How to Accept Payments Without a Website Using Payment Links

As a business, you don’t need a website to start accepting online payments. Irrespective of how you sell products through social media, provide consulting services, run a subscription business, or manage an international company, payment links offer a simple way to collect money digitally.

You don’t need to direct customers to an online store but can share a payment link through WhatsApp, email, SMS, social media, or an invoice. Customers open the link, access a checkout page, select an available payment method, and complete the transaction.

Businesses without a website planning to accept payments can use the payment link approach to reduce the need for technical development and easily collect payments through the channels customers already use.

However, for a seamless payment experience, businesses need to choose the right payment link solutions. You also need to consider payment methods, transaction security, processing fees, international payment support, and how you will track incoming payments.

In this post, we will discuss how to accept payments without a website using payment links, who can benefit from them, and how to choose a solution that supports your business as it grows.

What Are Payment Links?

“These are shareable URLs that direct customers to an online checkout page where they can pay for products or services using payment links. A payment provider generates the link, allowing businesses to request and collect payments without building a website or developing a custom checkout system.

Based on the payment provider, businesses may be able to create links for fixed amounts, specific invoices, deposits, recurring charges, or other payment scenarios. These payment links can also support different business workflows, including:

• Product sales

• Service bookings

• Invoice collection

• Subscription payments

• International sales

• Outstanding payments

Steps to Accept Payments Without a Website Using Payment Links

Businesses without a website can accept online payments using payment links. Choose the right payment provider, set up your account, generate a payment link, and share it with customers. Here’s how the overall process works:

Step 1: Choose a Payment Provider

For businesses planning to accept payments without a website using payment links need to select a payment provider that support payment links and suits your business model. Different providers offer different payment methods, currencies, security features, reporting tools, and pricing structures. Some focus on small businesses collecting local payments, while others support international merchants with more complex payment requirements.  

Here’s what you need to consider before choosing a payment provider:

• Which countries you sell to and receive payments from.

• Whether you need card payments, digital wallets, bank transfers, or local payment methods.

• Whether you need to collect one-time or recurring payments.

• Whether the provider supports your industry and business model.

• How transaction fees, settlement times, and refund policies work.

• Whether you need branded checkout pages or payment tracking.

For businesses involved in serving international customers, look for a solution that supports relevant currencies and payment preferences across markets. Learn more about payment gateways for international transactions.

Step 2: Set Up Your Merchant Account

After selecting the payment provider, it is time to move forward and finalize our merchant onboarding and account setup. For the account setup, you will be required to provide your business registration information, identification, product or service description, transaction volume, and many other things.

The company could also conduct business verification and risk assessments before allowing payment processing, supported by appropriate fraud prevention and risk management measures. Be precise with your description of your company and transactions you want to process. Do remember that the approvals are not automatic and there may be further requirements for certain industries or transaction types.

After your account is approved and the payment functionality is activated, you can begin creating payment links.

Step 3: Create a Payment Link

Navigate to your provider's payment dashboard or leverage the payment gateway integration provided by the payment provider to create a payment link. Generally, this process includes adding the amount to pay, describing the product or service being purchased, and configuring the payment request. Other features that you can configure according to the payment provider include customer details, currency selection, and expiry date.

Step 4: Share the Payment Link

Now that you have set up the payment link, the next thing is to send the same through the best communication channel that suits your customers. The popular communication channels are:

• WhatsApp and messaging apps

• Email

• SMS

• Social media

• QR codes

For instance, a small business that sells handcrafted items on Instagram is able to confirm the order via direct messaging and then send a payment link to the customer. In this case, the business receives payments without the need for an online store.

Step 5: Let Customers Complete the Payment

As soon as the customer clicks on the payment link, the user will be redirected to the payment portal that will present the checkout page for the particular payment system. In accordance with the setup, the customer will be able to check the payment amount, fill in all the necessary data and select the payment option.

A successful payment should generate a confirmation through the provider’s checkout page, dashboard, notification, or integration.

Which Businesses Can Accept Payments Without a Website?

