01 · How it works, in 5 steps
How does a payment link work?
- 1
Create the link at your gateway
From the gateway's dashboard or API, create a link for the exact amount, with your order or invoice number as its reference and an expiry that matches the offer.
- 2
Choose how to send it
Inside an open conversation, reply with a CTA URL message or text. Otherwise send an approved utility template whose URL button takes the link's unique ID as its variable suffix.
- 3
Make the message self-explanatory
State what the payment is for, the amount, the deadline and who is being paid, so the customer trusts the link before tapping it.
- 4
Wait for the gateway's confirmation
The gateway calls your webhook, or updates its dashboard, when the payment is captured. Treat that — not a screenshot — as the only proof of payment.
- 5
Send the receipt and follow up once
Confirm on WhatsApp within a minute of payment and update the order. For unpaid links, one payment reminder before the expiry is usually enough.
02Try it
Hands-on: use the controls to work through it yourself.
Follow a payment link from chat to receipt
- Your system to Gateway: amount + reference
- Gateway to Your system: link URL
- Your system to WhatsApp: template + Pay button
- WhatsApp to Customer: delivered
- Customer to Hosted checkout: opens link
- Hosted checkout to Gateway webhook: pays
- Gateway webhook to Verify & mark paid: signed event
- Verify & mark paid to WhatsApp: receipt template
Hop 9 of 9
WhatsAppCustomerdelivered
Arrives at Customer — taps Pay now.
Hop 9 of 9: WhatsApp to Customer — delivered.
03What is a payment link?
A payment link is a web address that a payment gateway creates for one specific payment — an order, an invoice, a fee, a booking advance — and that opens a hosted checkout page. The customer taps it, chooses UPI, a card, netbanking or a wallet, and pays; the gateway then tells the business that the payment succeeded. Because it is an ordinary https link, it works in any WhatsApp message, on every device, with any gateway and in any country, which makes it the most widely compatible way to collect money from a chat.
On WhatsApp the link travels in one of three ways: as a dynamic URL button on a utility template (the usual choice for invoices, renewals and order confirmations, with the unique part of the link as the button's variable suffix); as the button of an interactive CTA URL message inside the customer service window; or as plain text in a reply. Each link carries an amount, a reference to the business's order or invoice and, ideally, an expiry time.
A payment link is different from an order details message, which shows an itemised bill natively in WhatsApp and is paid without leaving the chat, but only in India and only after a payment configuration is set up. The link trades that native feel for simplicity: no special configuration, any gateway, any market. Either way, the payment is confirmed by the gateway's webhook or dashboard — not by the customer saying they have paid.
Key takeaways
- A payment link is a gateway-hosted checkout URL for one specific payment, sent in a WhatsApp message or button.
- It works with any gateway, on any device and in any country, which makes it the most widely compatible way to collect payment in chat.
- Outside the 24-hour window, send it in an approved utility template whose URL button takes the link ID as its variable.
- Confirm payment from the gateway's webhook or dashboard, never from a customer's screenshot.
- Give every link an expiry and one order or invoice reference, so each payment matches one customer.
04Example: A Kochi design studio takes a booking advance
A Kochi interior-design studio quotes a client on WhatsApp for a site visit and design advance. The coordinator creates a gateway payment link with the quote number as its reference and a 48-hour expiry, and sends it in a utility template — advance for design consultation, the quote number, payable by Thursday 6 pm — with a Pay now button. The client pays by UPI from the button; the gateway marks the link paid, the studio's dashboard shows the quote as confirmed, and the coordinator replies with a receipt and the visit slot. Another client's link nears expiry unpaid; one reminder the day before brings that payment in.
05 · Mistakes to avoid
Common mistakes with a payment link
Links that never expire
An open-ended link can be paid weeks later for stock or a slot you no longer hold. Set an expiry that matches the offer and create a fresh link if the customer comes back.
Promotional framing
A payment link inside a sale announcement is a marketing message, charged at the marketing rate. Invoices, dues and order payments belong in utility templates with no offers attached.
Accepting screenshots as proof
Screenshots can be edited or show a failed attempt. Check the gateway's status before confirming the order or releasing goods.
Suspicious-looking URLs
Long unbranded links and URL shorteners look like phishing. Use the gateway's or your own domain, and say in the message exactly what the payment is for.
One link for many customers
A shared link cannot tell you who paid. Create one link per order or invoice, with your reference attached, so every payment matches a customer.
06 · Pro tips
Best practices for a payment link
- Put the amount and the reason in the message body, not only behind the button.
- Use the URL button's variable suffix for the link ID so one template serves every payment.
- Send the receipt on WhatsApp within a minute of payment — it prevents "did it go through?" messages.
- Train support to check the gateway's status, not the chat, when a customer says they have paid.
- In cart recovery messages, a fresh link for the exact cart total removes the steps back to checkout.
07 · Key facts
A payment link: key facts and limits
- Format
- https link to a gateway-hosted checkout page
- Payment methods
- UPI, cards, netbanking, wallets (gateway-dependent)
- Template button
- URL button; one variable, at the end of the URL
- URL button limits
- Up to 2 per template; URL up to 2,000 characters
- Template category
- Utility for invoices, orders and dues
- SMS fallback (India)
- DLT URL whitelisting required since 1 October 2024
- Proof of payment
- Gateway webhook or dashboard, never a screenshot
08 · Why it matters
Why does a payment link matter?
For most small and mid-sized businesses, a payment link is the fastest way to turn a WhatsApp conversation into money: a quote, a link, a payment and a receipt, all in one thread. Teams can start from the gateway's dashboard without writing code and automate later. Getting the details right — the correct template category, a link that expires, confirmation from the gateway rather than a screenshot — is what keeps it reliable at scale.
09Payment Link FAQs
Can I send a payment link without a template?+
Is a payment link safe for customers?+
Should I use a payment link or an order details message?+
How is a message with a payment link charged?+
* Per-message rates for India, ex-GST: marketing, utility and authentication effective 1 July 2026; service messages ₹0.145 since 1 October 2026 (they were ₹0 until 30 September 2026). Volume commitments earn discounts — final rate is confirmed on your account; applicable GST extra. Rates for other countries differ (see the international rate table on /pricing).