Twilio Pay Connectors are integrations that link Twilio's voice platform to a payment gateway, so you can capture card payments during phone calls, IVR flows, and AI voice agent conversations.
When a caller needs to pay, Twilio's <Pay> verb triggers a secure payment capture. The caller enters card details via keypad (DTMF tones). A Pay Connector routes those details to a payment gateway, processes the transaction, and returns the result, all within the call.
The connector is what makes the payment actually happen. Without one, Twilio can capture keypad input but has no way to charge a card.
This guide explains how Twilio Pay Connectors work, the limits of Twilio's generic connector, how to take payments on Twilio with any compatible gateway, and how your PCI scope is limited. If you want the product basics first, start with What is Twilio Pay? For the product overview and pricing, see Twilio Pay.
How Twilio Pay Connectors Work
Twilio's <Pay> TwiML verb handles the voice-side mechanics: prompting the caller and capturing DTMF tones, so the digits never reach the agent or the call recording.
The Pay Connector handles everything after capture:
Receives the card data from Twilio's PCI-compliant environment
Validates the card (BIN lookup, Luhn check, expiry)
Routes the transaction to a payment gateway (Stripe, Adyen, Worldpay Access, and others)
Returns the result (approved, declined, error) back to the Twilio call flow
Tokenises the card for future use (if configured)
The caller stays on the line throughout. The card details never reach the agent, human or AI.
Twilio's Built-In Connectors and Their Limits
Twilio ships two kinds of built-in option, and they have different trade-offs.
Named single-gateway connectors. Twilio has first-party connectors for a short list of gateways, including Stripe, Braintree, and CardConnect. Each one links the <Pay> verb to exactly one gateway account. They handle in-call charge and tokenisation, but the <Pay> API has no refund, no auth-then-capture split, and no multi-gateway routing. If your gateway is not on the list, or your enterprise customers mandate a specific PSP, there is no named connector for you. Twilio also now bills per transaction for these connectors (the Stripe connector since January 2024, CardConnect since October 2025).
The Generic Pay Connector. This lets you point <Pay> at any gateway, but you build the integration: Twilio sends the captured card data, including the full card number and CVV, to an endpoint URL you host. That endpoint becomes part of your cardholder data environment, which pulls your infrastructure into full PCI DSS scope, and Twilio requires an Attestation of Compliance before it will switch the connector live. It is designed for payment gateways integrating themselves, not for merchants or platforms.
No multi-PSP routing either way. Whichever built-in option you pick, you get one gateway per connector. Selecting a different gateway per merchant or payment type is not available.
No merchant management. If you are a platform with multiple merchants, each with their own gateway credentials, built-in connectors have no way to manage that. You would need to build the multi-tenant layer yourself.
This is why businesses that are serious about Twilio payments, and platforms serving many merchants, use a third-party Pay Connector that solves these problems.
Shuttle's Twilio Pay Connector
Shuttle is Twilio's chosen provider to enable Twilio Pay for many payment gateways, and is listed on the Twilio Marketplace. For more background, see how Shuttle provides payment connectivity for Twilio Pay.
Here is what makes it different from generic connectors:
30+ Payment Gateways, One Connector
A single Shuttle connector gives you access to 30+ payment gateways, including Stripe, Adyen, Worldpay Access, Checkout.com, Global Payments, FreedomPay, Authorize.net, PayPal, PaySafe, NMI, Opayo, Moneris, USAePay, CardConnect, LiqPay, PayU, and more. You can see the full list on the Shuttle PSP network.
You do not install a separate connector per gateway. You install Shuttle once and configure which gateway each merchant or payment profile uses.
Multi-PSP Coverage
Route transactions to different gateways based on rules:
By merchant so each merchant on your platform uses their own PSP
By payment method so cards go through one gateway and ACH through another
Manual failover: if the primary gateway is down, you can move the affected payment types to another connected gateway. There is no automatic failover, and saved cards stay with the gateway that stored them, so repeat payments on stored cards will not run through the second one
This is critical for platforms and contact centres serving enterprise customers who mandate specific PSPs.
