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Encircle Payments - FAQ

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How can a payment be collected in Encircle?

Tap to Pay on iPhone includes support for Visa, Mastercard, American Express contactless cards, and NFC-based mobile wallets (Apple Pay and Google Pay). PIN entry is supported. Additionally, Discover is supported in the US, Interac is supported in Canada.

Tap to Pay on Android includes support for Visa, Mastercard, American Express contactless cards, and NFC-based mobile wallets (Apple Pay and Google Pay). PIN entry is supported.
Secure payment link via text or email from the Encircle app (mobile and web)

 

Do I need extra hardware or a card reader?

Nope. Encircle Payments doesn’t require any additional hardware. Your team can use the mobile app on their phone to use Tap to Pay or links can be sent from mobile or web—no card reader needed.
 

What devices are supported by Tap to Pay?

Tap to Pay on iPhone requires an iPhone XS or later running:

  • iOS 17.0 or later in the United States
  • iOS 17.4 or later in Canada

It is recommended that users update to the latest iOS version for the best performance.

Note - Tap to Pay won’t work on beta releases of iOS.

Tap to Pay on Android works with a variety of Android devices such as mobile phones, kiosks, tablets, handheld devices, and so on. You can only discover and connect to devices that meet all of the following criteria:

  • Has a functioning, integrated NFC sensor and ARM-based processor
  • Isn’t rooted and device bootloader is locked and unchanged
  • Runs a current version of Android (Android 11 or above)
  • Uses Google Mobile Services and has the Google Play Store app installed
  • Has a hardware backed keystore
  • Supports generating key pairs using a variety of key algorithms, including RSA and AES from the Android keystore
  • A stable connection to the internet
  • Runs the unmodified manufacturer provided OS

Note - Tap to Pay doesn’t work on beta releases of Android.
 

Is this feature included in my Encircle subscription?

Yes. Encircle Payments is included in your subscription at no additional cost. 
 

What are the fees?

Standard rates apply and there are no transaction fees.

Tap to Pay Standard Rate
No transaction fees apply
Visa, Mastercard, Discover (US & iPhone only) 2.95%
American Express 3.5%
Interac Debit (Canada) 1% with $15 cap
Payment Link  
Visa, Mastercard, Discover (US) 3.2%
American Express 3.5%
ACH  
ACH 1% capped at $15


Is it secure and compliant?

Yes. Encircle Payments is powered by Stripe, one of the world’s leading payment processors. All transactions are PCI-compliant, and Encircle never stores payment or banking data.

 

What is PCI compliance?

Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance is a set of standards and guidelines for companies to manage and secure credit card related personal data. The guidelines were established in an effort to protect credit card data from theft.
 

Can anyone on my team take payments?

Yes—depending on the permission levels your admin has set up, Encircle allows anyone to access payments. Field users can collect or request payments on-site or via link on the mobile app. From the web app, admins can request payment via link and can view and manage all payment activity from the web dashboard.

Here is a breakdown of the access to Encircle Payments by  permission levels:

  • Admin - can Sign up for Payments, access the Stripe Dashboard and take payments
  • Standard - can request, take payments and see payment information for a specific job
  • Limit - no access to Payments and can not take a payment
     

Does Payments work offline?

No. Encircle Payments requires a stable Internet connection (Wi-Fi or Cellular connection).
 

Are there limits to Tap to Pay?

There are no limits to Tap to Pay in the United States. In Canada, there is a limit of $250 without requiring a PIN. In Canada, many issued cards are offline PIN only, meaning that entering the PIN requires physical contact, such as insertion into a device, which isn’t supported with Tap to Pay. 
 

What happens if the card is declined with Tap to Pay?

You will see an error message on the screen letting you know that the card has been declined and for what reason.
 

Can I collect more than one payment per job?

Yes, you can collect as many payments as you would like to on each job.
 

Can I collect payment for the full project with Encircle Payments or just deposits/deductibles?

There is nothing preventing you from using Payments to collect any sort of financial payment from the customer. 
 

What information do I have to provide to set up my Stripe account?

Here is a list of key documents and materials businesses should plan to have ready:


To complete your business profile:

  • Business type
  • Tax identification numbers:
    • EIN (US): The Employer Identification Number is a 9-digit number assigned by the IRS to business entities operating in the United States for the purposes of identification.
    • BN (CAN): The business number (BN) is a 9-digit number the CRA assigns to businesses and other organizations in Canada for tax-related purposes.
  • Address
  • Industry


To designate a business representative:

  • Name
  • Email
  • Birthday
  • Home address
  • Last four digits of SSN


To connect to bank account:

  • Bank account information
     

What if I already have a Stripe account set up for my business?

If you have an existing Stripe Account, you are able to leverage that account to help with the onboarding process. When you onboard with Encircle Payments, you will be creating a new Stripe Account that is specific to Encircle, however it will have some shared information with your existing Stripe Account. Learn More about Stripe’s Networked Onboarding. 
 

When does the money go into my bank account?

All payments will arrive in your Stripe account, minus any fees, as soon as the payment has been completed and processed. The payout period to your bank account depends on your region. 

USA:

  • The payout schedule is Transaction Date + 2 business days (T+2)

CANADA:

  • The first ever payout after setting up your account takes 7 calendar days.
  • After the initial payout, subsequent payouts follow a schedule of Transaction Date +3 business days (T+3)

Payouts happen daily, meaning if you are a US customer, and you processed a Payment 2 days ago, it will be paid out to your bank account today. 

Stripe will lump all payouts together into one transaction into your account. You can view the payout information in Encircle or in the Stripe Dashboard.
 

Can I brand the payment screen that my customers see when I send them a payment request?

In the settings of the Stripe Dashboard, you can manage the colours and logos that will be used for the payment screens that your customers will see.
 

Does tax get applied to the payments?

No. The amount that you enter in for the payment should include any tax that must be applied to the fee.

 

When are Encircle fees applied to the payment?

Once a payment has been completed and processed, the fees will be removed from that transaction when it shows up in your Stripe account. This means that the payment minus any fees, will appear in your Stripe account and be paid out to your bank account based on the standard payout schedule.
 

Can I refund a payment?

Yes. This can be done via the Stripe Dashboard or within the main Payments screen in Encircle. Stripe handles the process of refunding the money. The processing fees from the original transaction will not be refunded.  

How can I give additional people access to the Stripe Dashboard

Within the Stripe Dashboard, you can invite additional users to join the Stripe Account. Once they have accepted the invitation, they will be able to log into your Encircle Stripe Account. This uses separate login credentials than your Encircle credentials. 
 

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