How to Use an External Card Terminal with Shopify POS in 2026
How to use an external card terminal with Shopify POS, including custom payment methods and the SumUp Solo POSBridge workflow.
· 2 min
Shopify POS can be used with an external card terminal. Shopify documents this route for merchants using a third-party terminal or where suitable native Shopify card readers are not available.
What is an external card terminal?
It is a separate payment device. The card transaction is processed by the third-party provider rather than Shopify Payments.
Step 1: Choose the payment provider
Check country availability, currency, accepted cards, fees, hardware and refund process. An in-person external terminal is not automatically the same thing as an online Shopify payment gateway.
Step 2: Create a custom payment method
Shopify lets you add custom payment methods in POS. You can name one “External terminal”, “Card payment” or “SumUp”. It records the sale but does not process money.
Step 3: Run the sale
- Scan items in Shopify POS.
- Review the total.
- Enter the amount on the external terminal.
- Take payment.
- Select the custom payment method in Shopify POS.
- Complete the order.
Where is the friction?
With a separate terminal, the amount usually has to be entered again. This is the main step a compatible integration can improve.
SumUp Solo with POSBridge
SumUp provides a Cloud API for Solo. POSBridge can use it to send the Shopify POS cart total to an assigned SumUp Solo and monitor payment status.
SumUp remains the payment processor. After success, staff complete the Shopify POS sale with the configured custom payment method.
External terminal vs native reader
| Native Shopify reader | External terminal | |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Shopify Payments | Third party |
| Availability | Market dependent | Provider dependent |
| Custom payment method | Usually no | Yes |
| Amount transfer | Integrated | Usually manual; automatable with a compatible integration |
Refunds
With externally processed transactions, the Shopify POS return and the actual card refund at the provider need to be coordinated correctly.
Conclusion
An external terminal is a practical Shopify POS workflow when the native payment route does not fit. With SumUp Solo and POSBridge, manual amount entry can also be removed.
Open the complete SumUp Solo setup guide →