Amazon Connect Has No Built-In Payment Capture
Amazon Connect is AWS's cloud contact centre platform. It handles routing, IVR via Contact Flows, agent desktops, and integrates natively with the AWS ecosystem — Lambda, Lex, DynamoDB, S3.
What it does not have is PCI-compliant payment capture.
When a customer calls to pay a bill, renew a subscription, or settle an invoice, Amazon Connect has no native mechanism to securely collect card details during the call. The platform was built for conversation management, not payment processing.
Some businesses have attempted to solve this with custom Lambda functions that capture DTMF input during Contact Flows. This technically works — but it creates a serious compliance problem. The card data passes through your AWS environment. It touches your Lambda execution context. It may be logged. It may be stored in CloudWatch. And your entire AWS infrastructure is now in PCI scope.
That is not a payment solution. It is a liability.
The Payment Gap in Amazon Connect
Amazon Connect excels at what it was designed for: scalable, cloud-native contact centre operations with pay-per-minute pricing and deep AWS integration. But payment capture was never part of the design.
Here is what is missing:
No DTMF isolation. Amazon Connect can capture DTMF input in Contact Flows, but those tones are not isolated from the audio stream. If an agent is on the line, they hear the keypad tones. If the call is being recorded — and Amazon Connect records by default — the card number is in the recording. If you are using Contact Lens for analytics, card data is flowing through speech-to-text processing.
No PCI-certified payment vault. There is no built-in mechanism to route card data to a secure, PCI-certified environment. Any card data captured via DTMF or speech is processed within your AWS account, which means your entire Connect instance and associated infrastructure falls into PCI scope.
No multi-PSP routing. Even if you build a custom payment integration, it connects to a single gateway. Enterprise customers with existing relationships with Worldpay, Adyen, or Stripe cannot route transactions through their preferred PSP without additional custom development.
No agent-assist payment flow. There is no mechanism for an agent to trigger a secure payment capture mid-call while staying on the line. The agent either takes the card details verbally (PCI nightmare) or transfers the customer to a separate IVR (customer experience nightmare).
The result: most Amazon Connect deployments either avoid phone payments entirely — sending payment links after the call — or accept the PCI risk of handling card data in their AWS environment.
How to Add Payments to Amazon Connect
Shuttle integrates with Amazon Connect to provide PCI-compliant payment capture without modifying your core telephony infrastructure. The integration works through two primary approaches:
DTMF Masking via Twilio SIP
Shuttle sits between the caller and your Amazon Connect instance via a SIP trunk or Twilio Programmable Voice integration. When a payment moment is reached — triggered by the agent or a Contact Flow — Shuttle intercepts the audio stream. The customer enters their card details via keypad. DTMF tones are captured within Shuttle's PCI DSS Level 1 certified environment and stripped from the audio before it reaches Amazon Connect.
The agent stays on the call. They hear silence or a masking tone while the customer types. The call recording captures nothing. Contact Lens processes nothing. Your AWS environment never sees a card number.
Payment Links via SMS
For asynchronous payment capture, the agent or an automated Contact Flow triggers a payment link sent to the customer's mobile via SMS. The customer completes payment on a hosted checkout page — PCI-compliant, mobile-optimised, branded to your business. The transaction result is returned to the agent's screen or logged in your CRM.
Agent-Assist UI
Shuttle provides an agent-facing widget that can be embedded in the Amazon Connect agent workspace. The agent clicks to initiate payment, sees the transaction status in real time, and receives confirmation — all without touching card data.
How It Works
Customer calls in. The call is routed through Amazon Connect as normal. The agent handles the conversation, resolves queries, and reaches the point where payment is needed.
Agent triggers payment. The agent clicks a button in the Shuttle widget, or the Contact Flow triggers a payment step via API. The customer is prompted to enter their card details via keypad.
DTMF tones are captured securely. Shuttle intercepts the DTMF input within its PCI DSS Level 1 certified environment. The tones are stripped from the audio stream — the agent hears nothing, the recording captures nothing.
Transaction is processed. Shuttle routes the transaction to the customer's configured PSP — Stripe, Adyen, Worldpay, Checkout.com, or any of 16+ supported gateways. Routing rules can be set by merchant, region, or failover logic.
Result is returned. The agent sees the transaction result (approved, declined, or error) in real time. A tokenised reference is logged to your CRM or DynamoDB — no card data stored.
Call continues. The customer and agent continue the conversation without interruption.
