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Tap to Pay on iPhone

With Tap to Pay on iPhone, the iPhone in your pocket is the card reader. A customer holds their contactless card, iPhone or Apple Watch to the top of your phone, and the sale is done — no hardware to borrow, charge or pair.

It's a payment option in the myShop POS inside the mybb app, and it uses your school's Stripe connection: the money lands in your Stripe account exactly like an online card sale.

iPhone only

Tap to Pay on iPhone is an Apple feature. It needs an iPhone XS or later on iOS 16.4 or later. It is not available on Android phones or on iPads — on those devices the POS still works, with a Stripe card reader, cash, check or student account.

Who can use it

  • Your school has Stripe connected and verified, with myShop POS (in person) set to Stripe under Settings › Financials (see choosing a processor)
  • The person has myShop Admin Access — the same access the POS itself needs
  • They're signed in to the mybb app on a compatible iPhone

Each iPhone is set up once, by whoever is signed in on it. Volunteers who help at the table need myShop Admin Access from an admin; without it the app says so and points them to an admin.

Setting it up

The first time an eligible admin opens the Menu in the app, a full-screen Tap to Pay on iPhone screen appears. Tap Enable Tap to Pay on iPhone, or come back later via Menu → myShop → Tap to Pay on iPhone.

Enabling walks through, in order:

  1. Location — the app explains why and iOS asks for permission. Apple and Stripe require your location to accept payments; choose Allow While Using App. It is only used during a payment and never stored.
  2. Apple's Terms and Conditions for Tap to Pay on iPhone. Read and accept.
  3. Setting up — a progress bar while the iPhone configures itself. This takes a minute the first time and happens again occasionally after iOS updates.
  4. How to accept a payment — Apple's short guide to where the customer taps and what a PIN prompt looks like. You can reopen it any time from Menu → myShop → Tap to Pay on iPhone.

When it's done the Tap to Pay on iPhone screen shows Status: Enabled. From then on the app readies itself quietly every time it opens, so the tap screen appears within about a second at checkout.

Taking a payment

  1. Menu → myShop → myShop opens the POS. Tap products to add them, then Checkout.
  2. Tap to Pay on iPhone is the first payment method. Tap it, then Pay.
  3. Apple's tap screen appears with the amount. Turn the phone so the customer can see it and ask them to hold their card, phone or watch to the top of your iPhone until it shows Done.
  4. Some cards ask for a PIN. The customer enters it on your screen; there's an accessibility option on that screen for customers who need it.
  5. Sale complete shows the total and a receipt QR code. The customer scans it with their phone camera to open their receipt — no email address needed. You can also type an email address to send the receipt, or tap Flip to turn the screen round so they can scan it across the table. New sale clears everything for the next customer.

If the school sold event tickets in that sale, the receipt the customer opens includes their tickets with their entry QR codes — see selling tickets in person.

When a card is declined

The POS says Card not accepted with the bank's reason. Nothing was charged. Offer the customer a record of the attempt by email if they want one, then Try again with another card or choose a different payment method.

If the app closes mid-payment

If the app is sent to the background before the result comes back, the outcome is delivered as a notification. Reopen the app; the sale is either completed or ready to try again.

Good to know

  • Real cards only in live mode. While your school is being set up in Stripe's test mode, real cards are declined by design — myblueboard supplies test cards for rehearsals.
  • Connection needed. The phone needs internet (cellular is fine); there's no offline mode.
  • One sale at a time per phone. Several admins can each use their own iPhone at the same event — each is its own register.
  • Refunds are issued from the myShop Dashboard or the POS Sales list, never on the tap screen — see Refunds.