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Version: 0.0.1

Payment Links

Payment Links let merchants accept payments using a ZenPay-hosted payment link without building a custom checkout integration.

This is the simplest ZenPay payment path. A merchant is given a hosted checkout page URL, shares that link with customers, and customers complete payment on the hosted page.

Payment Links can be organised directly with you BDM and do not need consultation with the integrations team. Please reach out to your BDM for setup.

Payment link demo

What this page covers​

This page explains:

  • what Payment Links are
  • when to use them
  • how they differ from Hosted Checkout
  • how the customer flow works
  • what merchants can usually configure
  • where to go next in this section

What Payment Links are​

A Payment Link is a ZenPay-hosted checkout page that is accessed directly by URL.

Instead of loading the JavaScript Plugin from a merchant website and launching checkout from the merchant’s own frontend, the merchant uses a hosted payment link that customers open directly in the browser.

This makes Payment Links a good fit for merchants who want a working payment page quickly and do not need a full embedded integration.

Who this is for​

Payment Links are best for:

  • merchants who want the quickest path to accepting payments
  • teams with low technical overhead
  • merchants who do not need embedded checkout
  • teams that prefer a hosted-link model over a custom integration

This section can be useful for product managers, operations teams, onboarding teams, and merchants evaluating their options.

When to use Payment Links​

Use Payment Links when the merchant wants:

  • a hosted payment link
  • a simple setup
  • little or no development effort
  • a payment page that can be shared directly with customers
  • a fast path to accepting payments

Typical examples include:

  • merchants without a development team
  • merchants starting with a manual or semi-manual payment flow
  • invoice or payment-request style use cases
  • merchants who want to onboard quickly before considering a deeper integration

When not to use Payment Links​

Payment Links are not the right path when the merchant needs:

  • checkout launched from their own site or app
  • embedded modal / iframe checkout
  • redirect checkout controlled from their own frontend
  • application-managed checkout sessions
  • tighter control over the payment flow inside an existing cart, portal, or app journey

In those cases, use Hosted Checkout instead.

How Payment Links differ from Hosted Checkout​

With Payment Links:

  • the customer opens a hosted payment link directly
  • the merchant does not need to load the ZenPay JavaScript Plugin
  • the payment experience starts from the hosted page itself
  • the integration effort is low

Hosted Checkout​

With Hosted Checkout:

  • the merchant site or app launches ZenPay checkout
  • the merchant frontend uses the JavaScript Plugin
  • checkout is launched as modal / iframe or redirect
  • the integration is more flexible but requires implementation work

A simple way to think about it is:

  • Payment Links = hosted link
  • Hosted Checkout = integrated launch from your own site/app

How the customer flow works​

At a high level, the Payment Links flow is:

  1. The merchant is given a hosted checkout page link.
  2. The merchant shares that link with the customer.
  3. The customer opens the page in the browser.
  4. The customer enters their details and payment information.
  5. ZenPay processes the payment on the hosted page.
  6. The merchant is informed of the result through the configured merchant-side process.

This flow is designed to be simple and direct.

Customer experience​

From the customer’s perspective, Payment Links are a hosted payment form.

The page shows:

  • the merchant’s logo (if configured)
  • customer detail fields
  • payment amount
  • supported payment methods
  • confirmation messaging after payment

The page layout and fields are standard across all Payment Links. The merchant logo is the only brandable element.

Merchant configuration​

The only merchant-configurable element on a Payment Link is the merchant logo displayed on the page.

All other aspects of the page — fields, layout, wording, and payment methods — are part of the standard ZenPay-hosted experience and are not editable by the merchant.

See the Setup & Branding page for details on logo configuration.

Notifications and payment outcomes​

After a payment is made, the merchant needs a way to know what happened.

Depending on setup, this may include:

  • email notifications
  • webhook notifications
  • portal/reporting visibility
  • internal reconciliation processes

The details should be documented in the Notifications page.

This overview page should simply explain that payment outcome handling exists and is part of the product setup.

After reading this page, the next pages in this section should be:

  • Setup & Branding
  • Notifications
  • FAQ

If the reader needs integrated checkout instead, direct them to:

  • Hosted Checkout
  • JavaScript Plugin
  • HCP Reference

Summary​

Payment Links are the simplest Zenith-hosted payment option.

Use them when a merchant wants a hosted payment link that customers can open directly, without building a custom checkout integration.

Use Hosted Checkout instead when the merchant needs checkout launched from their own website or application.

Last updated on by Ian Menethil