The entire payment flow takes 30-60 seconds. The customer never leaves the call. The agent never handles card data.
Multi-PSP Support
Enterprise Amazon Connect deployments typically serve multiple business units, brands, or regions — each with their own PSP relationship. Shuttle supports this natively.
With 40+ PSP integrations, you can route transactions to different gateways based on:
Merchant identity — different business units use different PSPs
Region — UK transactions to Worldpay, European transactions to Adyen, US transactions to Stripe
Failover — if the primary gateway is down, transactions automatically route to a backup
Card type — route Amex differently from Visa/Mastercard
This means you do not need to rip out existing payment infrastructure to add secure payment capture to Amazon Connect. Your existing PSP relationships stay intact.
PCI Compliance
Shuttle is a PCI DSS Level 1 certified Service Provider — the highest level of certification in the payment card industry.
When you use Shuttle for payment capture on Amazon Connect, your PCI scope drops to SAQ-A — the lightest self-assessment questionnaire. This is because:
Card data never enters your AWS environment
DTMF tones are stripped before reaching Amazon Connect
Call recordings contain no cardholder data
Contact Lens and other analytics tools process no card information
Your agents never hear, see, or handle card numbers
Compare this to the alternative: building custom Lambda functions that process card data puts your entire Amazon Connect instance, your AWS account, your network, and your agent workstations in scope for SAQ-D — 300+ requirements, annual QSA audits, and significant ongoing compliance costs.
The cost difference between SAQ-A and SAQ-D compliance is typically six figures annually. Shuttle costs $0.20 per transaction with no setup fees.
Use Cases
Insurance Premium Collection
Insurance contact centres handle thousands of premium payments daily. Customers call to renew policies, adjust cover, or make one-off payments. With Shuttle on Amazon Connect, agents collect payments mid-call without breaking the conversation — no transfers, no payment links, no PCI exposure.
Utility Bill Payments
Utility companies running Amazon Connect can add secure bill payment to their IVR and agent flows. Customers call about a query, the agent resolves it, and payment happens on the same call. Automated Contact Flows can handle self-service payments without agent involvement.
Debt Collection
Collections agencies need to capture payment commitments while the debtor is engaged. Transferring to a separate system loses the moment. Shuttle allows agents to take immediate payment or set up payment plans during the collection call — all PCI-compliant, all recorded (minus card data).
Travel and Hospitality
Travel companies processing bookings, upgrades, and ancillary purchases through Amazon Connect can capture payment at the point of commitment. The customer confirms, enters their card via keypad, and the booking is confirmed — one call, one interaction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Shuttle require changes to my Amazon Connect instance?
No. Shuttle integrates at the telephony layer via SIP or Twilio, and provides an agent-facing widget for the Connect workspace. Your Contact Flows, routing rules, and agent configuration remain unchanged.
How long does integration take?
Most Amazon Connect integrations are live within 2-4 weeks. The Twilio SIP integration is the fastest path — if you are already using Twilio as a carrier for Amazon Connect, Shuttle can be added without any telephony changes.
Can I use Shuttle with Amazon Connect's AI features?
Yes. Shuttle works alongside Amazon Lex for automated IVR payments and with Contact Lens for post-call analytics. Because card data is stripped before reaching your environment, Contact Lens can continue processing call recordings without PCI concerns.
What happens if the payment fails?
The agent sees the decline reason in real time and can prompt the customer to retry with a different card or payment method. The call does not need to be transferred or restarted.
Is there a per-seat or per-agent fee?
No. Shuttle charges $0.20 per transaction with no setup fees, no per-seat fees, and no monthly minimums. You pay only for successful payment captures.
Related Reading
PCI-Compliant Payments for Contact Centres — the complete guide to secure contact centre payments
Twilio Pay Connectors — how Shuttle integrates with Twilio's payment infrastructure
Voice Payments — the definitive guide to taking payments over voice channels
AI Voice Agent PCI Payments — adding payment capture to AI-powered voice agents
PCI Pal Alternatives — how Shuttle compares to legacy contact centre payment providers
Voice Checkout — Shuttle's voice payment product
Get Started
Adding PCI-compliant payments to Amazon Connect does not require months of development or a PCI audit. Shuttle provides a pre-built payment layer that integrates with your existing Connect instance and PSP relationships.
Talk to our team about adding secure payment capture to your Amazon Connect deployment, or explore Voice Checkout to see how it works.