Any business can use payment links to accept payments without a website. However, the best setup depends on the payment provider’s terms and the business’s requirements. Let’s see some common business types that can accept payment without a website using payment links.

1. Freelancers and Consultants

Freelancers can send payment links after clients approve a quotation or complete a project milestone. Consultants can use them to collect fees for sessions, retainers, or professional services. Using this approach, they can simplify collections without requiring a dedicated website or online booking system.

2. Social Commerce Businesses

Businesses selling through Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and other social channels can use payment links to collect money after confirming orders. Businesses expanding into online stores can also explore e-commerce payment solutions. This is particularly useful when products are sold through conversations rather than through a traditional e-commerce catalogue.

3. Restaurants and Food Businesses

Restaurants, caterers, and home-based food businesses may use payment links to collect advance payments, event deposits, or payments for confirmed orders. The payment solution should support the relevant payment methods and any additional operational requirements.

4. Subscription and Membership Businesses

Some businesses collect recurring fees for memberships, digital services, or ongoing professional support. Payment links may help initiate a payment or collect an initial subscription charge.

However, automated recurring billing requires appropriate subscription functionality and customer authorisation. A one-time payment link does not automatically create a recurring payment arrangement. That’s why it’s best to confirm these capabilities before choosing a provider.

5. B2B and International Businesses

Companies selling services or products to other businesses may use payment links for invoices, deposits, and specific payment requests. International businesses may also need multi-currency support, multiple payment providers, and reporting across different markets. For them, payment links can be one component of a wider payment infrastructure rather than a complete payment management solution.

How PayFirmly Helps Businesses Manage Payment Operations

Payment links make it easy for businesses to collect money without a website. However, businesses operating internationally may require more flexibility than a single payment provider can offer, making a payment orchestration platform useful for managing multiple payment providers.

PayFirmly provides a global payment orchestration platform that connects businesses with more than 500 payment methods. Its capabilities include intelligent payment routing, fraud prevention, multi-currency support, and omnichannel payment acceptance.

Additionally, for businesses that manage payments across multiple providers, channels, and markets, we help consolidate integrations and provide greater control over transaction flows.

As your business grows, you can assess whether your payment setup needs additional capabilities such as intelligent routing, expanded payment method coverage, and more centralised transaction management.

Conclusion

Payment links make it easier for businesses to accept payments without a website. Businesses can share these payment links through WhatsApp, email, social media, or invoices to collect payments without investing in a traditional online store. Choose the right payment provider based on your payment needs, and you can also simplify payment tracking, support multiple payment methods, and serve customers across different markets.

As your business grows, choosing a flexible payment solution becomes increasingly important. Our team helps businesses simplify payment collection with payment links and a global payment orchestration platform designed to support multiple payment methods, currencies, and payment providers.

Looking to simplify payment collection and build a more flexible payment setup? Get in touch with PayFirmly to explore payment solutions aligned with your business model and growth plans.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can I accept payments without a website?

You may receive payments without having to use a website as you will receive payments via the payment link from the appropriate payment processor. All that needs to be done is setting up and confirming your merchant account and creating a payment link which you can send to customers via email, WhatsApp, SMS, social media, or invoice.

2. Can I accept online payments without a website for free?

While some providers might create payment links free of charge, there could be transaction charges, subscription fees, currency exchange rates, or other types of charges. You should compare the total cost involved when selecting the right service for your business and ensure that you meet their requirements.

3. Where can I share payment links with customers?

Payment links can be shared via WhatsApp, email, SMS, social media messages, online invoices, or even QR codes where applicable. You should simply use the channel your customers use and provide a detailed description of your payment request.

4. Are payment links suitable for international businesses?

Yes. Payment links may be used for collecting payments internationally if the service supports your business as well as the respective countries, currencies, and methods of payment. Check cross-border fees, settlement process, security measures, and other relevant aspects before processing international transactions.

5. How can businesses manage payment links at scale?

Transaction dashboards, payment notification services, report services, link services, and API integrations are just some of the payment solutions that companies can utilise. In cases when companies have dealings with many different payment gateways, payment orchestration services could be used as well.

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