What Is "SQ*" on My Bank Statement?

SQ* is Square's payment descriptor. Square is used by millions of small businesses — cafes, food trucks, hair salons — so SQ* is followed by the business name.

Plain-English explanation

Square is a very common point-of-sale system. When you pay with a card at a business using Square, your statement shows SQ* followed by a shortened version of the business name. This is identical in meaning to the /charge/sq page, just showing the asterisk format your bank uses.

Most common reasons this appears

• Card payment at a café, food truck, or market stall using Square
• Service payment at a salon, gym, or contractor
• Online purchase from a small business using Square Online

How to verify this charge

• Search the business name after SQ* online to confirm what type of business it is.
• Check your email for a Square receipt from that merchant.
• Log in to squareup.com and use the receipt lookup tool.

When to be concerned

• Business name after SQ* doesn't match anywhere you've been.
• Charge amount doesn't match a known purchase.
• Multiple SQ* charges on a day you didn't shop.

Part of: Payment processors & POS →