Questions? Contact Sales
Create Free Account

Software solution

Square Text Message Marketing

Turn opted-in customer moments into timely, trackable text campaigns

Square Text Message Marketing gives a bakery, salon, retailer, or service business a direct way to announce time-sensitive offers, bring back lapsed customers, and collect more reviews. Campaigns use customer information already organized in Square Customer Directory, so an owner can target audiences, attach coupons or images, schedule one-time sends, and automate welcome, birthday, abandoned-cart, or re-engagement messages from Square Dashboard.

Contact SalesCreate Free Account

Built for your day-to-day

How it fits your business

It is not a standalone free texting app: U.S. sellers need Square Plus or Premium, a verified toll-free number, and customer marketing consent. The practical fit is strongest when your checkout and customer records already live in Square and you can consistently honor opt-out and carrier-content rules.

Key capabilities

What you can do

  • Reach opted-in customers at the right moment

    Send announcements, promotions, discounts, events, and coupons to customers who have consented to SMS marketing. Customers can opt in after a point-of-sale transaction or by texting the business's unique sign-up number.

  • Automate repeat-visit campaigns

    Prebuilt and customizable automations can welcome new customers, send birthday offers, re-engage lapsed customers, remind shoppers about abandoned carts, and request Google Reviews after a visit.

  • Target from the Square customer record

    Square Customer Directory syncs with Marketing, allowing audience selection from customer data and helping connect campaigns with sales across online and physical locations.

  • Measure campaign impact

    Square Dashboard reports can show attributed revenue, coupon redemption, and link clicks so an owner can compare a flash sale or seasonal offer with its results.

  • Use images and email together

    Text campaigns can include an image, and Square positions text and email campaigns as complementary channels for following up on promotions and driving traffic to online or physical stores.

Explore the details

Product details

What setup really requires

A Square Marketing subscriber on Square Plus or Square Premium needs the customers permission in Square Dashboard, business details, a sender name, a website or social link, a payment method, and a verified toll-free number. Verification averages two to three business days but can take up to 14 business days; campaigns remain drafts and cannot be sent while verification is pending. No dedicated SMS hardware is required—the workflow runs in Square Dashboard and connects to Square Point of Sale and Customer Directory.

Consent and message-content guardrails

Recipients must consent to marketing texts. Square's U.S. setup guidance references TCPA prior express written consent for loyalty-program enrollment, and Square's terms require seller-initiated SMS to follow applicable laws and regulations. Alcohol sellers need age-gating on their website. Carrier SHAFT-C rules can ban or restrict content involving sex, hate, alcohol, firearms or fireworks, tobacco, and cannabis. Customers can opt out of Square text messages by replying STOP; message and data rates may apply.

Plan economics and operational limits

Text Message Marketing is unavailable on Square Free. Square Plus includes 500 texts per month per account, then charges 3 cents per text; Square Premium includes 2,500 per month per account, then charges 1.5 cents per text. The plan subscription itself is charged per location at the published $49/month Plus or $149/month Premium rate. Square describes a 30-day trial on its product page, but the exact trial offer and plan eligibility should be confirmed in the seller's U.S. signup flow. Hardware purchase does not unlock the feature.

Plan details

Pricing, fees & eligibility

Explore pricing

U.S. Square Text Message Marketing requires Square Plus or Square Premium; it has no standalone hardware requirement or standalone product price. Published plan pricing is per location, while text usage is metered after the included monthly allowance.

Fees & eligibility

  • Square Plus subscription

    Published U.S. Square pricing; required plan option for Text Message Marketing.

    $49/month per location
  • Square Premium subscription

    Published U.S. Square pricing; required plan option for Text Message Marketing.

    $149/month per location
  • Square Plus text usage

    U.S. Square Plus allowance and overage published on the product and pricing pages.

    500 texts included per month per account, then $0.03 per text
  • Square Premium text usage

    U.S. Square Premium allowance and overage published on the product and pricing pages.

    2,500 texts included per month per account, then $0.015 per text

Requirements

  • U.S. Square account and Square Marketing subscription on Square Plus or Square Premium.
  • Customers permission for the account owner or team member who sets up and sends campaigns.
  • Verified toll-free sender number; verification typically takes 2–3 business days and can take up to 14 business days.
  • Customer consent to receive SMS marketing messages.
  • Business information, sender name, website or social link, and a payment method during registration.
  • Alcohol sellers need age-gating technology on the business website.

Square Free does not include Text Message Marketing.

The product page states a 30-day free trial, but Square does not expose a fixed trial price in the fetched U.S. pricing content; confirm the live seller signup offer.

Messages cannot be sent until toll-free-number verification is complete; campaigns created during review remain drafts.

Customer opt-in, TCPA obligations, applicable law, and carrier rules remain the seller's responsibility; this record is not legal advice.

Square terms say standard carrier message and data rates may apply, frequency may vary, and carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

Square does not publish a product-specific hardware compatibility list because the marketing workflow is in Dashboard; Square POS hardware is therefore optional rather than a requirement.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Can I use Square Text Message Marketing on Square Free?

No. Square says Text Message Marketing requires a Square Plus or Square Premium subscription. Plus includes 500 texts per month and Premium includes 2,500; each plan charges an overage rate after its allowance.

How do customers join the text list?

Customers can consent through the point of sale after a transaction, or text the business's unique sign-up number. Square requires marketing consent, and its U.S. guidance discusses TCPA prior express written consent for loyalty-program enrollment.

Do I need a Square terminal, reader, or other hardware?

No dedicated hardware is required for the marketing feature. It runs through Square Dashboard and connects with Square Point of Sale and Customer Directory. POS hardware can support the in-person opt-in workflow, but Square does not identify a required model.

Keep exploring

Explore related solutions

Related software

Software

Square Point of Sale

Square Point of Sale gives a small business one place to ring up products, services, menu items, or custom amounts, then track sales, inventory, customers, and reports as the business grows.

Explore Square Point of Sale

Software

Square Customer Directory / CRM

Square Customer Directory gives a U.S. business one place to organize customer contact details, purchase history, loyalty activity, preferences, and notes across Square sales channels.

Explore Square Customer Directory / CRM

Software

Square Marketing

Square Marketing gives a U.S. business a practical way to follow up after the sale without exporting its customer list to another system.

Explore Square Marketing

Software

Square Email Marketing

Square Email Marketing gives a bakery, café, shop, salon, or other local business a practical way to bring customers back without exporting sales data to a separate email platform.

Explore Square Email Marketing
Sources & product information

Ready when you are

Talk through the options for your business.

Contact SalesCreate Free Account