Take payments with payment links

The Buy & pay section shows up to nine items as cards, each with a name, price, description, optional photo and a button. The button opens a secure checkout page run by Stripe or Square. They take the payment and email the receipt. Card details never touch your site, and you don't need any code or API key.

It works well for gift cards, deposits, class fees and a few simple products.

What you need first

• A Stripe or Square account that is set up to accept payments, with your bank account connected.
• One payment link for each item you want to sell.

Create a payment link

Stripe

1. Sign in to your Stripe Dashboard and open Payment Links.
2. Click New (or Create payment link).
3. Choose an existing product or add a new one with its name and price.
4. Optional: in the options, set what happens after payment. You can show Stripe's confirmation page or send customers back to a page on your site.
5. Click Create link, then copy it. It starts with https://buy.stripe.com/.

Square

1. Sign in to your Square Dashboard and open Online, then Online checkout.
2. Create a new payment link. Choose a fixed item price, or let the customer enter an amount (handy for gift cards).
3. Save it and copy the link. It usually starts with https://square.link/.

Make one link per item. Name them clearly so you can tell them apart later.

Donations

For donations, use your fundraising service's donation page. Zeffy is free for nonprofits; Givebutter, Stripe and Square also work.

1. Create a donation form or page in your service and copy its link. With Zeffy it looks like https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/….
2. In the editor, click Pages, then New page, and pick the Donate template. It has giving amounts, questions about giving and a closing message.
3. Paste the same link into each amount's Payment link, or a separate link per amount if your service supports that.
4. Replace "Say what $25 makes possible" and the other sample text with what each gift does, and answer the questions about tax deductions and other ways to give. The site check won't let the page go live until you do.

Paste the link to your own donation page, not the service's home page. The site check warns you if you paste zeffy.com or givebutter.com by itself.

Add the section

• From Integrations: click Integrations in the sidebar. On the Buy & pay card, click Add to a page. Choose the page under Which page? and click Add and edit.
• From a page: open Pages, choose a page, and on the Content tab click Add a section. Pick Buy & pay.

The section is added near the bottom of the page. Use the up and down arrows to move it.

Fill in the fields

1. Heading and Intro: for example, "Gift certificates & deposits."
2. Under Items, open the sample item, or click Add item for a new one.
3. Name, Price and Description: what the customer is buying.
4. Photo: optional. Add Describe this photo if you use one.
5. Payment link: type the Button text (like "Buy a gift card"). Under Goes to, choose Another website…. A box appears with https:// already in it. Select everything in the box and paste your payment link over it.
6. Fine print: a short note under the cards, like "Secure checkout. You'll get a receipt by email."

The Price you type here is only a label. The amount charged is the one set in Stripe or Square, so keep the two the same. If you change a price, update it in both places.

Check it in the preview

The preview shows your cards and buttons as visitors will see them. Buttons don't open checkout inside the preview. Test them on your live site after you publish.

Publish

Click Publish at the top right. Your changes go live in about a minute. Click View live site and press each button to check it opens the right checkout page. You don't need to finish paying.

Troubleshooting

The button opens a broken page. The link may have https:// twice, like https://https://buy.stripe.com/…. Clear the box and paste the link again.

The button doesn't go anywhere. The Payment link is empty, or Goes to is still set to Choose…. Choose Another website… and paste your link.

Checkout shows the wrong item or price. You pasted the link for a different item. Copy the right one from Stripe or Square.

Checkout says the link is no longer active. The link was turned off or archived in Stripe or Square. Turn it back on there, or make a new link and paste it in.

I pasted a link to my Stripe or Square Dashboard. Those pages are only for you. Use the payment link customers see, and open it in a private browser window to check.

What it costs

The Buy & pay section is included in your plan. Stripe and Square charge their normal fee on each sale, taken from the payment before it reaches your bank. Check their pricing pages for current rates. We add nothing on top.

Related: Add a page, Edit text and photos.