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How to Set Up the Stripe Card Reader (Terminal)

Connect a physical Stripe card reader to Zipper so you can take in-person payments at your front desk or events. Setup takes about five minutes once you have the reader in hand.

Before You Start

  • Ensure you have owner or admin permissions
  • Ensure your Stripe account is connected to Zipper
  • Have a physical Stripe Terminal device (such as the Stripe Reader S700 or BBPOS WisePOS E)
  • Have your studio’s physical address ready

Steps

Step 1: Go to Payments > Terminal Readers

Go to Payments > Terminal Readers.

The page shows any existing locations and readers. If this is your first setup, you’ll see an Add Your First Location button.

The Terminal Settings page showing existing locations, reader status, and Add Location button

Step 2: Add a location

Click Add Location (or Add Your First Location). A location ties your reader to a physical address — Stripe requires this for in-person payments.

The Add Terminal Location modal with an address search field

Type your business address in the search field, select it from the autocomplete, then click Add Location. Your location card will appear on the page.

Step 3: Get a registration code from your device

On the physical Stripe Terminal device (not in Zipper):

  1. Go to Settings on the device
  2. Tap Generate Registration Code
  3. Note the code shown (example: seashell-palm) — it expires quickly, so move to the next step right away

Step 4: Register the terminal in Zipper

On your location card, click Register Terminal.

The Register Terminal modal with fields for Registration Code and Label

Fill in:

  • Registration Code — enter the code from your device
  • Label (optional) — give the reader a name like “Front Desk Terminal”

Click Register Terminal. You’ll see a success message and the reader will appear on the location card with its status (Online or Offline).

Tips

  • Multiple locations: Use Add Location to add each address separately, then register a reader to each
  • Import existing readers: If you already set up terminals in the Stripe Dashboard, click Import from Stripe to sync them into Zipper
  • Test mode: If a yellow “Test Mode” badge appears, your Stripe account is in test mode — switch to live keys before taking real payments

Troubleshooting

“Failed to register terminal. Check the registration code.” The code was mistyped or expired. Go back to the device and generate a new registration code, then try again immediately.

Reader shows as Offline The terminal may be sleeping. Wake it by pressing any button, then check that it’s connected to Wi-Fi. The status updates automatically once it reconnects.

Registration code expired These codes are short-lived (a few minutes). If yours expires before you can enter it, generate a new one on the device and register again right away.

Need a hand?

Email our team at support@joinzipper.com and we'll usually reply within a few hours.

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