Glossary · payments and processing
What is a payment link?
A payment link is a URL that opens a checkout for a specific amount. You send it to someone, they open it and pay. No integration, no website, and nothing for the payer to install.
Where a link beats an integration
A payment link is the right tool when there is no checkout to integrate with. Invoicing a client, taking a deposit, selling one item, collecting a donation, charging for something agreed over email.
It is the wrong tool for a catalogue. A shop with stock, variants and a basket needs the payment inside the flow, which is what a plugin or the API is for.
Worth separating two things that share the name. A payment link collects money from someone. A payout link sends money to someone whose wallet address you do not have. Same word, opposite direction.
What to check before you rely on one
Three things that decide whether a link is enough.
Links expire
A checkout holds a rate for a fixed window. A link you sent last week is not a price you still owe.
Frequently asked questions
Is a payment link the same as a payout link?
No, and the confusion is common. A payment link collects money from someone. A payout link sends money to someone. Opposite directions.
Do I need a website?
No. That is the main reason to use one.
Can I reuse the same link?
A button can take repeated payments. A link created for a specific amount and order is single-purpose by design, because otherwise the record would be ambiguous.
Is this a good SEO target for us?
Honestly, no. The generic term is 2,300 US searches a month and belongs to Stripe and Wise. This entry exists to define the term and separate it from payout links, not to compete for it.