Best Payment Link Services for UK Businesses

What Are Payment Links?

Payment links are URLs that you send to a customer to collect a specific payment. You create a link for an amount — say £350 for a plumbing repair — and send it by text, email, or WhatsApp. The customer taps the link, sees a checkout page with the amount and a description, enters their card details, and pays. You receive confirmation instantly. No card machine, no website, no app download required on either side.

Payment links have become one of the fastest-growing payment methods for UK service businesses because they solve a simple problem: how do you accept card payments from customers when you are not standing next to them with a terminal? For businesses with teams — where multiple people need to collect payments in the field, by phone, or from the office — payment links are increasingly replacing card machines as the primary payment collection method.

There are now dozens of providers offering payment link services in the UK. This guide compares the major options, covering fees, features, and who each provider is best suited to.

What to Look For in a Payment Link Service

Before comparing individual providers, it helps to understand the criteria that matter most for UK service businesses.

Transaction fees. The percentage and fixed fee charged per payment. UK card fees are regulated, so most providers cluster around 1.4-1.75% + 20p for domestic consumer cards. The differences emerge on European cards, corporate cards, and American Express.

Monthly costs. Some providers charge nothing per month and make their money on transaction fees alone. Others charge a monthly subscription that includes team features, branding, or lower transaction rates. The right model depends on your volume: high-volume businesses often save money on a subscription plan with lower transaction fees.

Branding and customisation. When your customer opens a payment link, they see a checkout page. Can you add your logo? Your brand colours? Your business name? A generic checkout page can reduce trust and create confusion. Branded checkout pages convert better and present a more professional image.

Team access. If you have 5, 10, or 20 staff who need to send payment links, you need multi-user support with role-based permissions. Not every provider offers this — many are designed for sole traders or very small businesses with a single account holder.

Payout speed. How quickly the funds arrive in your bank account after a customer pays. Ranges from same-day to 7+ business days depending on the provider and your account history. For cash-flow-dependent businesses, this matters enormously.

Delivery channels. Can the provider send links by SMS natively, or do you have to copy and paste a URL into your own messaging app? SMS and WhatsApp delivery are significantly more effective than email for consumer-facing service businesses.

Phone payment support. If your office takes payments over the phone, does the provider offer a compliant phone payment method (like Voice Checkout), or would you need a separate solution for phone-based payments?

The Best Payment Link Services for UK Businesses

Stripe Payment Links

Stripe is the most developer-friendly payment platform in the world, and their Payment Links product brings some of that power to non-technical users. You can create a payment link from the Stripe Dashboard without writing any code, set a fixed amount or let the customer enter their own, and share the link however you like.

Transaction fees: 1.4% + 20p for UK cards, 2.5% + 20p for non-UK cards. No monthly fee for the core product.

Strengths: Stripe's infrastructure is arguably the most reliable in the industry. Uptime is excellent, payouts are fast (typically 2-3 business days, with options for next-day or instant payouts at an additional fee), and the reporting is comprehensive. If you have a developer on your team — or plan to integrate payments into your own software — Stripe's API is the gold standard. Stripe also supports recurring payment links and subscription-style billing.

Weaknesses: Stripe Payment Links are relatively basic as a standalone product. Customisation is limited — you can add your logo and brand colour, but the checkout page is clearly a Stripe page. There are no built-in team features: every user needs access to the same Stripe Dashboard, and there is no role-based access control for payment link creation (though the broader Stripe Dashboard does have team permissions). Stripe does not send links by SMS natively — you copy the URL and send it yourself. For non-technical business owners, the Stripe Dashboard can be overwhelming.

Best for: Tech-savvy businesses, SaaS companies, and businesses with a developer who can use Stripe's API for custom workflows. Also good for sole traders who want a low-cost, no-monthly-fee option and are comfortable with a slightly technical interface.

PayPal.Me

PayPal.Me gives you a permanent personal link (paypal.me/yourbusiness/50 for a £50 payment) that you can share with anyone. The customer clicks the link, logs into PayPal or pays with a card as a guest, and the money goes into your PayPal account.

Transaction fees: 1.99% + 20p for standard commercial payments in the UK. Higher for international payments.

Strengths: PayPal is the most recognised online payment brand in the UK. Many customers already have PayPal accounts and are comfortable paying through the platform. The trust factor is significant — especially for consumer-facing businesses where the customer might be wary of entering card details on an unfamiliar checkout page. PayPal also offers buyer protection, which can increase a customer's willingness to pay upfront for work not yet completed.

Weaknesses: PayPal.Me links are not true "payment links" in the professional sense. The customer can change the payment amount, which creates reconciliation headaches. There is no description field on the payment page, so the customer does not see what they are paying for. PayPal's holds and limitations are well-documented — new accounts or accounts with sudden volume increases can have funds frozen for 21 days. The fees are higher than most dedicated payment link providers. There are no team features, no branded checkout, and no SMS delivery. PayPal also has a habit of redirecting customers to sign up for a PayPal account, which adds friction for customers who just want to pay by card.

