LoveItKeepIt

Payment links: getting paid online without a shop

A gardener by a pickup truck and a homeowner on a porch each hold a phone after a lawn job.

LoveItKeepIt · · 5 min read

A payment link is a web address that opens a ready-made checkout page for one thing you sell, at a price you set. You make it in Stripe, PayPal or Square in a few minutes, then send it by text or email, print it as a QR code, or put it behind a button on your website. The customer pays by card or wallet on the provider's secure page, and the money lands in your account. You do not need a website, a shop or any software to start.

Think of it as a pay counter that lives at a web address. Behind the link sits a page run by the payment company that shows your business name, what is being paid for and the amount, and asks for card details. When the customer pays, you get an email or app notification, the customer gets a receipt, and the payment company sends the money to your bank on its usual payout schedule.

The same link can be used again and again. One link for "Spring lawn cleanup" can be texted to twenty customers; each one who pays shows up as a separate payment.

Most providers let you set the link up in one of three ways:

  • A fixed amount for a product or service: a gift card, a class seat, a package.
  • An amount the customer types in, for paying an invoice or a balance, or for donations.
  • A quantity, so someone can buy two tickets on one payment.

Making one in Stripe, PayPal or Square

The menus move around now and then, so the labels may differ slightly on your screen. If you already use one of these companies, start with that one.

Stripe

  1. Sign in to the Stripe Dashboard and open Payment Links.
  2. Click New, add a product with a name and price, or choose an existing one.
  3. Pick any options you need, such as collecting a phone number.
  4. Click Create link, then copy it. There is also a QR code option that downloads an image you can print.

PayPal

  1. Sign in to a PayPal Business account.
  2. In the menu, go to Pay & Get Paid, then Create Payment Links and Buttons.
  3. Enter what you are selling and the price, or let the customer set the amount.
  4. Copy the link, or the QR code PayPal offers. Customers can pay with a card without a PayPal account.

PayPal also has PayPal.Me, a personal link where the payer types any amount. It is handy between people who know each other, but a proper payment link shows the customer exactly what they are paying for, which saves questions later.

Square

  1. In the Square Dashboard, open the payments area and choose Payment links (Square has also called this Online Checkout).
  2. Click Create link and choose whether you are collecting a payment, selling an item, or selling an event or class.
  3. Add a title, a short description and the price, then save and share.

A payment link works anywhere a customer can tap a web address:

  • Text message. "Hi Linda, here is the link for Saturday's cake order. Thanks." Short, personal, and it arrives where people look.
  • Email. Put one sentence about what it is for above the link, so it does not look like spam.
  • A QR code on a printed flyer, the counter, a market stall sign or an invoice. Customers point their phone camera at it.
  • Social media posts or your Google Business Profile, for things anyone can buy, like gift cards.
  • Your website, behind a clear button. Adding a PayPal or Stripe button to your website shows how.

What it costs, in general terms

There is normally no charge to create a link. Instead, the payment company takes a small cut of each payment plus a few cents, and the money that reaches your bank is the payment minus that fee. Rates differ between providers, between card and wallet payments, and over time, so look at each provider's pricing page before you choose. For most small amounts the difference between the big three is small, and using the provider you already have is worth more than chasing the lowest rate.

Refunds are made from the same dashboard. Whether the original fee comes back to you on a refund depends on the provider, so check that too.

Payment links suit businesses that take money online for a few clear things:

  • a cleaner, dog groomer or tutor collecting payment after each visit,
  • a baker or florist taking payment for custom orders,
  • a studio selling class seats or punch cards,
  • a trade collecting a deposit, which taking deposits online before a job or booking covers in detail,
  • anyone selling gift cards.

When you need something else

  • Every job has a different price. Send an invoice instead, from your accounting software or the same payment company. An invoice carries the customer's name, the work and the due date, which a link does not.
  • Customers pick a time as they pay. A booking tool that takes payment at booking saves you matching the two later.
  • Many products, sizes and shipping. That is where a real store starts paying for itself. Taking payments on a website without an online store helps you see where the line is.

Keeping it tidy

  • Name each link clearly so you recognize it later in your list.
  • Turn off old links when a price changes, rather than leaving them working.
  • Use your business name on the payment account, so the charge is recognizable on a customer's card statement.
  • Turn on two-step sign-in on the account; it holds your money.
  • Never take card numbers by email, text or a contact form. The link exists so you never have to.
  • Ask your accountant how to record these payments and whether sales tax applies.

What to do this week

  • Pick the provider you already use, or the one your customers are likeliest to trust.
  • Make one link for your most common payment.
  • Pay it yourself, check the receipt, and refund it.
  • Send it to your next customer by text, with one line about what it is for.
  • Save the link somewhere you can find it on your phone.

If your website makes it awkward to add a simple Pay button, you can see your site rebuilt first with buttons that use your own Stripe, PayPal or Square link.

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