Off The Couch
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Payment Gateways: Square

Last updated April 1, 2026

Overview

This guide explains how to connect Square to Off The Couch so you can accept payments.

Fig. 1 - Square in the Payment gateways tab in Payment Settings.
Fig. 1 - Square in the Payment gateways tab in Payment Settings.

Requirements

Before starting, make sure you have:

  • An active Square account
  • Access to the Square Developer Dashboard
  • Access to the Payment Gateway settings in Off The Couch.

Step 1: Locate Your Square Access Tokens

Square uses access tokens to allow Offthecouch.io to process payments securely.

  1. Log in to the Square Developer Dashboard
  2. Select your application (or create one if prompted)
  3. Go to Credentials

You will see two types of access tokens:

Sandbox Access Token (Test)

  • Used for testing payments
  • Does not charge real cards

Production Access Token (Live)

  • Used for real customer payments
  • Charges real cards and processes real money

Copy the appropriate token and paste it into the matching field in Off The Couch:

  • Sandbox token > Test credentials
  • Production token > Live credentials

Do not enter production credentials until testing is complete.

Fig. 2 - After clicking + Add credentials, three fields will appear and allow you to fill them out with the necessary details for Live credentials.
Fig. 2 - After clicking + Add credentials, three fields will appear and allow you to fill them out with the necessary details for Live credentials.

Step 2: Customer Management Settings

Enable the following option if you want Square to store customer records: Automatically create a customer in Square and link customers to payments

  • Another toggle will appear, enable "Enable saved payment methods" to allow card storage

This allows payments to be associated with customers inside Square and simplifies refunds and reporting.

Step 3: Configure the Payment Note

Fig. 3 - Here's how we have Note set up for Off The Couch Games. Dynamic variables are also available to define the unique Transaction ID and Customer Email.
Fig. 3 - Here's how we have Note set up for Off The Couch Games. Dynamic variables are also available to define the unique Transaction ID and Customer Email.

The note appears in the Square Dashboard for each payment.

Example: Booking for [Customer First Name] [Customer Last Name]

  • Maximum length: 500 characters
  • Dynamic variables are supported

Use a short, clear description so payments are easy to identify.

Step 4: Test the Integration

Before enabling live payments:

  1. Enter your Sandbox access token
  2. Run a test payment using Square’s sandbox testing tools
  3. Confirm the payment appears correctly in Off The Couch

After successful testing, replace the sandbox token with your Production access token.

Setup Checklist

  • Square account created
  • Application created in Square Developer Dashboard
  • Sandbox access token added
  • Customer auto-creation enabled (optional)
  • Test payment completed successfully
  • Production access token added

Reference

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