Best for: Businesses that need a quick, recognisable payment method with no setup — particularly for consumer-facing transactions where PayPal's brand trust outweighs its limitations. Not suitable as a primary payment system for a business with a team.

Square Invoices

Square's invoicing product includes payment links as part of the invoice. You create an invoice in the Square Dashboard or app, add line items and a total, and send it to the customer. The invoice email includes a "Pay Now" link that takes the customer to a Square-hosted checkout page. Square also allows you to create standalone payment links without a full invoice.

Transaction fees: 1.4% + 20p for online payments (payment links and invoices). No monthly fee for the basic plan. Square Plus (with team management) is £29/month.

Strengths: Square is excellent if your workflow is invoice-first. The invoice-to-payment-link flow is seamless: create an invoice, send it, and the customer can pay directly from the invoice with a single click. Square's ecosystem is broad — if you also have a physical location, you can use Square POS alongside Square Invoices for a unified view of all payments. The interface is clean and non-technical. Square also supports recurring invoices and automatic payment reminders.

Weaknesses: Square's standalone payment links are less developed than their invoicing product. If you want to send a quick payment link by text — without creating a full invoice — the process is more cumbersome than with a dedicated payment link provider. Team features require the £29/month Plus plan. Square does not send links by SMS natively (invoices are sent by email). Branding on the checkout page is limited. Square's customer support has mixed reviews from UK businesses.

Best for: Businesses whose payment workflow centres on invoicing — accountants, consultants, agencies, and professional services firms. Good for businesses that want a combined in-person POS and online payment solution. Less ideal for field-based teams that need to send quick payment links by text.

SumUp Payment Links

SumUp is best known for its card readers, but the company also offers payment links as part of its ecosystem. You create a link in the SumUp app, set the amount and description, and share it with the customer.

Transaction fees: 1.69% flat (no fixed per-transaction fee). No monthly fee.

Strengths: SumUp's flat-rate pricing is simple to understand — 1.69% on every transaction regardless of card type. For businesses that process a lot of small payments (under £30), the absence of a fixed per-transaction fee makes SumUp genuinely cheaper than providers charging 1.4% + 20p. The app is straightforward and designed for non-technical users. No monthly fees, no contracts, and fast setup.

Weaknesses: SumUp's payment link product is basic. There is limited branding, limited reporting, and no multi-user or team features. For larger payments, SumUp's 1.69% rate is more expensive than Stripe or Square's 1.4% + 20p (the crossover point is around £65). SumUp does not offer native SMS delivery of links. Payout speed is 1-3 business days, which is standard but not best-in-class. The product feels like an add-on to SumUp's card reader business rather than a standalone payment link platform.

Best for: Sole traders and very small businesses that want a simple, no-monthly-fee payment link option — especially those already using a SumUp card reader. Not suitable for businesses with teams that need multi-user access or advanced features.

GoCardless

GoCardless is the UK's leading Direct Debit provider, and it is often mentioned alongside payment link services. However, GoCardless serves a fundamentally different use case. Instead of one-off card payments, GoCardless collects payments directly from the customer's bank account via the Direct Debit system.

Transaction fees: 1% + 20p per transaction (capped at £4). Success+ (intelligent retries) available on higher plans.

Strengths: GoCardless is excellent for recurring payments. Once a customer sets up a Direct Debit mandate, you can collect regular payments automatically without any action from the customer. Transaction fees are lower than card-based payment links. Failed payments can be automatically retried. GoCardless integrates with most accounting software (Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent). For businesses with monthly contracts — cleaning companies, maintenance providers, subscription services — GoCardless can dramatically reduce payment admin.

Weaknesses: GoCardless is not a payment link service in the traditional sense. It does not accept card payments. Direct Debits take 3-5 business days to process — there is no instant confirmation. The customer must complete a mandate setup form before the first payment. GoCardless is not suitable for one-off, variable-amount payments that service businesses typically collect after completing a job. It is a complementary payment method, not a replacement for payment links or card machines.

Best for: Businesses with recurring revenue — monthly maintenance contracts, memberships, subscription services, regular retainers. Use GoCardless alongside a payment link provider, not instead of one.

Shuttle Links Checkout

Shuttle is a payments infrastructure company that has built its payment link product specifically for businesses with teams. Unlike providers that started with card machines or developer APIs and added payment links as an afterthought, Shuttle designed Links Checkout from the ground up for multi-user, field-based, and office-based payment collection.

Transaction fees: Competitive per-transaction rates. Per-user pricing model rather than a flat monthly fee.

Strengths: Shuttle's standout features are team access and multi-channel delivery. Every team member gets their own login and can create and send payment links from their phone or desktop. Links can be sent by SMS, email, or WhatsApp — natively, without copying and pasting URLs. The checkout page is fully branded with your business name, logo, and colours, so customers see your brand rather than a third-party payment page.

