Accept In-Person Payments With a Card Reader or a QR Code
What avenues are available for accepting payments in person?
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1. Zeffy Tap to Pay: An app available to organizations in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia
3. Log manual payments received in cash, by check, e-transfer or other
Zeffy Tap-to-Pay
Zeffy's version of a card reader is an app called Tap-to-Pay. It is currently only compatible with iOS and Android, but the app allows you to accept in-person payments directly through your phone! It is 100% free, just like the rest of our platform. We also cover all transaction fees associated with your payments. We don't currently offer the possibility to connect an external card reader to Zeffy. Tap to Pay is available to organizations in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia.
You will need :
A device with a compatible card reader, either:
An iPhone model XS or later updated with iOS 17 or newer
An Android 11 with NFC (Android 12+ is recommend for stability)*
A verified Zeffy account connected to your organization's bank account
As of July 1st 2026, the app will be compatible with Android 13 or newer only.
Other important compatibility notes:
📱Tap-to-pay is not compatible with tablets / iPads as they are not equipped with an internal card reader.
⚠️ Tap-to-pay is not currently compatible with auction forms, recurring donations, and membership forms. These forms or payment options will not appear in your Tap-to-Pay application. To find out how to accept payments in person on these forms, see this article.
🇬🇧 Gift Aid is not currently available on Tap to Pay payments in the UK.
Print a QR code
When you create a form, an individual QR code is created. This QR code can be scanned by any smartphone and will bring your supporter straight to your form.
You can copy and paste it to physical communications and you can print it out to have it available around your venue.
To find your QR code:
Login to Zeffy and go to "Campaigns"
Click the three dots next to the campaign you want to share and click the "share" button that appears to the right.
A pop-up will open showing you the different sharing options you have access to.
Click on "QR code" to access the QR code option.
Click on "copy image" to copy your QR code to your clipboard. You'll be able to paste it into the communication materials of your choice.
Click on "download image" to download a png version of your QR code onto your device.
The "Copy" option will not always appear on Firefox. Try a different browser if you don't see the button.
Log payments directly in Zeffy received in cash, by check, e-transfer, or other
Consult this page of our help center for a video tutorial and visual aids of the manual entry process ➡️ Manual payment or registration entries
Here are the general steps to follow:
Log into your Zeffy dashboard
Click on "Fundraising" in the menu bar on the left-hand side. Then, click on "Payments." At the top, righthand side of the page, click on "Add payment" and "Add manually."
Select the form you're adding the payment on
Enter the amount
Select the payment method
Enter the supporter's information
Enter their email to be able to check the option to send them the configured thank-you email with their receipt and e-tickets if applicable
Enter their full address (Canada) to be able to check the option to generate a tax receipt if applicable