Smart Checkout Profiles
Create multiple payment profiles with different configurations: gateway, currency, payment methods, branding. Switch between profiles without changing your Twilio call flow.
Tokenise and Reuse
Capture a card once over a phone call. Tokenise it. Use that token for future payments across any channel: web, mobile, voice, or payment links. The card data never touches your systems.
PCI DSS Level 1
Shuttle is a PCI DSS Level 1 certified Service Provider. When you use the Shuttle connector, your PCI scope is limited. Merchants complete SAQ-A; platforms complete SAQ-D. Everyone taking card payments has to be PCI compliant, and your acquirer confirms which form applies to you. No card data enters your infrastructure at any point. For the full breakdown, see Twilio PCI compliance.
How to Take Payments on Twilio (Step by Step)
Getting live is a short setup. Here is how to take payments on a Twilio call, IVR, or voice agent.
Step 1: Install from the Twilio Marketplace
Find the Shuttle Pay Connector on the Twilio Marketplace. Click Install. This adds Shuttle as an available Pay Connector in your Twilio account.
Step 2: Configure Your Payment Gateway
Log into the Shuttle dashboard and add your payment gateway credentials. Select which gateway to use, or configure multiple for routing.
Step 3: Add <Pay> to Your Call Flow
In your TwiML, add the <Pay> verb and specify Shuttle as the connector:
<Pay paymentConnector="shuttle-pay-connector"
chargeAmount="49.99"
currency="GBP"
description="Invoice #1234">
</Pay>Step 4: Handle the Result
Twilio sends a webhook with the payment result. Your application handles the response: update the order, confirm to the caller, or trigger the next step in your workflow.
That is it. You are collecting payments over Twilio calls with your PCI scope limited.
Twilio Pay Connectors: Comparison
Feature | Generic Twilio Connector | Shuttle Connector |
|---|---|---|
Payment gateways | 1 per connector | 30+ via single connector |
Multi-PSP routing | No | Yes, by merchant and payment method |
Tokenisation | Limited | Full, reuse tokens across channels |
Pre-auth and capture | Basic | Full support |
Multi-merchant | No | Yes, platform and SaaS multi-tenancy |
PCI certification | Varies by connector | PCI DSS Level 1 Service Provider |
Setup | Build and host your own endpoint | Install from the Twilio Marketplace |
Pricing | Varies | $49 per live instance per month, plus from $0.20 per transaction, falling with volume, billed through your Twilio account |
See full pricing for details.
Common Use Cases
Contact Centres
Agents handle calls. When it is time to pay, the call enters a secure payment segment. The customer enters card details via keypad, the agent stays on the line, but the digits never reach them. Payment is processed through the customer's gateway, and the agent sees a confirmation. See PCI-compliant payments for contact centres.
IVR Payment Lines
Automated phone systems that collect payments without human involvement. Utility bills, insurance premiums, account top-ups: the caller follows prompts and pays via keypad. High volume, low cost. See IVR Payments for how these flows are designed.
AI Voice Agents
AI agents handle conversations autonomously. When the caller is ready to pay, the agent triggers Shuttle's payment flow via the Twilio <Pay> verb. Card capture happens securely and the AI never processes card data. This is how platforms add payments to autonomous voice agents without taking on card-handling risk. See how AI voice agents take PCI-compliant payments.
BPOs and Outsourced Call Centres
BPOs serving multiple clients need each client's transactions routed to that client's own payment gateway. Shuttle's multi-merchant, multi-PSP architecture handles this natively: one Twilio integration, unlimited gateway configurations.
FAQ
What is a Twilio Pay Connector? A Pay Connector links Twilio's <Pay> verb to a payment gateway. It is the bridge between capturing card input during a call and actually processing a payment.
