The internet goes down at 12:15 on a Saturday and the line is out the door. Whether your Clover keeps taking cards depends on a checkbox someone set months earlier. This page explains what offline mode does, how to enable it, what it costs you in risk, and the better first defense.
What offline mode is
When enabled, a Clover Flex or Mini that loses connectivity continues to accept card payments up to limits you set. Each transaction is encrypted and stored on the device. When the connection returns, the device submits the queue for authorization and settlement. The customer’s experience is normal; the merchant’s risk is not.
How to enable it
- Log in to the Clover web dashboard.
- Setup, then Payments, then Offline Payments.
- Enable offline payments.
- Set the per-transaction limit (for example $50 or $100) and any total offline limit offered.
- Confirm the setting has synced to each device.
It has to be done in advance. A device that is already offline cannot fetch the new setting.
What it cannot do
| Action | Offline |
|---|---|
| Accept a card payment under the limit | Yes, queued |
| Accept a card payment over the limit | Declined |
| Authorize the card with the bank | No, deferred until reconnect |
| Refund or void | No |
| Process gift card or loyalty | Generally no |
| Online orders | No, they never reach the device |
| Sync menu changes | No |
The risk you carry
An offline sale is a promise to submit the card later. If the card is declined when it is submitted (insufficient funds, cancelled, over limit, stolen), the sale fails and the goods are gone. Clover cannot verify what it could not reach. The per-transaction limit is your loss cap per sale. Set it at the ticket size you can afford to write off, not at your largest ticket.
Time matters too. Queued transactions are held for a limited window, commonly cited as up to 7 days, and expire if not submitted. Reconnect the same day; a phone hotspot or the device’s LTE will do it.
Which devices
| Device | Offline payments | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Flex | Yes | Also has LTE, so true outages are rare |
| Flex Pocket | Yes | Same |
| Mini | Yes | LTE optional; add it |
| Station Duo, Solo | Designed for continuous connection | Use Ethernet plus Wi-Fi plus LTE, and keep a Flex on cellular as the backup |
| Compact | Check configuration with dealer | LTE optional |
| Go | Depends on the phone’s connection | Phone hotspot is the fallback |
The better first defense: cellular
Offline mode is the last resort. The first is a second path to the internet. Flex and Mini have LTE radios; enable cellular data on them and a Wi-Fi outage does not become a payments outage. For a Station, connect Ethernet and Wi-Fi and keep a Flex on LTE at the counter. Most “Clover is down” days at merchants we support are Wi-Fi router days, and LTE ends them.
During an outage
- Confirm it is your connection and not Clover: the Clover status page and a phone check of another site.
- Switch devices to LTE or a hotspot if available.
- If neither, offline mode carries you under the limit. Note cash sales as usual.
- Hold refunds until reconnected.
- When back online, confirm the queue submitted and check for declines in the transactions report.
We configure all of this on install and check it on every support visit. The install checklist is on Clover setup and training.