Square’s Virtual Terminal Stages British Invasion

Up until just recently, Square users in the United Kingdom didn’t have access to Square’s Virtual Terminal system, a point widely regarded as an oversight on many users’ part.

That wasn’t to be the case long, as Square recently announced that the service would be available in the UK, and give Square’s users in the region access to new and useful services.

Square’s Virtual Terminal effectively allows users to accept payments directly on Internet-connected computers, using the Square dashboard as the primary interface point. This is particularly useful for those merchants that don’t normally take in-person payments, like contractors or service providers.

The Virtual Terminal system got its start in the United States back in October and has recently crossed into Japan, Canada and Australia. It’s successfully processed around $300 million in payments so far, with users paying just 2.5 percent of every transaction to carry it out.

UK users were positively clamoring for the service to be put to use in their own country, and now it’s available.

Square’s head of UK operations Sarah Harvey noted “Virtual Terminal is something our sellers have been asking us for and has already proved hugely popular around the world. We are pleased to be bringing it to the UK’s thriving community of small and medium-sized businesses.”

Considering reports that around half of the small businesses in the UK—roughly 2.7 million small businesses total are represented in that figure—don’t accept any kind of card payment, it’s a great opportunity for Square to step in and deliver a useful new service to a lot of places that aren’t yet offering it.

It’s funny that they’re not, in all honesty; Square isn’t exactly difficult to set up. One tablet and a card-scanning dongle later and it’s good to go. Still, the idea is sound enough; put a service in some users’ hands that may not have been there before and reap the benefits accordingly.

While it’s odd that this market has gone underserved for so long, it’s reasonable enough that Square can step in now and provide the service. With this new tool, it’s easier than ever, and should give Square a real foothold in a field of new opportunity.