Payment Links · Guide
Getting paid with a link: a practical guide
A payment link is a web address that opens a secure payment page for one amount and one purpose. You send it by message or email; the customer taps it, picks how to pay, and you're told when it's paid. No website, no checkout build, no bank details to read out over the phone. This guide covers how links are created and shared, what the customer sees, how a link's status and expiry work, what to do when a payment goes wrong, and how every link is reconciled.
Payment link lifecycle
An invoice for ₹4,500, from link to paid
- CreatedAmount, description and invoice reference INV-2041
- SharedSent by message or email to the customer
- OpenedThe customer taps it and sees the payment page
- PayingThey choose a method and approve the payment
- PaidThe link closes; you're told, and it matches the invoice
- Expired: not paid within its validity, where expiry is set. It can't be paid any more.
- Cancelled: withdrawn by you, e.g. the invoice changed. Send one new link, not two.
Chapter 01
What a payment link is
A payment link turns a payment request into something the customer can simply tap. Behind the link is a hosted payment page with the amount, what it's for, and your business name. The customer pays on that page with UPI, a card or netbanking, whichever are enabled for you, and the payment is tied back to the link and to your own reference.
Links sit between two older ways of getting paid remotely: reading out bank details and waiting for a transfer, and building a checkout on a website. They are quicker than the first and need far less than the second.
| Compared on | Payment link | Bank transfer request | Website checkout | UPI QR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you need | A way to create and send links | Your bank details | A website or app with a checkout | A QR on a screen or paper |
| How the customer pays | Taps the link, picks a method | Types your details into their bank | Pays inside your site | Scans with a UPI app |
| Matching to the invoice | Automatic, by your reference | By hand, from the bank statement | Automatic, by order | Automatic with a dynamic QR |
| Best for | Invoices, remote and one-off requests | Rare, large transfers | Online stores and apps | Counters and in-person payments |
Chapter 02
When a link is the right tool
Links shine whenever the customer isn't on your website and isn't standing in front of you: a phone order, an invoice, a sale that closed in a chat. They are the wrong tool for high-volume online selling, where every customer would need a link of their own.
You invoice clients for work already done
A link per invoice, carrying the invoice number
A customer ordered by phone or in a chat
A link sent into the same conversation
You sell online to many customers a day
Customers pay in person at a counter
You want one reusable page for a fixed product or donation
Chapter 03
Anatomy of a link
A link is only as good as what it carries. These are the parts that decide whether the customer pays quickly and whether you can match the payment later.
| Part | What it's for | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | What the customer will pay | Fixed amounts are simplest; whether customers can pay part of it depends on your setup |
| Description | What the payment is for | Use words the customer recognises: the invoice or service, not an internal code |
| Your reference | Ties the payment to your invoice or order | Use the invoice number; it's what makes reconciliation automatic |
| Customer details | Who the link is for | Include them where you'll send receipts or reminders |
| Expiry | When the link stops accepting payment, where expiry is set | Long enough to pay, short enough that old links don't get paid by mistake |
| Payment methods | How the customer can pay | The methods enabled for your account are offered on the page |
Chapter 04
Creating links
There are three ways to create links, and many businesses use more than one: a dashboard for one-offs, a bulk upload for a batch of invoices, and an API when your billing or order system should create links on its own.
| Method | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Dashboard, one at a time | Occasional invoices, phone orders | Typing mistakes in the amount or reference |
| Bulk upload | A month's invoices, a fee run, a list of members | Check the file before uploading: every row becomes a live link |
| From your own system (API) | Links created automatically from invoices or orders | Create one link per invoice and never a second for the same one |
Chapter 06
The customer's journey
For the customer, a link should feel like a short, familiar checkout. What they check along the way is also what protects them from look-alike links, so make those details easy to recognise.
| Step | What happens | What the customer should see |
|---|---|---|
| Open | Taps the link | A secure payment page with your business name |
| Check | Reads the description and amount | The invoice or order they expect, for the amount they expect |
| Choose | Picks UPI, card or netbanking | Only the methods enabled for your account |
| Approve | Approves in their UPI app or with their card or bank | Their own bank's or app's approval step |
| Done | Sees a confirmation with a reference | A receipt they can keep |
Chapter 07
Link and payment statuses
Two things have a status: the link and each payment attempt made on it. A customer can try, fail, and try again on the same link; the link stays open until one attempt succeeds, it expires, or you cancel it.
