Virtual terminal vs payment links: how to take card payments over the phone
By SendPay Business · · 2 min read
When a customer wants to pay by phone or email, there are two common ways to take their card. With a virtual terminal, the customer reads their card number out and you type it into a web page. With a payment link, you send a link and the customer types their own card details. Both work. They differ in who handles the card number.
How a virtual terminal works
A virtual terminal is a web page from your card provider where staff key in the customer's card details. It suits businesses that take many phone orders, such as hotels, but staff hear and type every card number, so you have to keep those details safe under the card industry's security rules.
How a payment link works
A payment link is a secure page you send by text, email or WhatsApp. The customer opens it on their phone and pays with their own card, so the card number never passes through you or your staff. The same link works for a customer in the shop, on the phone or on the other side of the world.
Which suits a small business
- Few phone orders, and you want to avoid handling card numbers: a payment link.
- A call centre taking card numbers all day: a virtual terminal from your card provider.
- Invoices to other businesses: an invoice with a pay button, which is a payment link attached to the invoice.
Offer payment links to your own customers
SendPay Business does not sell virtual terminals. Its platforms include payment links and invoicing, so if you run your own payments app, every business on it can send a link and get paid without handling a card number.
Build it
Create your own financial platform.
Pick a template, name it, brand it, preview every page before you pay. Your brand, your users, your fees.
Build my platform →Questions people ask
Virtual terminal or payment links: which costs less?
Compare the monthly cost of each.
Virtual terminal cost calculator →Are payment links safe for customers?
Yes, when they come from a known business: the customer pays on a secure checkout page and the business never sees their full card number.
How much do card payments cost?
The free card fee calculator shows what you keep from each sale after the fee.
Card fee calculator →Where can I learn more about payment links?
The payment links guide covers how they work and when to use them.
Payment links guide →Read next
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. SendPay Business is a technology company, not a bank, and does not take deposits; regulated services on the platforms are provided by licensed partners. PayPal, Patreon and Substack are named as reference points only and are not affiliated with SendPay Business.