GoHighLevel is one of the most popular CRM and marketing automation platforms for agencies, local businesses, and SaaS companies. But GHL is not a payment processor — it needs one to handle actual transactions.
If you want to accept payments, send invoices, manage subscriptions, and automate billing workflows inside GoHighLevel, you need to connect a payment processor. This guide explains how to set up GoHighLevel payment processing with Unison and why agencies and businesses are choosing this setup over Stripe.
Why GoHighLevel Needs a Payment Processor
GoHighLevel handles CRM, funnels, email/SMS marketing, pipeline management, and automation. What it does not do is process payments. When a customer clicks "pay" on a GHL funnel or invoice, that transaction needs to be routed through a payment processor.
Without a processor connected, you cannot:
- Accept credit card or debit card payments
- Process ACH/eCheck payments
- Set up recurring billing or subscriptions
- Send invoices with online payment links
- Track transaction data inside contact records
GoHighLevel supports integration with payment processors through API connections. Unison's GoHighLevel integration is built specifically for this purpose.
How GoHighLevel Payment Processing Works With Unison
Step 1: Connect Unison to GoHighLevel
Unison connects to your GHL account through API integration. Our team handles the setup — you do not need a developer. The connection enables bidirectional data flow between your payment processing and CRM.
Step 2: Configure payment acceptance
Once connected, you can accept payments through:
- GHL Funnels — add payment forms to your sales funnels for one-time or recurring charges
- Invoices — generate and send invoices from GHL with online payment links
- Payment Links — create shareable payment links for any amount
- Order Forms — embed payment forms on landing pages
Step 3: Payment data syncs automatically
Every transaction processed through Unison creates or updates the contact record in GoHighLevel:
- Payment amount, date, and method
- Transaction status (completed, pending, failed, refunded)
- Subscription status and billing cycle
- Lifetime value calculation
Step 4: Automate workflows from payment events
Payment events trigger GHL automations:
- Payment received — send confirmation email, move contact through pipeline, create fulfillment task
- Payment failed — trigger dunning sequence, send SMS reminder, alert team
- Subscription renewed — update contact tags, trigger thank-you message
- Refund processed — update records, notify support team, adjust reporting
What Payment Methods Can You Accept Inside GoHighLevel?
With Unison connected to GoHighLevel, you can accept:
- Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover — credit and debit cards
- ACH / eCheck — bank transfers for lower processing fees
- Recurring billing — automated subscription charges
- One-time payments — through funnels, invoices, or payment links
All payment methods are PCI DSS compliant. Sensitive card data is tokenized — your GoHighLevel account stores transaction references, not raw card numbers.
GoHighLevel Payment Processing: Unison vs. Stripe
Many GHL users start with Stripe because it is easy to connect. But agencies and businesses processing meaningful volume quickly outgrow Stripe's pricing model.
Pricing comparison
- Stripe — flat-rate pricing at 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. Simple, but expensive at scale.
- Unison — interchange-plus pricing where you pay the actual interchange rate plus a small markup. Typically saves 15-30% compared to flat-rate at volumes above $10,000/month.
Feature comparison
- Dedicated merchant account — Unison provides a dedicated account. Stripe uses aggregated accounts where you share a merchant ID with other businesses.
- Account stability — Unison does not freeze or terminate accounts without warning. Stripe is known for sudden holds and account closures, especially for businesses in gray-area categories.
- High-risk support — Unison works with high-risk merchant accounts including supplements, CBD, firearms, and other categories that Stripe does not support.
- Chargeback protection — Unison includes chargeback prevention and management tools. Stripe offers basic dispute handling only.
- Personal account manager — every Unison merchant gets a dedicated account manager. Stripe support is ticket-based.
When to choose Unison over Stripe for GoHighLevel
- You process more than $10,000/month and want lower per-transaction costs
- You need a dedicated merchant account for stability
- Your business is in a category Stripe restricts or does not support
- You want proactive chargeback prevention
- You value direct human support over ticket queues
For a detailed side-by-side comparison, see our full GoHighLevel vs Stripe payment processing breakdown.
GoHighLevel Payment Processing for Agencies
If you run a GHL agency managing multiple client accounts, Unison's integration supports multi-account setups:
- Each client sub-account gets its own payment configuration
- Separate reporting per client — track volume, approvals, refunds, and chargebacks by sub-account
- Centralized management — oversee all client payment operations from your agency dashboard
- White-label ready — your clients see their brand, not Unison's
This eliminates the operational headache of juggling separate payment processors for each client. Everything lives inside GoHighLevel.
Common GoHighLevel Payment Use Cases
Agencies and consultancies
- Collect retainer payments through GHL invoices
- Automate recurring billing for monthly services
- Track client lifetime value inside CRM records
Local service businesses
- Accept payments through booking funnels
- Send payment links via SMS after appointments
- Automate receipt and follow-up sequences
Course creators and coaches
- Sell digital products through GHL funnels
- Manage membership subscription billing
- Trigger onboarding automations when payment is received
SaaS companies using GHL
- Process subscription payments through GHL
- Handle upgrade/downgrade billing changes
- Automate dunning for failed payments
How to Get Started With GoHighLevel Payment Processing
Getting started takes three steps:
1. **Contact Unison — tell us you are using GoHighLevel and what you need (credit cards, ACH, recurring billing, etc.) 2. We set up the integration — our team connects Unison to your GHL account, configures field mapping, and tests payment flows 3. Start accepting payments** — once live, payments process through Unison and data syncs to GHL automatically
Most integrations go live within a few days.
Related Resources
- GoHighLevel Payment Processing Integration Details
- GoHighLevel vs Stripe: Full Comparison
- CRM for Merchant Payment Management: ISO & Agent Guide
- CRM Integration Service Overview
- CRM Payment Processing Guide
- All Payment Processing Integrations
- What Features to Look for in a CRM for Payment Management
- How CRM Payment Gateway Integration Works