Square Integration for Towing Companies: How It Works
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The Relay Tow Square integration lets a towing company take card payments through its own Square account in three places: payment links on invoices, the Collect Payment screen in the driver app, and online impound payments on your company website. An Owner or Admin connects Square once, customers pay on Square's checkout page, and Relay Tow updates the invoice when the payment goes through. The details below follow the help center article Connect your Square account.
Why card payments matter in towing
A stranded driver may not carry cash, and a vehicle owner at the impound counter wants to pay and leave. Every extra step after the job is a chance for the money to slip. Using the Square account you already run, inside the system you use for calls and invoices, removes some of those steps.
What you need before you connect
A Square account with at least one location. Relay Tow uses the first location on the account.
The Owner or Admin role. Only Owners and Admins can connect or disconnect Square.
Your Square sign-in. You sign in on Square's own website, not inside Relay Tow.
How to connect Square
In the Relay Tow dashboard, open Settings, then Square Payments. You can also start from Integrations.
Select Connect Square.
Sign in on Square and review the permissions Relay Tow requests.
Approve the request. Square sends you back to Relay Tow, where you see Square Connected.
The Square card then shows Connected, your account ID, location ID, and connection date. The approval request expires after 15 minutes, so finish it in one sitting. If it times out, start again from Settings. Payments are charged in US dollars.
Send invoices with a Square payment link
With Square connected, Relay Tow can attach a secure Square checkout link to an invoice. When you create a new invoice, add your line items and choose to send it with a Square payment link. Relay Tow creates the link and emails the invoice with it.
You can also send an existing Draft invoice with the Square link, or generate a link for an invoice you already sent. A fresh link is created each time, so use the newest one if you resend.
Your customer pays on a Square checkout page titled with the invoice number and gets a receipt by email. The invoice updates to Paid on its own. Our guide to towing invoicing software covers the rest of the billing workflow.
Collect payment on scene from the driver app
Drivers can bill a customer from the Collect Payment screen on a dispatch. On the Create Invoice form, the driver sets the payment type to Square, enters an amount or adds line items, and creates the invoice. The app generates the Square payment link, and the driver can share it by QR code, Share Payment Link, Send via SMS, or Copy link.
If the screen has not updated after the customer pays, the driver selects Refresh Payment Status. For cash, the driver sets the payment type to Cash and selects Mark as Paid once the money is in hand. Only one invoice can be created per dispatch.
One rule to plan around: the Collect Payment screen needs Square connected for your company, even for cash jobs. Until an Owner or Admin connects it, drivers see Square Not Connected. Our tow truck driver app guide covers the rest of the driver workflow.
Let vehicle owners pay impound fees online
With public payment turned on for your company website, vehicle owners can look up their impound and pay the fees by card. Relay Tow creates a Square checkout link for the amount due, based on your active rates. When the owner pays, the impound's invoice is marked Paid, the balance due is cleared, and your company gets a payment email. This pairs well with the release steps in our impound management checklist.
Payment statuses, emails, and refunds
Square tells Relay Tow when a payment changes. A payment can show as Pending, Approved, Completed, Failed or canceled, or Refunded. A failed payment leaves the invoice open, so you can send a new link for another try.
Refunds are issued from your Square Dashboard, not from Relay Tow. Relay Tow picks up the refund and marks the payment as refunded. Processing fees and payouts are handled by Square on its own schedule.
What Relay Tow can and cannot see
Customers enter card details on Square's checkout page, so Relay Tow only learns the result, such as the amount, status, and receipt reference. You sign in on Square's website, so Relay Tow never sees your Square password. Relay Tow does not request access to your bank account details, payouts, employees, or inventory.
Disconnecting Square
An Owner or Admin can disconnect from Settings, then Square Payments. Relay Tow deletes the keys it saved for your Square account, and your invoices and payment history stay in Relay Tow. To remove access from Square's side too, remove Relay Tow from the connected apps in your Square Dashboard.
FAQ
Does Relay Tow store my customers' card numbers?
No. Customers enter card details on Square's checkout page. Relay Tow only receives the result, such as the amount and status.
Can drivers record cash payments without Square connected?
No. The driver app's Collect Payment screen needs Square connected, even for cash jobs.
What currency are Square payments charged in?
Payments through the Relay Tow Square integration are charged in US dollars.
How do I refund a Square payment?
Issue it from your Square Dashboard. Relay Tow picks it up and marks the payment as refunded. For partial refunds, check the exact amount in Square.
Related reading: Towing Company Invoicing: How to Get Paid Faster, Impound Lot Storage Fees and Lien Tracking, Towing Paperwork: How to Go Paperless.
Take card payments with Relay Tow and Square
Relay Tow connects to your Square account for invoice payment links, on-scene driver payments, and online impound payments. Plans from $66/month. Create your account and connect Square to Relay Tow invoicing and payments.
