businesses to begin accepting payments on their mobile device. It is being sold at a suggested retail price of $9.95, but customers will receive a $10 rebate upon signing up as new users.

The benefit of Square, and similar players like iZettle, is that they provide all the necessary infrastructure direct to the merchant. It takes its cut via a flat rate 2.75 per cent charge per transaction for Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express cards, and deposits the funds straight into the merchant’s bank account.

The benefit of Square, and similar players like iZettle, is that they provide all the necessary infrastructure direct to the merchant. It takes its cut via a flat rate 2.75 per cent charge per transaction for Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express cards, and deposits the funds straight into the merchant’s bank account.

“AT&T stores are a convenient retail destination for purchasing Square Card Readers, offering entrepreneurs the ability to purchase all of the devices they need to run their business in one place,” said Jeffrey Kolovson, head of retail distribution at Square.

Earlier this month, Square received a $25m investment from global coffee chain Starbucks, and the two firms announced a partnership to accelerate usage of Square’s payment technology.

The latest deal adds to the more than 20,000 retail locations across the US where the firm’s card readers are sold.