At a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Also called | Pay link, payment request link, invoice payment link |
| French term | Lien de paiement |
| Where it sits in the payment flow | At the start of the sale, where the customer pays. The sale then runs through a gateway and your processor |
| Who controls it | The provider whose tool creates it. You choose the amount and who receives it |
| Does it cost the merchant | Yes. It carries the same card costs as any online sale. Some tools add their own fees |
How it works
A payment link turns a request for money into a page the customer can use on a phone. There is no card reader and no trip to your counter. Links suit deposits, invoices and orders taken by message. A terminal is faster for a customer standing at your counter.
- You create the link in your payment tool, for an amount or for an invoice.
- You send it to the customer.
- The customer opens it, enters their card details and pays.
- The sale runs through the gateway and the processor like any online sale. Your tool saves a reference so you can match it to the invoice.
A Canadian example
A caterer in Laval asks for a $500 deposit. She emails a payment link, and the customer pays with a Visa Classic card. Visa's published interchange for a Classic card not present is 1.40%, so $7.00. For a business under Visa's small-merchant threshold, the published rate is 1.30%, or $6.50. Network fees and your processor's charges come on top. Over 100 deposits of $500, the gap between the two rates is $50, which is $700 against $650. An example only, not a quote.
What is different in Canada and Québec
- A link sale is card-not-present, because the card and the cardholder are not at your location. Visa's rate for a Classic card is 1.40%, against 1.25% when the card is present.
- Visa has a small-merchant rate for these sales. It is set to fall from 1.30% to 1.20% on 24 October 2026. See our interchange rates guide.
- Québec bans charging consumers extra to pay by card. The link must show the same price as any other way to pay. See our surcharging guide.
- If you sell to Québec customers, send the message and offer the payment page in French.
What it costs and where it shows on your statement
A link sale costs what any card-not-present sale costs. On interchange-plus pricing, you see the interchange line for it. On flat pricing, it sits inside one blended rate, which may be higher for online sales. Some payment tools also charge a monthly fee or a fee per link. Ask for those as separate lines in your quote. To compare tools, add the card rate, the gateway fee and any per-link or monthly fee.
Where CleverPays fits in this step
The link tool belongs to the provider that makes it. The card network, the issuer and your processor handle the sale itself. CleverPays does not approve or decline cards and does not set interchange or network fees. CleverPays is operated by Groupe Heo Inc., an Agent of Fiserv Canada Ltd.
We can help you choose a gateway or payment tool that offers links, and set it up. We can read a recent statement with you and show the effective rate and each fee line. We will walk you through how invoice payments fit your billing, in English or French.
Common mistakes
- Sending a link without telling the customer to expect it. Say when it is coming and from which number or address.
- Not putting an invoice or order number in the reference. Matching payments by hand takes longer.
- Pricing a deposit as if it cost the same as a tap in store. Card-not-present sales cost more.
Related terms
- E-invoicing: sending an invoice with a way to pay it online.
- Virtual terminal: a browser screen where your staff key in a card.
- Payment gateway: the service that carries the sale to your processor.
- Card-not-present: a sale where the card is not at your location.
- Chargeback: a sale the customer disputes with their bank.
- Payment processor: the company that handles the sale with the networks.
Common questions
How is a payment link different from a virtual terminal?
With a link, the customer enters their own card details. With a virtual terminal, your staff enter them. A link suits invoices and deposits. A virtual terminal suits phone orders.
Is a payment link safe?
The customer types their details on the payment page, not to you. As with any online sale, ask your provider how card details are handled and who protects them.
Can I add a card fee to a payment link?
Not to Québec consumers. Elsewhere in Canada, credit card surcharging is allowed within the networks' rules. See our surcharging guide.
Sources
- Visa Canada, interchange reimbursement fees, read 6 October 2026, for the card-not-present definition and the 1.40%, 1.25% and 1.30% rates.
- Visa Canada, upcoming changes to interchange rates, as recorded in our interchange guide, read 24 September 2026, for the 1.20% rate from 24 October 2026.
- Office de la protection du consommateur, frais interdits, as cited in our surcharging guide, read 24 September 2026.
