Choose a payment path intentionally
Open Dashboard > Settings > Payments to connect Square for card payments and order management. Square is the simplest starting point for many shops because products and checkout can share catalog information. It is not a universal requirement: the onboarding guide explicitly lets you skip this step when another payment method fits your business better.
Plan availability: Square-powered checkout is included on Free. Pro adds external payment options and other paid checkout controls according to the active matrix. Scale and Legacy Lifetime inherit the features available to their active access. Square’s own card-processing fees still apply.
Connect Square
- Open Settings > Payments and choose the Square connection action.
- Sign in to the Square account that owns the right business and location.
- Approve the requested permissions, then return to Cottage CMS and confirm the connection shows as connected.
- Review the selected Square location before importing or mapping products.
- Place a low-risk test order after changing locations, catalog data, or payment settings.
What customers see
Customers see the payment methods you have enabled at checkout. They do not see an internal Square connection error; they may instead see an unavailable payment option or be unable to complete checkout. Keep your payment instructions short and specific, especially if you accept a payment method that requires a follow-up step.
Common problems
- Square says connected but products do not map. Importing a catalog does not replace reviewing product records. Product-level mappings live in the product’s Pricing & Economics area.
- The wrong location is receiving orders. Recheck the selected Square location and Planner locations before announcing pickup.
- A subscription or card-on-file flow is unavailable. Reauthorize Square and confirm that the connection includes the permissions the flow requests.
- I do not want Square. Skip the onboarding card, configure the payment methods available to your plan, and make the remaining payment instructions explicit in checkout.
Next steps
Keywords
Square, connect payments, card payments, payment location, catalog import, authorize Square, checkout, skip Square, payment setup