How to Connect Paysafe to Twilio for Voice & IVR Payments

Paysafe doesn't natively connect to Twilio for voice payments. If you want to process Paysafe 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 Paysafe (and 30+ other gateways) to Twilio's <Pay> verb, so you can accept PCI-compliant card payments during any voice interaction.

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

Why Paysafe + Twilio Don't Connect Directly

Paysafe is a global payments platform with deep roots in North America and Europe. It grew up serving specialised and higher-risk verticals (iGaming, forex, and other regulated industries) and now offers card processing, digital wallets, and alternative payment methods through a single REST API. Merchants who process through Paysafe often chose it precisely because mainstream gateways couldn't support their vertical.

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. Paysafe isn't one of Twilio's built-in connectors, so there's no native way to send a <Pay> capture to your Paysafe merchant account.

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 Paysafe's API for processing. One integration connects the two platforms. That matters most for the businesses Paysafe typically serves: North American contact centres, collections operations, and merchants in specialised verticals whose Paysafe account took real underwriting effort to obtain. You keep the account. You add the voice channel.

How It Works

`` Caller → Twilio (DTMF capture) → Shuttle (Pay Connector) → Paysafe (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 Paysafe. The connector creates a Paysafe payment request, processes the transaction through your Paysafe merchant account, and handles the response.

5. Result returned to your call flow. Your webhook receives the Paysafe transaction reference, last four digits, card brand, and transaction status. The call continues.

The entire flow happens in seconds. The caller stays on the line. No redirects, no "please visit our website."

Step-by-Step Setup

Prerequisites

• A Twilio account with voice capability

• A Paysafe account with server-to-server API credentials (API key username and password, plus your account number)

• 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 Paysafe Credentials to Shuttle

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

• Gateway: Paysafe

• API key username and password: Your server-to-server API key from the Paysafe Back Office (Settings > API Key)

• Account number: The Paysafe account ID for the card account you want to process through

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

• Environment: Live or Test

Save the profile. Shuttle now has a live connection to your Paysafe account. If you hold multiple Paysafe account numbers (for example, separate accounts per currency or per business line), create a profile for each and route accordingly.

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="49.99" currency="USD" description="Account 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-1234", "PaymentCardType": "visa", "PaymentConfirmationCode": "PAYSAFE-TXN-REF-123...", "ProfileId": "your-shuttle-profile-id" } ``

Use the PaymentConfirmationCode to look up the transaction in the Paysafe Back Office if needed. Update your order, confirm to the caller, and continue the flow.

Step 5: Test

Paysafe provides a dedicated Test environment where transactions run through a simulator rather than the banking network. Use your Paysafe test API key in Shuttle, run the flow end-to-end with Paysafe's published test card numbers, and verify your webhook handling before switching the profile to Live. Never use real card numbers in the Paysafe test environment.

What You Can Do With Paysafe + Twilio

Charge Immediately

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

Authorise Now, Settle Later

Place a hold on the card during the call and settle later through Paysafe. Useful for deposits, bookings, or transactions where the final amount isn't fixed at call time.

Tokenise for Future Use

Capture card details once over the phone. Shuttle tokenises the card via Paysafe (which supports converting a payment into a reusable stored credential) and returns a token you can reuse across any channel: web, mobile, voice, or payment links. The card data is never stored in your systems. For collections teams, this is the foundation of payment plans: capture the card on the first call, then charge agreed instalments without asking the customer to re-enter anything.

Agent-Assisted and IVR Collections

Collections is a natural fit for Paysafe + Twilio. Agents trigger `<Pay>` mid-call for a promise-to-pay, or an outbound IVR lets debtors self-serve a payment at any hour. Tones are suppressed, so recordings stay compliant. See payment collection for BPOs for the multi-client version of this setup.

Multi-PSP: Beyond Paysafe

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

• Add a second gateway: route your specialised-vertical volume to Paysafe and lower-risk volume to another acquirer

• **Serve enterprise customers** who mandate a specific PSP (Stripe, Worldpay, Checkout.com, etc.)

• Need failover: if one gateway declines or is unavailable, automatically route to a backup

• Expand to new markets where a different acquirer gives better authorisation rates

You configure routing rules in Shuttle's dashboard by merchant, region, amount, or failover. Your Twilio call flow doesn't change. The <Pay> verb always points to shuttle-pay-connector, and Shuttle handles which gateway processes the transaction.

This is particularly important for BPOs and platforms that serve multiple merchants. Each merchant can use their own Paysafe account (or any other gateway) through the same Twilio integration.

PCI Compliance

The Paysafe + Twilio integration via Shuttle keeps you completely out of PCI scope:

Card data flows from Twilio to Shuttle to Paysafe. Your application only receives redacted data (last 4 digits, card brand, transaction reference). You qualify for SAQ-A, the lightest PCI self-assessment. That's a meaningful saving for contact centres, where taking card numbers verbally would otherwise drag the entire agent floor, telephony stack, and recording system into scope.

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

FAQ

Can I connect Paysafe to Twilio without Shuttle? Twilio doesn't have a built-in Paysafe Pay Connector. You'd need to build a custom connector using Twilio's Generic Pay Connector framework, which means handling PCI compliance for card data processing yourself. Shuttle provides a pre-built, PCI-certified connector that handles this.

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.

I'm in a higher-risk vertical. Does that change anything? No. Your underwriting relationship stays with Paysafe, exactly as it is today. Shuttle is the technical connector between Twilio and your existing Paysafe merchant account; it doesn't sit in the money flow or re-underwrite you.

What about Paysafe's test environment? Fully supported. Use your Paysafe test API credentials in Shuttle and test the full flow with Twilio before going live. Paysafe's test environment runs transactions through a simulator, so nothing hits the banking network.

What does it cost? Shuttle charges $0.20 per successful transaction. Paysafe's standard processing fees apply on top. No Shuttle setup fees or monthly minimums.

Can I switch from Paysafe 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.

Related Reading

• 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: step-by-step Stripe + Twilio setup

• How to Connect Adyen to Twilio for Voice Payments: step-by-step Adyen + Twilio setup

• Payment Collection for BPOs: multi-client payment routing for outsourced contact centres

• Paysafe on Shuttle: supported features, currencies, and channels

• Twilio Pay, Connect Any Payment Gateway to Twilio: all supported gateways, pricing, and setup

*Connect Paysafe 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.*