Payment links are a one-time setup. There are two independent pieces: the payment side (Stripe) and the texting side (Twilio SMS). You can do them in either order, and you can ship with just Stripe if you plan to send the link by email, copy-paste, or QR.
What each piece unlocks
| You want to... | You need... |
|---|---|
| Take a card payment through the link | Stripe Connect |
| Copy the link to paste anywhere | Stripe Connect |
| Show a payment QR to a customer in person | Stripe Connect |
| Print a pay QR on the invoice PDF | Stripe Connect |
| Put the "Pay online" button in invoice emails | Stripe Connect |
| Have PortaPro text the link from your business number | Stripe Connect and Twilio SMS |
Nothing here requires both. If you finish Stripe but never do SMS, every surface still works, the operator or the customer sends the link themselves.
Part 1: Stripe Connect
Stripe Connect is the payment processor behind the /pay page. Setting it up creates a Stripe account tied to your business, hooked to your bank, that Stripe deposits payouts into.
That is the whole thing. From that moment, every payment surface in Get paid faster with payment links works. For a deeper look at onboarding status and disconnecting, see Payments Setup and Stripe Connect.
How to tell if Stripe is set up: open any unpaid invoice, click Collect Payment, and look for the "Show payment QR" or "Copy payment link" buttons. If the QR window shows a real code, you are done. If it shows an amber "Card payments aren't set up yet" notice with a link back to Payments, Stripe is not connected yet.
Part 2: Twilio SMS (optional, only for texting the link)
Skip this part if you plan to email links or use QR codes only.
Texting from PortaPro uses your organization's own Twilio subaccount so that:
Once your SMS status shows Active, the Text link button in the Collect Payment window becomes usable and the recipient picker populates with the customer's numbers.
Why you cannot text before this is done: carriers require every sender to be registered. Sending SMS without registration either fails outright or delivers as filtered spam.
Part 3: (Optional) Turn on the invoice-PDF QR and email button
These are org-wide preferences under Settings → Financials → Invoices:
Both toggles are safe to flip on before Stripe is fully connected, they self-hide on an org without Connect, so you will not accidentally send a customer a QR that scans to an error.
Troubleshooting
"Card payments aren't set up yet" appears everywhere. Stripe Connect is not linked. Go to Settings → Financials → Payments and finish onboarding.
Texting doesn't send, it says "SMS is not enabled for your organization." Your Twilio setup is not Active yet. Check Settings → SMS for the current registration status. Brand and campaign approval usually takes 1-5 business days.
The customer says the QR scans but the page won't load. If they scanned a QR on an old paper invoice for something they already paid, the page correctly says "Payment unavailable", the invoice is settled or voided. Send a fresh link if there is a new balance.
"Payment unavailable" on a new invoice. This means Stripe is not connected. Same fix as the first item.
The pay QR doesn't print on my emailed invoice. Check that the toggle is on under Settings → Financials → Invoices, and that Stripe is connected. The QR only prints when both are true and the invoice still has a balance owing.