What it is
A payment link is a unique URL you generate for a specific amount, which you send to a customer by text, email or messaging app. The customer clicks it, enters their card details on a secure payment page, and the money settles into your Tide account. There's no card reader, no phone tapping, and no invoice needed — it's suited to remote or informal transactions where you want to be paid immediately rather than waiting on a bank transfer.
Who can access it and on which plans
Payment links are typically available across plans since they require no hardware, though transaction limits, monthly volume allowances or fee rates may differ by tier. Check current plan-level detail on our plans and fees page, particularly if you expect to send a high volume of payment links each month.
How it works step by step
- Generate a payment link in the app for a specific amount, optionally with a description.
- Send the link to the customer via whichever channel suits — text, email, WhatsApp.
- The customer opens the link and enters card details on a secure hosted payment page.
- The transaction processes and a confirmation is shown to both parties.
- Funds settle into your Tide account within the standard settlement period, net of the processing fee.
Current cost and allowances
As with the card reader and tap to pay, expect a per-transaction processing fee, typically a percentage of the amount. There's usually no separate subscription cost for the feature beyond your plan. Check current fee rates on our plans and fees page, and compare them against invoice-based payment options if you're deciding between the two for a given transaction.
A worked example
A driving instructor takes payment for lessons booked last-minute by text message. Rather than raising a full invoice for a one-off £35 lesson, he sends a payment link straight after confirming the booking; the pupil pays by card within the message thread, and the money is in his account before the lesson even starts. For repeat pupils with a standing arrangement, he still uses full invoicing instead, since it tracks a running balance more usefully.
Limitations and exclusions
Payment links work best for one-off or occasional payments rather than ongoing billing relationships, where invoicing with terms and tracking is more appropriate. They also depend on the customer being willing and able to pay by card online, which isn't universal for every customer base. As with any card transaction, a processing fee applies, which matters if you're pricing tight margins on small transactions.
How it compares with alternatives
PayPal, Stripe payment links and similar services offer the same basic mechanic, often with competitive per-transaction rates at scale and wider customer familiarity. Tide's version keeps settlement inside the account you already bank with, avoiding a second platform and a manual transfer step; a business sending high volumes of payment links regularly should compare the actual fee percentage against alternatives before assuming Tide is cheapest.
Relationship to the REFER200 offer
Payment links generate income for you, not card spend, so receiving a payment via a link doesn't count towards the £100 qualifying spend step. Only your own card spend — for example on an expense card — counts towards that step.
Setting up payment links, step by step
- Open the payment links tool in the app and generate a link for a specific amount, adding a short description so the customer knows what they're paying for.
- Choose your send channel — copy the link into a text message, email or messaging app.
- Check the current processing fee on our plans and fees page before pricing very small transactions, since the fee is usually a percentage.
- Confirm the customer has received and can open the link, particularly if they're on an older device or an unfamiliar messaging app.
- Keep a note of which link was for which job if you send several a day, since links are typically not automatically matched to an invoice the way in-app invoicing is.
A worked scenario
A tutor who teaches one-off exam-prep sessions previously took payment by bank transfer, which meant chasing a share of parents after each session. Switching to a payment link sent by text immediately after booking gets most parents to pay before the session even starts, since it takes seconds rather than requiring them to open a banking app and enter details manually. Regular weekly pupils are still billed through full invoicing instead, since a payment link doesn't track an ongoing balance the way an invoice with terms does.
Who this suits, and who needs more
Payment links suit anyone taking occasional, one-off payments remotely — tutors, consultants, small service providers — who don't want the overhead of raising a formal invoice for every transaction. A business with recurring billing relationships, subscriptions, or the need for a paper trail per client is better served by invoicing (see our invoicing page), which tracks status and matches payments automatically.
Alternatives within Tide and beyond
Within Tide, invoicing suits ongoing client relationships better than a one-off link, and tap to pay suits in-person transactions where the customer is physically present. Outside Tide, Stripe and PayPal payment links offer similar functionality with wide customer familiarity, often worth comparing on fee percentage if you send links in volume.