Create and send payment links from the Yoco App (mobile or web) and share them with customers via SMS, WhatsApp, or email – even if you don’t have a Yoco card machine.
Payment links are the perfect payment method for:
Deliveries and remote orders.
Customers who can’t visit your store.
Times when load shedding makes card machines tricky.
Creating and sending a payment link
Go to the Sales tab.
Select the Payment link button in the top right corner of your screen.
Enter the customer's name (this will appear on the payment link).
Tap the Amount button to add a custom amount to the bill, or the Products button to add products to the payment link.
Add an optional description, e.g. an invoice number (this will appear on the payment link).
Select the blue Create link button.
Select the Preview tile/widget.
Check that you’re happy with the details you’ve entered.
Please note: This is a preview of a live payment link – sharing it from this screen for payment will incur the normal Yoco transaction fees.Share the link with your customer directly from the Yoco App (mobile or web), or copy it by tapping the icon (two overlapping pages) to the right of the link and share it however you like.
The new link will appear at the top of the list of payment links on your Payment Links page in the Yoco App (mobile or web).
Please note: You can’t change the amount or description on a payment once you’ve created it. If the link is still pending (unpaid), you can delete it and create a new link with the correct details.
✨ Need to change the business details that display on your payment link? Go to your Business settings by selecting your business name in the top right corner of your screen (mobile app) or from the menu on the left of your screen (web app). Then select the Business details tile/widget.
Viewing your payment links
Select the Sales tab.
Select the Payment Links tile/widget.
A full list of your paid and pending payment links will appear – paid links are marked in green.
Use the Date and Unpaid buttons to filter your list of links.
Select a paid payment link to view its sale details.
✨ You can also view your paid payment links in your Sales history in the Yoco App (mobile or web).
Resharing a payment link
💡 Good to know: You can only reshare payment links for pending links.
Select the Sales tab.
Select the Payment Links tile/widget.
Select the payment link you’d like to reshare from the list.
When the details pop-up appears, you can either share the link straight from the Yoco Mobile App, or copy and paste the link to share it anywhere you like.
Deleting a payment link
💡 Good to know: You can only reshare payment links for pending links.
Select the Sales tab.
Select the Payment Links tile/widget.
Select the payment link you’d like to delete from the list.
When the details pop-up appears, select the red trash can icon to delete the link.
Confirm that you want to delete the payment link – this action can’t be undone.
Resending a payment link receipt
💡 Good to know: You can only resend payment link receipts for paid links.
Select the Sales tab.
Select the Sales history tile/widget.
Select the payment link you’d like to send a receipt for from the list (use the available filters to help you narrow down your search).
Select the grey tile/widget below the Payment details heading.
Select the Send receipt button to preview your receipt.
Select Send receipt if you’re happy with the preview.
Enter the customer’s email address or mobile number, then select the Send button.
Refunding a payment link
Select the Sales tab.
Select the Sales history tile/widget.
Select the payment link you want to refund from the list.
Select the grey tile/widget below the Payment details heading.
When the pop-up appears, select the Refund button.
Confirm that you want to refund the payment.
Choose a reason for the refund (your customer won’t see this), then select the Request refund button – this action can’t be undone.
✨ Failed refund? Select the payment link in your Sales history for more information about why the refund failed.
Editing a payment link note
💡 Good to know: You can only edit notes for paid links.
Select the Sales tab.
Select the Sales history tile/widget.
Select the payment link you want to refund from the list.
Select the grey tile/widget below the Payment details heading.
When the pop-up appears, select the Edit note button.
Change the note you added when you created the payment link and select the Save button.
🎯 Troubleshooting Tips
My customer can’t submit their card details. What should I do? If your customer says they can’t click the Submit button after entering their details, it could be for one of two reasons:
They’ve entered their card details with spaces or special characters. If this is the case, ask them to carefully re-enter their details without spaces or symbols.
They have an unstable internet connection. Transactions require a secure, stable Wi-Fi or data connection. Click here to find out more, then ask your customer to try again using a stronger internet or data connection.
The transaction was declined/aborted or payment failed. Now what?
Payments can fail for a few different reasons. In most cases, it’s a problem on the customer’s side – like banking issues or typing errors. Here are some of the most common reasons for a failed transaction:
The customer entered their card details incorrectly.
The customer lost internet connection during the payment. Check how to test a connection here.
The card isn’t accepted by Yoco. We accept all MasterCard and Visa debit and credit cards, American Express, international cards, swipe cards, chip and PIN, and SASSA cards. We don’t accept Fleet, RCS, Diners, or Petrol cards. View the full list here.
The customer’s bank declined the payment. This could be because:
There aren’t enough funds.
The customer didn’t complete 3D Secure authentication.
The bank doesn’t support 3D Secure.
The bank blocks online payments.
The bank is experiencing downtime.
Our platform is down (this is very rare). If it happens, you’ll be notified by email, in the Yoco App, or via a message on your card machine.
My customer can’t open the payment link. What should I do? If your customer is struggling to open the payment link, try these steps:
Create a new payment link and send it again.
Test the link yourself. If it works for you, the issue is likely on the customer’s side. If it doesn’t work for you either, please contact Yoco Support immediately via our in-app chat to report the fault. This should never happen.
It says the transaction is pending. What does this mean? When a payment is pending, it means that it hasn’t been made yet, or it’s still being processed and it’s still too soon to tell whether it’ll be approved or not. If your customer says they’ve paid, but it’s ‘pending’ on your side, ask them to send through proof of payment so we can look into what happened.
Find out more about why transactions fail here.