How to Reconnect Your Square Account in Zibster
Overview
If Square payments stop processing in your Zibster account, the connection between Zibster and Square may need to be refreshed. Reconnecting allows you to approve Zibster's access again so your account can continue processing payments through Square.
This can help resolve Square authorization errors, including "This request could not be authorized", a missing LOCATION ID, and the "key [LOCATIONID] doesn't exist" error.
This guide explains how to reconnect Square, confirm your merchant settings, and have your client retry the payment.
Reconnecting Square does not delete your previous transactions, order history, or customer data.
Why Your Square Connection May Need to Be Refreshed
Square uses secure authorization to allow Zibster to process payments through your Square account. That authorization may need to be refreshed if:
-
The existing authorization has expired or is no longer valid.
-
Access permissions have changed.
-
Zibster's access to your Square account has been revoked.
-
Your Square merchant was connected using an older version of the Square integration.
A connection issue can occur even if you have not changed anything in Zibster or Square.
Zibster is not notified when authorization or account settings change within your individual Square account. Reconnecting Square allows you to approve Zibster's access again.
Common Signs Your Square Connection Needs Attention
Review your Square connection if you notice:
-
An error stating "This request could not be authorized."
-
An error stating "key [LOCATIONID] doesn't exist."
-
A missing LOCATION ID in your Zibster merchant settings.
-
Payments failing on forms, invoices, or online checkout pages.
-
Your Square merchant showing as inactive when you expect it to accept payments.
Important: Square error codes can sometimes appear with different payment messages. Always review the full error message before troubleshooting. If the message indicates that the credit card was declined, reconnecting Square may not resolve the issue.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, make sure you have:
-
Access to your Zibster account.
-
Access to the same Square account originally connected to Zibster.
-
A Square login with permission to authorize third-party access.
If a client received an error but may have been charged, check your Square transaction history and the corresponding Zibster order or invoice before asking them to submit the payment again.
Check Square's Service Status
Before reconnecting Square, check Square's system status to confirm there is not an active service disruption affecting online payments.
Reconnecting your merchant will not resolve a Square service outage. If Square is experiencing an interruption, wait until the affected service has been restored before testing another payment.
If Square is operating normally, continue with the steps below.
STEP ONE
Log in to your Zibster account and click ECOMMERCE in the left-side menu.
STEP TWO
At the top of the ECommerce Dashboard, hover over PAYMENT and click MERCHANTS in the dropdown menu.
STEP THREE
Click your Square merchant to open its settings.
Depending on how the merchant was originally configured, it may be named CREDIT CARD - SQUARE.
STEP FOUR
On the Square merchant settings page, click RECONNECT.
STEP FIVE
A new window will open for Square authorization.
Log in to the same Square account originally connected to Zibster. If Square is already signed in, confirm that you are using the correct Square account before continuing.
When Square asks you to approve Zibster's access, click ALLOW.
A confirmation message will appear when the connection has been successfully updated.
FINAL STEP
Return to your Square merchant settings in Zibster.
For ACTIVE, select YES, then click SAVE CHANGES at the bottom of the page.
Confirm that a LOCATION ID appears in the merchant settings.
The successful Square authorization, ACTIVE setting, and visible LOCATION ID are the three connection checks to complete before retrying a payment.
After reconnecting Square, ask your client to refresh the affected payment page, re-enter their payment information, and submit the payment again.
What Your Clients Need to Do After You Reconnect Square
If a client had a payment page open before you reconnected Square, they should refresh the page before trying again.
This applies to:
-
Invoice payment pages.
-
Forms that collect payment.
-
Online checkout pages.
An already-open payment page may continue using information from the previous Square connection.
After refreshing the page, the client should re-enter their payment details and submit the payment again.
Refreshing the page does not guarantee that a declined credit card will be approved. If a different error appears, use the full error message to determine the next troubleshooting step.
Troubleshooting
The LOCATION ID Does Not Appear
Repeat the reconnection process using the same Square account originally connected to Zibster.
When prompted by Square, approve Zibster's access. Then return to the merchant settings and confirm that ACTIVE is set to YES before clicking SAVE CHANGES.
If the LOCATION ID still does not appear, contact Zibster Support for help reviewing the connection.
The "key [LOCATIONID] doesn't exist" Error Continues
Confirm that the merchant is set to ACTIVE: YES and that a LOCATION ID appears in the Square merchant settings.
Have the client refresh the payment page before trying again.
If the error continues after these steps, contact Zibster Support so the merchant connection can be reviewed.
Authorization Errors Continue After Reconnecting
If "This request could not be authorized" continues after you reconnect Square and the client refreshes the payment page, the Square merchant may need to be removed and added again as a new merchant connection.
After adding Square again, confirm that:
-
ACTIVE is set to YES.
-
A LOCATION ID appears.
-
You clicked SAVE CHANGES.
Have the client refresh the payment page again before retrying the transaction.
The Payment Is Declined
A declined credit card requires different troubleshooting from a Square connection error.
Review the transaction in Square and follow the appropriate declined-payment troubleshooting steps. Reconnecting Square will not normally resolve a card-specific decline.
Payments Still Fail
Contact Zibster Support and provide:
-
The full error message.
-
Whether the payment failed on a form, invoice, or online checkout page.
-
The approximate time the payment attempt occurred.
-
Whether you already reconnected Square.
-
Whether a LOCATION ID currently appears in the merchant settings.
Do not send passwords or full credit card information.
Helpful Notes
Reconnecting Square does not delete previous transactions, customer information, or Zibster order history.
If you manage multiple locations in Square, the LOCATION ID shown in your Zibster merchant settings identifies the Square location associated with the merchant connection.
If you previously received the "key [LOCATIONID] doesn't exist" error, seeing a valid LOCATION ID after reconnecting confirms that Zibster has received the location information required by the Square integration.
Need Help?
Zibster Support Hours: Monday–Friday, 9am–6pm EST
Phone: 844.353.3412
Channels: Phone, Live Chat, Support Ticket