What is the Twilio generic pay connector? The Generic Pay Connector is Twilio's build-it-yourself option: Twilio captures the card details, then sends them (including the full card number) to an endpoint URL you supply. Your endpoint must process the payment and return the result, which puts that infrastructure in full PCI DSS scope. It suits payment gateways integrating themselves; merchants and platforms are usually better served by a hosted connector. See the full guide to the Twilio Generic Pay Connector.
How do I take payments on a Twilio voice agent or IVR? Install the Shuttle Pay Connector from the Twilio Marketplace, add your gateway credentials in the Shuttle dashboard, then add the <Pay> verb to your TwiML with Shuttle set as the connector. The caller enters card details by keypad and the payment is processed inside the call.
How many payment gateways does Twilio support? Twilio's built-in connectors support a limited number. Shuttle's connector supports 30+ gateways through a single integration, including Stripe, Adyen, Worldpay Access, Checkout.com, and more.
Is Twilio PCI compliant for payments? Twilio's <Pay> captures the digits so they are never recorded or exposed to agents. The payment processing side depends on your Pay Connector. Shuttle is PCI DSS Level 1 certified, which limits your PCI scope.
Can I use multiple payment gateways with Twilio? Not with generic connectors, since each connects to one gateway. Shuttle supports multiple PSPs through a single connector, so you can use different gateways for different merchants or payment types.
How much does it cost? Shuttle's Twilio Pay Connector costs $49 per live instance per month, plus from $0.20 per transaction, falling with volume, billed through your Twilio account.
How long does setup take? Installing the connector is a short job: install it from the Twilio Marketplace, add your gateway credentials, and add the <Pay> verb to your call flow.
Related Reading
Choosing a connector:
What Is Twilio Pay? How It Works, Pricing, and Connectors for the plain-English explainer of the product itself
Twilio Stripe Pay Connector: What It Does, Its Limits, and the Multi-Gateway Alternative for the native Stripe connector compared with Shuttle
Twilio Generic Pay Connector: How It Works and What It Means for Your PCI Scope for the build-your-own option and its PCI implications
Twilio PCI Compliance: Payments Without Handling Card Data for how Twilio and Shuttle keep your PCI scope limited
How to Switch Twilio Pay Connectors Without Breaking Your Call Flow for the zero-downtime migration checklist
Twilio Pay Error Codes Explained for what errors 64001 to 64015 mean and which are connector capability limits
ACH Payments Over the Phone for taking bank payments by IVR and agent, and which connectors support ACH charging
Gateway setup guides. Most of these take the card on the call. Where a gateway cannot do in-call capture, its guide shows the payment-link route instead:
Stripe + Twilio, Adyen + Twilio, Worldpay Access + Twilio, Checkout.com + Twilio, Cybersource + Twilio
Braintree + Twilio, CardConnect + Twilio, Authorize.net + Twilio, Global Payments + Twilio, PayPal + Twilio
NMI + Twilio, Moneris + Twilio, Opayo + Twilio, Paysafe + Twilio, PayU + Twilio
FreedomPay + Twilio, USAePay + Twilio, LiqPay + Twilio, QuickBooks Payments + Twilio, Shift4 + Twilio
Mollie + Twilio, Fortis + Twilio, Fat Zebra + Twilio, Trust Payments + Twilio, BS Payone + Twilio
Ecommpay + Twilio, Xendit + Twilio, Transbank + Twilio, NAB + Twilio, ACI Speedpay + Twilio
Going deeper:
What Are Voice Payments? The Complete Guide for IVR, agent-assisted, and AI voice payment models explained
Telnyx Payments: Card Payments Over the Phone for taking card payments when your calls run on Telnyx
Install the Shuttle Pay Connector from the Twilio Marketplace and start collecting payments: 30+ gateways, PCI DSS Level 1, $49 per live instance per month, plus from $0.20 per transaction, falling with volume, billed through your Twilio account. See Voice Checkout or book a discovery call.