Shuttle also offers Voice Checkout as an add-on: PCI-compliant phone payments where the customer enters card details via their phone keypad. For businesses that collect payments both in the field (via payment links) and over the phone (via their office), this means one provider covers both channels. The dashboard gives a real-time view of all payments across the business — office managers can see which team members have collected what, which payments are outstanding, and which customers are overdue.

Weaknesses: Shuttle is newer and less well-known than Stripe, PayPal, or Square. Businesses that want a global, consumer-recognised brand on their checkout page may prefer PayPal. Developers looking for extensive API documentation and ecosystem integrations may prefer Stripe. Shuttle's per-user pricing means that very small businesses (1-2 people) may find a flat-rate provider cheaper.

Best for: Service businesses with teams of 5-20+ people who need multiple staff members sending payment links, branded checkout pages, SMS/WhatsApp delivery, and optional phone payment capability. This is the provider built for plumbing companies, electrical contractors, cleaning businesses, property maintenance firms, and similar team-based service operations.

Worldpay Payment Links

Worldpay (now part of FIS) is one of the largest payment processors in the world. They offer payment links as part of their broader merchant services package, alongside card machines, online payment gateways, and in-store POS systems.

Transaction fees: Variable — typically negotiated based on volume. Often 1.5-2.5% + 20p for online payments. Monthly fees apply and vary by plan.

Strengths: Worldpay is an enterprise-grade payment processor with global reach. If your business processes very high volumes (£100,000+ per month) or needs multi-currency support, Worldpay's negotiated rates can be competitive. They offer dedicated account management, chargeback support, and integration with a wide range of business systems. For large businesses that want a single payment provider handling everything from card machines to online payments to payment links, Worldpay offers a consolidated solution.

Weaknesses: Worldpay is not designed for small or medium-sized service businesses. Onboarding is slow (typically 2-4 weeks versus the same-day setup offered by Stripe or SumUp). Contracts are often 12-36 months with early termination fees. Pricing is opaque — you typically need to speak to a sales rep to get a quote, and the fee structures are complex (interchange-plus, blended rates, monthly minimums). Their payment link product is less developed than their core card processing — it feels like an add-on rather than a focus area. Customer support is geared toward larger clients, and smaller businesses often report difficulty getting issues resolved.

Best for: Large businesses (50+ employees, £100k+ monthly processing) that need an enterprise payment processor and want payment links as one capability within a broader merchant services agreement. Not suitable for SMEs or team-based service businesses.

Comparison Table

Fees shown are for UK-issued consumer cards. European and international card fees are higher across all providers. GoCardless fees are for Direct Debit, not card payments.

Which Service Is Right for Your Business?

The right payment link provider depends on three factors: your team size, your monthly payment volume, and how you interact with customers.

If you are a sole trader or freelancer processing under £5,000 per month, cost is likely your primary concern. SumUp and Stripe both offer no-monthly-fee plans with competitive transaction rates. SumUp is simpler to use; Stripe offers more flexibility and better reporting. PayPal.Me works as a quick backup option if you need something instantly, but should not be your primary payment method for professional services.

If you are a small business with 2-5 staff and your payment workflow centres on invoicing, Square Invoices offers the best invoice-to-payment experience. If you send more standalone payment links than invoices (for example, field-based trades), Stripe or Shuttle start to make more sense depending on whether you prioritise API flexibility or team features.

If you are a service business with 5-20+ staff — multiple engineers, technicians, cleaners, or operatives in the field who all need to collect payments — this is where Shuttle Links Checkout is purpose-built. Multi-user access, branded checkout, SMS and WhatsApp delivery, a central dashboard showing all payments across the business, and Voice Checkout for the office. The per-user pricing model means you pay for what you use, and the team features eliminate the workarounds (shared logins, copied URLs, manual SMS sending) that other providers force you into at this team size.

If you have recurring revenue alongside one-off payments — say you do monthly maintenance contracts as well as ad-hoc repair work — consider using GoCardless for the recurring element and a payment link provider (Stripe, Square, or Shuttle) for one-off payments. This gives you the lowest transaction fees on predictable revenue and the flexibility of payment links for everything else.

If you are a larger business processing over £100,000 per month and need a single enterprise payment provider, Worldpay's negotiated rates and consolidated services may justify the complexity. But even at this scale, many businesses find that a combination of a modern payment link provider and GoCardless for Direct Debits gives them better technology, faster onboarding, and more flexibility than a traditional merchant services agreement.

The payment link market in the UK is maturing rapidly. Five years ago, the choice was essentially PayPal or bank transfer. Today, there are strong options at every price point and business size. The key is matching the provider to your specific needs — particularly around team access, delivery channels, and the balance between simplicity and features.