What Are Payment Links and Text-to-Pay?
Quick answer: A payment link is a secure URL that opens a hosted checkout page where a customer enters their card details. Text-to-pay sends that link by SMS; you can also send it by email or as a QR code. It lets any business collect card payments without a physical terminal or a full website checkout, and because the card data is entered on a PCI-compliant hosted page, it keeps sensitive data off your systems.
Payment links solve a simple problem: you need to get paid, but the customer is not standing in front of a card terminal and you do not have an online store. Instead of mailing an invoice and waiting, you send a link and get paid in minutes.
Businesses that switch from mailed invoices to payment links and text-to-pay typically get paid faster, because removing friction at the moment of intent is the single biggest driver of on-time payment.
The Four Ways to Deliver a Payment Request
| Method | Best for | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Text-to-pay (SMS) | Service businesses, field work, fast collection | Customer taps a texted link and pays on their phone |
| Email invoice link | B2B, professional services, larger invoices | Itemized invoice with an embedded pay button |
| QR code | In-person, signage, tables, curbside | Customer scans and pays from their own phone |
| Hosted payment page | One-off sales, deposits, donations | A reusable link or button you share anywhere |
When to Use Payment Links Instead of Other Tools
- No website or online store? Payment links give you online-style checkout without building one.
- **Field service (HVAC, contractors, mobile services)?** Text-to-pay collects on the spot or right after the job.
- **Professional services (law firms, agencies)?** Email an invoice link for retainers and milestone payments.
- Deposits and pre-orders? Send a link to lock in a deposit before you commit resources.
- Phone orders? Text a link instead of reading card numbers aloud, which is more secure and PCI-friendly than keying into a virtual terminal.
How It Compares to a Virtual Terminal
A virtual terminal is a web page where *you* key in the customer's card details (card-not-present). A payment link flips that: *the customer* enters their own card on a secure page. That difference matters for security and disputes.
Because the customer enters and often authenticates their own card on a payment link, you reduce your PCI scope and gain stronger evidence in a chargeback dispute. Use a virtual terminal when you must take a card over the phone in real time; use a payment link whenever the customer can complete payment themselves.
Security and PCI Considerations
Payment links are hosted by your processor on a PCI-compliant page, so raw card numbers never touch your phone, email, or computer. That dramatically reduces your PCI compliance burden. Best practices:
- Use links from a reputable processor, not ad-hoc tools.
- Set link expiration for one-time payments.
- Enable 3D Secure for card-not-present authentication where available.
- Use a recognizable billing descriptor so customers do not dispute a charge they do not recognize.
Recurring Payments and Card on File
Modern payment-link tools can also create subscriptions and store a tokenized card on file with customer authorization. That makes them useful for membership and recurring billing, retainer replenishment, and installment plans, without the customer re-entering their card each time.
What It Costs
Payment links use the same processing rate as your other card-not-present transactions. With interchange-plus pricing, that means the true card rate plus a small markup, with no separate "link fee" from a quality provider. Watch out for tools that bundle a high flat rate; check your real cost with how to read your merchant statement.
Getting Started
You can usually start sending payment links the same day your merchant account is active, no website required. Combine them with mobile card acceptance for in-person sales and you can collect payment in essentially any situation.
Contact Unison to enable payment links and text-to-pay, or explore our payment gateway.