Mark an invoice paid only when the link is paid on your side. A customer's screenshot can be of an attempt that is still pending, or failed.
- created
The link exists and can be shared.
- shared / opened
Sent to the customer, and opened where opening is tracked.
- paid
A payment on the link succeeded. The link closes.
- expired ← from shared / opened
Not paid within its validity, where expiry is set. It can't be paid any more.
- cancelled ← from created
Withdrawn by you before it was paid.
- attempt failed ← from shared / opened
One payment attempt failed. The link stays open for another try.
Chapter 08
Expiry and reminders
Where your setup includes it, a link can expire. Expiry stops an old request, for an amount that may since have changed, from being paid by mistake months later. Choose a validity that matches how long your customers normally take to pay: a day for a same-day order, a couple of weeks for a business invoice.
Reminders, automatic or manual, recover more unpaid links than anything else. Remind with the same link. A new link for the same invoice creates a second way to pay it, and some customers will use both.
A payment approved just before expiry
Chapter 09
When a link payment goes wrong
Most problems with links are about timing and duplicates, not the payment itself. These are the common ones and who needs to act.
| What happened | Usual cause | On whose side | Retry on another route? | What to tell the customer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payment attempt failed | Wrong PIN, insufficient funds, a declined card | Customer | Same link | Try again, or with another method |
| Payment pending | The bank hasn't confirmed yet | The bank | No: wait | Don't pay again; it completes or is reversed |
| Link expired before payment | Validity too short, or the customer was late | You | New link | Send one new link and say the old one is closed |
| Paid twice | Two links were sent for the same invoice | You | Refund one | Refund the extra payment promptly |
| Wrong amount | A typo when the link was created | You | Cancel and resend | Cancel it before it's paid, then send the correct one |
| Link sent to the wrong person | A mix-up in the contact | You | Cancel | Cancel it; if it was paid, refund it |
If a failed attempt debited the customer, the money comes back automatically as a reversal under RBI's turnaround-time framework (e.g. within T+5 for a UPI payment to a merchant). Don't refund it as well.
Chapter 10
Refunds on link payments
A payment made through a link is an ordinary payment once it succeeds. It can be refunded in full or in part, back to the method the customer used, through the provider that processed it. The link reference stays attached, so the refund can be traced to the invoice. See refunds, reversals and chargebacks.
Chapter 11
Reconciling link payments
The reference on each link is what makes reconciliation automatic: every payment comes back carrying the invoice or order number it was for. Link payments then settle with your other online payments, on your settlement cycle.
| Match | On what | What a mismatch means |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice ↔ link | Your reference on the link | An invoice without a link, or two links for one invoice |
| Link ↔ payment | The link's ID and status | A link marked paid with no payment, or the reverse |
| Payment ↔ settlement | The payment reference | A payment not yet settled, or settled short |
How matching works across providers: reconciliation.
Chapter 12
Security and trust
Payment links are safe; fake links are the risk. Fraudsters copy the look of a payment request to send people to their own pages. The best defence is a customer who knows exactly what your genuine link looks like.
| Habit | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Tell customers to expect the link, for how much, and from where | An unexpected request is the clearest warning sign |
| Use your real business name on the payment page and in messages | Customers recognise it and can spot imitations |
| Never ask customers for a PIN or OTP to receive money or a refund | Genuine payment pages never need one to pay you back |
| Don't post payment links publicly | Anyone could pay, or copy the look of your link |
| Keep links short-lived where you can | Fewer old links in circulation for anyone to misuse |
Chapter 13
Running links day to day
Once links are part of how you get paid, a short routine keeps the list of unpaid links honest.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Every day | Review links paid since yesterday and mark their invoices paid from the link status |
| Every few days | Follow up unpaid links with the same link, where reminders aren't automatic |
| When an invoice changes | Cancel the old link before sending a new one |
| Every month | Age the unpaid links, close the ones that won't be paid, and reconcile link payments against settlement |
Chapter 14
Implementation considerations
When links are created from your own system, a few rules keep them clean:
- Create one link per invoice or order, carrying its number as your reference, and store the link's ID against it.
