Create a memorable experience - keep the drinks flowing and speed up payments with bar tabs. We worked with our partners at Tyro to create Lightspeed’s Bar Tabs add-on, so that you can open secure tabs for your customers to pay later - all integrated with your Tyro payment terminal.
This means less loose change in your customers’ pockets, less times rummaging through wallets, and more time to enjoy. When they’re happy, so are you!
This guide will cover how to set up the Bar Tabs add-on as well as how to open and close tabs.
What's in this guide?
Before you begin
For Bar Tabs to work, you’d need to have either Tyro
Enable the Bar Tabs add-on
1. From the Add-ons Page in Back Office, find the Bar Tabs add-on
2. Enable this Add-on by clicking on the orange Enable Bar Tabs button
Start a bar tab
1. On your POS, select the menu icon on the top left corner
2. Select Add-ons
3. Select Bar Tabs
4. Select or enter the amount to Pre-Auth for the Bar Tab
5. Select OK
This will update your terminal (Tyro) and Point of Sale - both prompting for payment
6. Swipe/tap the card. When the Pre-Auth is successful, you will see this:
Note - Integrated MOTO (card-not-present) bar tabs are not allowed and are automatically reversed.
Pay the bar tab
Now that the bar tab order is created - the card type and the last four digits of the card are shown.
1. You can add items as normal - you will see the total below. You can also hold orders as per normal.
2. At the end of the night or whenever the customer is ready to close the bar tab, select Check Out Bar Tab
3. A dialog box will appear. Select Confirm Checkout
Selecting Pay another way will give you the chance to choose a different payment method for the order.
After checking out, the tab will be closed and any unused portion will be released to the cardholder.
Note - The standard clearing time for Pre-Auths is seven days. So you’ll want to make sure that you close off your bar tabs regularly so that you can make sure you’re getting paid.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do customer card details show up on the POS?
Customer card details are safely stored and encrypted by Tyro - showing only the card type and the last four digits of the card. Lightspeed does not store these details.
Is this available for all EFTPOS integrations?
For now, the Bar Tabs add-on is only available for Tyro customers. If you do not have Tyro, you may want to check out how to hold orders on Lightspeed or use customer accounts in Lightspeed- almost the same without the pre-auth.
Can a bar tab be converted into another payment type after it was opened and orders have been added?
Yes. Right after selecting Check Out Bar Tab, this will give you the option to Confirm Check Out or Pay another way - this is that crucial moment, select Pay another way and the order can be paid using another payment type.
Can the order exceed the tab?
No. Once the order reaches the bar tab limit you’ll need to either start another bar tab or a new order.
Can you have two bar tabs open at the same time?
Yes, with different cards. However, you can't have two tabs open for the same card. You would need to close the existing tab first.
What's my next step?
Thinking of integrating accounting with Lightspeed? Learn all about your accounting integration options.
Already have an EFTPOS? Various EFTPOS integrations work seamlessly with Lightspeed. An integrated EFTPOS will save you plenty of time in processing card payments and finalising takings/reconciliation.
Allow customers to pay later or in bulk. Using the Accounts Add-on, you can create accounts, place orders under each account, and send customer invoices and statements.
Have you already added in your staff? Creating logins for your staff is the first step for you to monitor their performance, track their attendance, and manage permissions on what they can do on your Lightspeed.