Here's the important thing to know up front: PayPal/Braintree does not work for Shuttle voice card capture. Braintree won't allow raw card data to be passed to it, which is exactly what keypad (DTMF) capture during a voice call requires. So there is no PayPal/Braintree "voice" path through Twilio's `<Pay>` verb.
What does work — and works well — is payment links. If you take calls on Twilio and your processor is PayPal/Braintree, Shuttle can send the customer a secure payment link by SMS or email, including mid-call while they're still on the line. The customer pays on a hosted page, and PayPal/Braintree processes it as normal.
This guide explains why voice capture isn't possible with PayPal/Braintree, how the payment-links path works instead, and which gateways do support voice if that's a hard requirement for you.
Why You Can't Capture PayPal/Braintree Cards Over Voice
PayPal is the world's largest digital payments platform, and through its Braintree subsidiary handles card processing for millions of businesses. Its APIs are designed for web and mobile checkout — buttons, hosted fields, and drop-in UIs.
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. To work, `<Pay>` hands the raw card number to a payment connector, which passes it to the gateway.
That's the blocker: Braintree (and therefore PayPal-via-Braintree) does not permit raw card data to be passed to it. Voice/keypad capture depends on passing the raw PAN to the processor, so PayPal/Braintree can't be the gateway behind a Twilio `<Pay>` voice flow. This isn't a Shuttle limitation — it's how Braintree's integration works.
The good news: the same restriction doesn't apply to payment links, because the customer enters their card on Braintree's own hosted, tokenised checkout rather than passing raw digits through a voice channel. So if you're on PayPal/Braintree, links are your path.
How It Works (Payment Links)
``` Caller on Twilio → agent/IVR sends Shuttle link by SMS → customer pays on hosted page → PayPal/Braintree (processing) → result returned ```
Caller reaches the payment step. They're on a Twilio call — IVR, agent-assisted, or an AI voice agent.
A Shuttle payment link is sent by SMS (or email), mid-call. The customer doesn't need to hang up.
The customer pays on a secure hosted page. They enter their card (or a digital wallet) on Shuttle's hosted checkout — never reading digits aloud, never typing them into the call.
PayPal/Braintree processes the payment through your merchant account, using its own tokenised, PCI-compliant flow.
Result returned in real time. Confirmation comes back to the agent/flow; the call can continue or wrap up.
No raw card data ever passes through the voice channel or your systems.
Setting It Up
Prerequisites
A PayPal Business or Braintree account with API credentials
A Shuttle account (free to create)
A way to send the link mid-call — Twilio SMS works well, but any SMS/email channel is fine
Step 1: Add PayPal/Braintree Credentials to Shuttle
Log into the Shuttle dashboard. Navigate to Payment Profiles and create a new profile:
Gateway: PayPal / Braintree
Merchant ID: Your PayPal/Braintree merchant ID
API credentials: Your public key and private key (Braintree) or API credentials (PayPal)
Currency: Set your default (USD, GBP, EUR, etc.)
Environment: Live or Sandbox
Save the profile. Shuttle now has a live connection to your PayPal/Braintree account.
Step 2: Generate and Send the Link Mid-Call
Create a payment link in Shuttle (via the dashboard or API) for the amount due, and send it to the customer by SMS or email while they're on the line. See the Payment Links docs for the API.
Step 3: Handle the Result
Shuttle returns the outcome — transaction reference, last four digits, card brand, and status — to your webhook so the agent or flow knows the payment cleared.
Step 4: Test
Use Braintree's sandbox environment to verify the flow end-to-end. Braintree sandbox test card: `4111 1111 1111 1111` (Visa).
What You Can Do With PayPal/Braintree Links
Charge Immediately
Standard auth-and-capture. The customer pays on the hosted page, Braintree processes, done.
Tokenise for Future Use
When the customer pays via the link, Braintree tokenises the card in its own Vault. Use that token for future payments across any channel — web, mobile, or further payment links. The card data is never stored in your systems.
Marketplace Payments
If you use Braintree Marketplace (sub-merchants), Shuttle can route link payments to the correct sub-merchant. Each merchant's transactions are processed through their own account.
If Voice Capture Is a Hard Requirement
If you specifically need keypad (DTMF) capture during the call — not links — you'll need a gateway that permits raw card data to be passed to it. Shuttle's voice card capture runs on Twilio Pay today (Shuttle is Twilio's preferred payments partner) and works with 30+ gateways, including Stripe, Adyen, Worldpay, Checkout.com, and Global Payments. PayPal/Braintree is the notable exception that does not.
A common pattern: run voice capture on a voice-compatible gateway for live keypad payments, and keep PayPal/Braintree on the links path. Routing is configured in Shuttle's dashboard.
PCI Compliance
Collecting PayPal/Braintree payments via Shuttle payment links keeps you out of PCI scope:
Layer | PCI handled by
Hosted checkout page | Shuttle (PCI DSS Level 1)
Card data processing | PayPal/Braintree (PCI DSS Level 1)
Your systems | No card data — SAQ-A
The customer enters their card on a hosted page; your application only receives redacted data. You qualify for SAQ-A — the lightest PCI self-assessment.
For the full picture, see Twilio PCI Compliance: Payments Without Handling Card Data.
FAQ
Can I take PayPal/Braintree payments over voice with Twilio's `<Pay>` verb? No. Braintree doesn't allow raw card data to be passed to it, and voice/keypad capture requires passing the raw card number to the gateway. So PayPal/Braintree can't sit behind a Twilio `<Pay>` voice flow. Use payment links instead — they work because the customer enters their card on Braintree's own hosted, tokenised checkout.
Which gateways do work for voice capture, then? Most do — Shuttle's voice capture (on Twilio Pay) works with 30+ gateways including Stripe, Adyen, Worldpay, Checkout.com, and Global Payments. PayPal/Braintree is one of the few that don't.
Is this PayPal or Braintree? Both. PayPal owns Braintree, and Shuttle integrates with the Braintree/PayPal payment processing APIs for the links path. If you have a Braintree merchant account or a PayPal Business account with card processing enabled, Shuttle can use it for payment links.
What does it cost? Payment links are currently free (a new pricing model is coming). Voice capture, where the gateway supports it, is $0.20 per successful transaction. PayPal/Braintree's standard processing fees apply on top (2.59% + 49¢ or your negotiated rate).
Can I accept PayPal wallet payments over the phone? PayPal wallet (balance/bank) payments require the PayPal checkout flow, which is web-based. A payment link is the right way to offer that mid-call — the customer completes it on the hosted page.
Can I switch from PayPal/Braintree to another gateway later? Yes. Change the gateway in your Shuttle payment profile. Moving to a voice-compatible gateway would also unlock keypad capture.
Related Reading
Payment Links: Take Payments Without Handling Card Data — the turnkey path for PayPal/Braintree
Twilio Pay Connectors: How to Connect Any Payment Gateway — the complete guide to Twilio Pay Connectors and multi-PSP routing
Twilio PCI Compliance: Payments Without Handling Card Data — how to keep your PCI scope at SAQ-A
How to Connect Stripe to Twilio for Voice Payments — a gateway that does support voice capture
How to Connect Adyen to Twilio for Voice Payments — another voice-compatible gateway
Twilio Pay — Connect Any Payment Gateway to Twilio — all supported gateways, pricing, and setup
PayPal/Braintree doesn't support voice card capture — use Shuttle payment links instead, sent by SMS mid-call. PCI DSS Level 1, links currently free. [Book a discovery call](/discovery/).