- Before creating a link, check whether the invoice already has an open one; send that instead.
- Mark invoices paid from the link's confirmed status, fetched after any status notification, not from the notification alone.
- Cancel a link when its invoice is cancelled or changed.
- Handle pending payments near expiry explicitly: keep the invoice open until the final status arrives.
For developers
Illustrative pseudo-code: the flow, not Peneu's API. Field and event names are confirmed in the API reference.
link = find_open_link(invoice = "INV-2041") or
create_payment_link(amount = 4500_00, description = "Website design",
reference = "INV-2041", expires_in = "14 days")
send(link.url, to = customer)
on status_update(notice):
status = get_link(notice.link_id).status # confirm before acting
if status == paid: mark_invoice_paid("INV-2041")
if status == expired: decide(new_link_or_close_invoice)Chapter 15
Payment links by business type
Where links usually fit, and what to get right in each case.
Freelancers and agencies billing clients
A link per invoice or milestone, with a validity that matches your payment terms
Tutors, clinics and classes
Links for session or course fees, instead of chasing transfers and screenshots
Sellers who close sales in chats
Send the link in the same conversation, with the order in the description
B2B invoicing
Links created from your invoicing system, reconciled by invoice number
Event and booking deposits
Short-lived links, so unpaid bookings release their slot
Travel and hospitality bookings
FAQ
Payment link questions
What is a payment link?
A web address that opens a payment page for a specific amount and purpose. You send it by message or email, and the customer pays on that page with a method of their choice.
Do I need a website to use payment links?
No. The payment page is hosted for you. You only need a way to create the link and a way to send it to your customer.
How is a payment link different from a UPI QR?
A link works anywhere the customer can tap it, and can offer several payment methods. A QR is scanned from a screen or paper, usually at a counter, and is paid by UPI.
Which payment methods can customers use on a link?
The methods enabled for your account, such as UPI, cards, netbanking and wallets. The customer picks one on the payment page.
Can a payment link expire?
Links can have an expiry where your setup includes it, so an old request can't be paid by mistake months later. Choose a validity that fits how long customers normally take to pay.
What happens if the customer pays just as the link expires?
A payment the customer approved before expiry can still complete. Wait for its final status before cancelling the invoice or sending a new link.
Can I send a reminder for an unpaid link?
Where reminders are part of your setup, unpaid links can be followed up automatically. Otherwise, resend the same link rather than creating a new one, so the customer can't pay twice.
How do I know a link has been paid?
The link's status changes to paid on your side: in the dashboard, in reports, or through a status update to your own system. Don't rely on a customer's screenshot.
Can I refund a payment made through a link?
Yes. A link payment is refunded like any other payment, in full or in part, back to the method the customer used.
How much does a link payment cost?
The fee depends on the payment method the customer chooses, the same way as for an online checkout. Peneu pricing is quoted per business.
How can my customers tell a payment link is genuine?
Tell them what to expect before you send it: the amount, your business name as it will appear, and where the link will come from. A genuine payment page never asks for a PIN or OTP to receive money.
When does the money from a link payment reach my bank?
Link payments settle with your other online payments, on your settlement cycle, commonly one or two banking days depending on the method, provider and agreement.
How it works underneath
- Intelligent RoutingBest provider for every transactionView details
- Reconciliation & ReportingMatch payments & settlements across providersView details
- Unified WebhooksOne normalised event streamView details
- One IntegrationConnect once, reach every providerView details
Related products
Sources
- RBI — Harmonisation of turnaround time and customer compensation for failed transactions (RBI/2019-20/67, 20 Sep 2019)Failed payments that debited the customer are auto-reversed; e.g. a UPI payment to a merchant within T+5.
Last reviewed . Examples, rates and traces marked illustrative are not Peneu figures.
Start with your next invoice
Tell us what you bill for and how customers pay you today. We'll show you what a link-based setup would look like.