How to Connect Checkout.com to Twilio for Voice & IVR Payments

By Shuttle Team, March 21, 2026

Checkout.com doesn't natively connect to Twilio for voice payments. If you want to process Checkout.com transactions during a phone call — via IVR, agent-assisted, or AI voice agent — you need a Twilio Pay Connector that bridges the two platforms.

Shuttle's Pay Connector does exactly this. It connects Checkout.com (and 15+ other gateways) to Twilio's <Pay> verb, so you can accept PCI-compliant card payments during any voice interaction. Setup takes minutes.

This guide walks through how the integration works, how to set it up, and what to watch for.


Why Checkout.com + Twilio Don't Connect Directly

Checkout.com is a cloud-native payment processor built for high-growth businesses and enterprise platforms. Its APIs handle payment sessions, intelligent routing, and performance-optimised processing across global markets.

Twilio is built for voice and messaging. Its <Pay> verb captures card details during phone calls via DTMF keypad input, with tones suppressed so agents never hear them.

The problem: Twilio's <Pay> needs a Pay Connector to route captured card data to a payment gateway. Checkout.com isn't one of Twilio's built-in connectors — there's no native integration.

This is where Shuttle comes in. As Twilio's official payment partner, Shuttle provides a Pay Connector that accepts card data from Twilio's <Pay> verb and routes it to Checkout.com's API for processing. One integration connects the two platforms.


How It Works

`` Caller → Twilio (DTMF capture) → Shuttle (Pay Connector) → Checkout.com (processing) → Result ``

  1. Caller reaches payment step. Your Twilio call flow — IVR, Studio, or custom TwiML — triggers the <Pay> verb.

  2. Card details captured via DTMF. The caller enters their card number, expiry, and CVV on the keypad. Tones are suppressed from the agent audio and call recordings.

  3. Shuttle receives card data. The data passes from Twilio's PCI-compliant environment directly to Shuttle's connector. It never touches your servers.

  4. Shuttle charges the card via Checkout.com. The connector creates a Checkout.com payment request, processes the transaction, and handles the response.

  5. Result returned to your call flow. Your webhook receives the Checkout.com payment ID, last four digits, card brand, and transaction status. The call continues.

The entire flow happens in seconds. The caller stays on the line.


Step-by-Step Setup

Prerequisites

  • A Twilio account with voice capability

  • A Checkout.com account with API credentials (secret key + processing channel ID)

  • A Shuttle account (free to create — you pay per transaction)

Step 1: Install Shuttle's Pay Connector

Go to the Twilio Marketplace and install the Shuttle Pay Connector. This adds Shuttle as an available connector in your Twilio account's Pay configuration.

Step 2: Add Checkout.com Credentials to Shuttle

Log into the Shuttle dashboard. Navigate to Payment Profiles and create a new profile:

  • Gateway: Checkout.com

  • Secret key: Your Checkout.com secret key (sk_...)

  • Processing channel ID: Your Checkout.com channel ID

  • Currency: Set your default (GBP, USD, EUR, etc.)

  • Environment: Live or Sandbox

Save the profile. Shuttle now has a live connection to your Checkout.com account.

Step 3: Configure Your Twilio Call Flow

Add the <Pay> verb to your TwiML or Twilio Studio flow:

``xml <Response> <Say>Please enter your card number followed by the hash key.</Say> <Pay paymentConnector="shuttle-pay-connector" chargeAmount="120.00" currency="GBP" description="Service payment" action="/payment-complete"> </Pay> </Response> ``

Key parameters:

  • paymentConnector — set to shuttle-pay-connector

  • chargeAmount — the amount to charge

  • currency — ISO currency code

  • action — your webhook endpoint for the payment result

Step 4: Handle the Payment Result

Twilio sends a POST to your action URL with the payment result:

``json { "Result": "success", "PaymentCardNumber": "xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-9012", "PaymentCardType": "visa", "PaymentConfirmationCode": "pay_abc123...", "ProfileId": "your-shuttle-profile-id" } ``

Use the PaymentConfirmationCode to look up the transaction in Checkout.com's Dashboard or API.

