How does a payment link work?
The merchant creates a link with an amount, a currency and its own reference, and sends it to the customer, who opens a hosted page, picks a method and pays. Links can be single use for one order or reusable: Stripe’s Payment Links can be reused with many customers or limited to a number of purchases, and Adyen’s API takes a reusable flag. Links also expire, and Adyen’s default is 24 hours.
Why does it matter?
It brings checkout to channels with no cart: a sales chat, a call centre, a social media message or an invoice. As an illustrative example: a call centre closes 400 orders a week at 80 euros each by reading card details over the phone. Sending links instead keeps card numbers away from agents, and if 90% of links are paid, the team collects 28,800 euros a week and sends reminders for the other 40 orders.
What are the limits?
A link is paid only when the provider confirms it. Stripe sends a checkout.session.completed event when a link payment completes and warns that methods such as bank debits or vouchers can take 2 to 14 days to confirm. Adyen gives links a paymentPending status for asynchronous flows and sends the link ID in its AUTHORISATION webhook. Matching payments to orders needs the merchant’s reference on every link. Adyen advises against using Pay by Link as the only way to accept payments in an online shop, and since 1 November 2025 its links cannot be embedded in an iframe.
Where does Omno use it?
Omno’s Direct Links put alternative methods, wallets and crypto on the merchant’s own buttons, and the same flow suits payment links on invoices. They do not cover cards. The merchant’s backend creates a pay-in with a directRouteId, processes it to get a redirectUrl and sends the customer there, with no Omno UI. The final status comes from the webhook or from GET /public/payin/{id}. Card payments go through the hosted checkout or Card Fields instead.