How to Remove Your Email from Square Wallet and Stop Receiving Emails from Square Sellers
Are you receiving email receipts from online and in-person merchants that you never gave you email to? Then you may need to unsubscribe from Square Wallet’s automatic receipts. Over the weekend I tried out a new coffee shop with my beloved. I paid with a debit card at the counter via an iPad interface. A smooth transaction for sure but to my surprise I was emailed a receipt from the coffee shop. Keep in my mind I did not give the vendor my email address.
The email sent to my Gmail account, listed the brand of credit card used, that I used a Pin and Chip card, the card holder’s name in this case a company, and that is was a signature verified transaction (it was not.) I croped ot this information from the bottom of the receipt for my own privacy! 🙂
When you give one Square merchant your email address, all subsequent transactions will generate another email receipt. According to Square policies listed on their website cardholders can choose to receive automatic receipts for purchases from all sellers that use Square to process transactions. This means that when you buy something where the seller uses the Square technology to run your payment information and you give the seller an email address, then you will receive an email receipt for every future transaction. Apparently, customers also opted into receiving email receipts from all Square merchants that they use going forward. Automatic receipts occur when the customer uses the same payment method to pay any another Square merchant.
This is supposed to be a convenience feature, but it can turn into a privacy issue for many. If you are sharing a credit card with someone else, and the card is attached to one email address, then that email will always receive a receipt detailing what was purchased and where. See the below receipt.
I bought something two months ago during the summer at an outdoor market. I paid used my card and the merchant processed with Square device attached to their smartphone. Three days ago, I bought coffee 150 kilometers away, and I was sent another email receipt via Square even though I did not give the coffee shop my email address.
What is Square?
Square, Inc. is a California based financial services, merchant services aggregator, and mobile payment company that provides secure credit card processing to point of sale (POS)solutions. Square enables businesses to accept card payments on their mobile device through a Square Reader, Invoice, or through an online web store. Shoppers may recognize Square as a small device that plugs into a smartphones jack. It allows vendors to swipe and process payment cards using only a smartphone. It is especially convenient at outdoor markets and temporary events making it popular with artisans and food vendors.
Was My Email Shared with the Second Vendor?
It is possible. According to Square Privacy Policy by requesting an email receipt sent, you gave your email address to the first vendor rather than just Square. This includes people, like me, who choose not to create a Square account. The Square POS portion for sellers on their website details an entire dashboard for vendors where customer information is stored. Square also collects information about the electronic device you used if you paid online using your own device including hardware model, operating system and version, device name, unique device identifier, and mobile network information.
Square’s privacy policy page goes on to describe how they share your information when all you really wanted was an email receipt. Square seems to feel free to share your private information with other sellers that you interacted with. In my case, at the coffee shop. On their privacy policy page, it says “we may share information when you make a payment or appointment with a Square Seller.”
According to their privacy policy, Square also apparently shells out your personal information to their own group of companies although we don’t know who, and corporate affiliates. They also seem to share it with third parties (again we don’t know who) to run ads and special offers. Oh joy, more adverts!
How do you Stop Square from Using Your Data?
There is a button at the bottom of my coffee receipt to unsubscribe. I tapped it and saw the below message which hopefully has unsubscribed me from receiving Square’s email from this vendor, but it does not stop the seller from using my email that they most likely have.
Except I don’t want ANY receipt from any of their vendors unless I request it, or my information shared with anyone without my explicit consent. So how do I opt out of Square automatic receipts and stop them from sharing my email address with everyone they cited in their privacy policy? I had to back up one screen and choose not to receive email receipts from any business. But that still does not protect my privacy, it just stops me from receiving a receipt.