Step 5: Test

Use Checkout.com's sandbox environment and Twilio's test credentials to verify the flow end-to-end. Checkout.com test card: 4242 4242 4242 4242 (Visa, always approved).


What You Can Do With Checkout.com + Twilio

Charge Immediately

Standard auth-and-capture. The caller pays, Checkout.com processes, done.

Authorise Now, Capture Later

Place a hold on the card during the call. Capture the payment later via the Checkout.com API — useful for bookings, pre-orders, or transactions where the final amount may change.

Tokenise for Future Use

Capture card details once over the phone. Shuttle tokenises the card via Checkout.com and returns a reusable token. Use it for future payments across any channel — web, mobile, voice, or payment links. The card data is never stored in your systems.

Marketplace & Platform Payments

If you use Checkout.com's marketplace or sub-entity model, Shuttle can route voice payments to the correct sub-entity. Each merchant's transactions are processed and settled through their own Checkout.com configuration.


Multi-PSP: Beyond Checkout.com

One of the key advantages of using Shuttle rather than a Checkout.com-only connector is flexibility. Your Twilio integration stays the same even if you:

  • Add a second gateway — route European transactions to Checkout.com and US transactions to Stripe

  • **Serve enterprise customers** who mandate a specific PSP — some require Checkout.com, others require Adyen or Worldpay

  • Need failover — if Checkout.com is down, automatically route to a backup gateway

  • Expand to new regions where a local acquirer gives better authorisation rates

You configure routing rules in Shuttle's dashboard. Your Twilio call flow doesn't change.

This is particularly important for platforms and BPOs serving multiple merchants — each with their own Checkout.com account or alternative gateway.


PCI Compliance

The Checkout.com + Twilio integration via Shuttle keeps you completely out of PCI scope:

Layer

PCI handled by

DTMF capture & suppression

Twilio

Card data processing

Shuttle (PCI DSS Level 1)

Payment processing

Checkout.com (PCI DSS Level 1)

Your systems

No card data — SAQ-A

Card data flows from Twilio → Shuttle → Checkout.com. Your application only receives redacted data (last 4 digits, card brand, payment ID). You qualify for SAQ-A — the lightest PCI self-assessment.

For the full picture on PCI compliance with Twilio, see Twilio PCI Compliance: Payments Without Handling Card Data.


FAQ

Can I connect Checkout.com to Twilio without Shuttle? Twilio doesn't have a built-in Checkout.com Pay Connector. You'd need to build a custom connector using Twilio's Generic Pay Connector framework — handling PCI compliance yourself. Shuttle provides a pre-built, PCI-certified connector.

Does this work with Twilio Studio? Yes. Twilio Studio supports the <Pay> widget. Configure it with shuttle-pay-connector as the connector and the payment flow works within your Studio flow.

Can I use Checkout.com's Flow (intelligent routing) with this? Checkout.com's intelligent routing applies at the processing level. Transactions sent via Shuttle go through your Checkout.com account and benefit from any routing optimisations configured there.

What does it cost? Shuttle charges $0.20 per transaction. Checkout.com's processing fees apply on top (your negotiated rate). No Shuttle setup fees or monthly minimums.

Can I switch from Checkout.com to another gateway later? Yes. Change the gateway in your Shuttle payment profile. Your Twilio call flow stays exactly the same — no code changes needed.

Does this support 3D Secure? Voice payments via DTMF are card-not-present transactions. 3D Secure requires browser-based authentication, so it doesn't apply to phone payments. Your Checkout.com risk settings handle fraud screening for voice transactions.


Related Reading


*Connect Checkout.com to Twilio in minutes with Shuttle's Pay Connector — PCI DSS Level 1, $0.20/transaction, no setup fees. Install on Twilio or book a discovery call.*

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