How to leave Square
Square is no-contract pay-as-you-go in the UK. Leaving the payments side is straightforward; the harder bit is exporting POS data, customer directory, loyalty balances and any Square Online store before closing.
Contract specifics
- Notice period
- No notice period. Square is pay-as-you-go; stop processing at any time.
- Exit fees
- No exit fee on payments. Square hardware (Terminal, Reader, Register) is owned outright once purchased. Square Online paid plans renew until cancelled in the dashboard.
- Terminal return
- Nothing to return. Hardware is yours. Deactivate devices in the Square dashboard before closing the account.
What typically happens
Most leavers export the Customer Directory, Item Library, Sales reports, Tax reports and any active gift-card balances first. Cancel Square Online, Square Appointments and any paid subscriptions explicitly. Final payout completes on the normal schedule. Close the account in Settings once payouts have cleared.
Where merchants typically move
- Dojo Go (higher-volume hospitality and retail)
- SumUp Solo (no-contract small / mobile)
- Zettle Reader 2 (existing PayPal merchants)
- Stripe (if you also need online)
Watch outs
- Outstanding gift-card liabilities sit with the merchant; plan how to redeem or refund before closing.
- Square Online stores need a separate export; product images and descriptions do not migrate automatically.
- Square Loyalty balances cannot be transferred; communicate with customers before closing.
- Square hardware does not pair with other acquirers; it is Square-only.
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Get quotes →Reviewed by Oliver Mackman, Director. Last reviewed: 2026-05-10. We do not get a benefit from you leaving any specific provider; if you read corrections needed, tell us at editorial@acceptcard.co.uk.