Every 4Square transaction is the purchase of a one‑time digital redemption code from 4Square Systems. The amount is set by the customer’s checkout total. The code is delivered, applied, and invalidated within the same purchase event.
The diagram below maps a single end‑to‑end purchase. The card transaction is the customer’s purchase of a digital good from 4Square Systems.
What happens at each step, what the customer sees, and what 4Square is doing behind the scenes.
A customer shopping on a participating merchant’s website reaches checkout and is presented with the option to complete the purchase via a 4Square digital redemption code. The amount of the code mirrors the customer’s checkout total exactly.
The customer purchases a one‑time digital redemption code directly from 4Square Systems. The card transaction is between the cardholder and 4Square Systems. There is no parallel charge from the participating merchant.
Card details are captured inside a secure iframe served by an external PCI‑DSS Level 1 service provider. The provider returns a token to 4Square. The raw card number never reaches 4Square’s servers.
The cardholder is sent an out‑of‑band confirmation link to a verified email address or mobile phone number. Clicking the link confirms intent to complete the purchase. This produces an independent, time‑stamped record of cardholder authorization.
4Square generates the unique redemption code, delivers it to the participating merchant’s checkout flow, and applies it to the customer’s purchase. The code is invalidated immediately upon application. A receipt identifying 4Square Systems is sent to the customer.
The customer receives an email receipt and the card statement descriptor reads 4SQUARE-8772101090. Support is available through the channels listed on the receipt for any questions about the purchase.
Every redemption code exists only for the purchase it was created to support.
| Generated | Unique to the transaction. Tied to a specific checkout amount, customer, and participating merchant. |
|---|---|
| Delivered | Delivered electronically into the checkout flow. Not displayed to the customer for external use. Not stored on the customer’s device or account. |
| Validated | Checked at the moment of application for validity, amount match, and redemption status. |
| Applied | Applied once, to the specific checkout it was generated for. |
| Invalidated | Marked as redeemed immediately upon successful application. Cannot be reused, transferred, exchanged, or converted to cash. |
Codes have no existence outside the purchase they were issued for. They are not a stored balance, not a reloadable instrument, and not a transferable asset. They are a single‑use digital good consumed at the moment of the purchase event.
Your card statement will identify 4Square Systems as the merchant of record. The statement descriptor reads 4SQUARE-8772101090. The phone number in the descriptor connects directly to 4Square Systems support.
You purchased a one‑time digital redemption code from 4Square Systems. The code was generated for the exact amount of your checkout at the participating merchant, applied to that checkout, and then invalidated. It cannot be reused.
The redemption code amount mirrors your checkout total at the time of purchase. Different checkouts produce different code amounts. The code is generated for the specific transaction and is not a fixed‑denomination product.
No. Codes are generated for a specific checkout and invalidated upon application within that same purchase event. There is no stored balance, no reloadable value, and no way to apply a code to a different purchase.
Codes are only redeemable within the closed‑loop participating merchant network, and only against the specific checkout they were generated for. Codes have no use, value, or function outside this purchase event.
No. Card details are captured and tokenized by an external PCI‑DSS Level 1 service provider. 4Square Systems holds only a tokenized reference and never receives, transmits, or stores raw card numbers.
A receipt is emailed to the address you used at checkout. The receipt identifies 4Square Systems as the merchant of record, shows the transaction amount, the statement descriptor, and a customer support contact.
Email Support@4Square.us or call 1-877-210-1090. Support hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM Eastern. Email responses within one business day.
Our support team is available to help with receipts, transaction questions, refunds, and security concerns.
