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Software solution

Square Payment Links

Turn a text, post, or QR code into a straightforward way to get paid.

Square Payment Links gives a bakery taking preorders, a contractor collecting a deposit, a fitness instructor filling a class, or a nonprofit accepting a donation a checkout page without requiring a full online store. Create a link in Square Dashboard or the Square Point of Sale app, set the amount or item, then share it by text, email, social post, QR code, or an embedded buy button.

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Built for your day-to-day

How it fits your business

Customers can use cards and supported digital wallets, while the business tracks link sales in Square Dashboard. It is especially useful for fixed-price services, event tickets, recurring charges, and one-off campaigns, but it is not a replacement for a full catalog or every Square order workflow.

Key capabilities

What you can do

  • Launch a checkout without building a store

    Create links for a payment, item, donation, or event/class from Square Dashboard. A business can start with a title, amount or catalog item, and description rather than building a separate ecommerce site.

  • Share one reusable destination

    Reuse a link for a standard deposit, service, class, or product and distribute it by email, SMS or group text, social media, QR code, or an embedded buy button. One link can accept payments from multiple customers.

  • Offer familiar online payment methods

    Card payments are accepted automatically, and Dashboard settings can enable Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Cash App Pay. Afterpay can also be enabled for eligible online purchases, with its separate processing rate.

  • Collect useful checkout details

    Dashboard links can add up to two custom fields, customer notes, tipping, a logo, business name, merchant policies, coupons, and a post-checkout redirect. This suits appointment deposits, class rosters, catering notes, and service requests, provided the collected information is appropriate for the business.

  • Keep link performance with Square reporting

    Square Dashboard records sales by payment link and lets the seller filter sales by the Payment Links source. That gives a caterer, class operator, or campaign manager a practical way to compare shared links without a separate tracking system.

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Product details

Plans, fees, and what you need

Square says Payment Links have no monthly fee and lists a 3.3% + $0.30 online processing fee per transaction for new Square customers. Afterpay transactions are listed at 6% + $0.30 per transaction. The broader Square U.S. pricing page says Square Free has no monthly subscription cost, while Plus and Premium have subscriptions and lower processing rates; the exact Payment Links rate for a paid plan should be confirmed against the account's current plan. A seller needs a Square account and a linked bank account for transfers. Hardware is not required: Square identifies payment links as a no-hardware payment method. A stable internet connection and a current supported browser or current Square app are operational prerequisites.

Where it fits—and where it does not

Payment Links are a strong fit for a contractor's standard deposit, a professional service's fixed-price payment, a fitness class, a healthcare or wellness intake payment, a nonprofit donation, or a restaurant's preordered item when a simple checkout is enough. Square's support documentation says links cannot be created or customized from Square Restaurants POS, Square Appointments POS, or Square Invoices apps; use Square Dashboard or the Square Point of Sale app instead. Dashboard supports event/class links, while the POS app currently does not.

Important fulfillment and administration limits

For item links, pickup and shipping can be configured, but pickup is not available for events or subscriptions. Payment Links do not support manually applied online taxes set on pickup and shipping orders, and international links cannot apply tax or shipping settings. A link must remain Active to work; deleting or deactivating it cannot be undone. Payment Links are enabled for one location at a time in the POS add-on, and employees need the relevant Payment Links permission if the owner wants staff to manage them.

Plan details

Pricing, fees & eligibility

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No monthly fee for Square Payment Links. Square's U.S. product page states the standard online rate shown here applies to new Square customers; paid Square plans may show lower online rates, and high-volume sellers may qualify for custom pricing.

Monthly software (USD)$0

Fees & eligibility

  • Standard online card payment

    Square U.S. Payment Links page; applies to new Square customers for online transactions. Confirm the account's current plan pricing before publishing a quote.

    3.3% + $0.30 per transaction
  • Afterpay online transaction

    When the customer pays through Afterpay and the seller has enabled online Afterpay; eligibility and settings apply.

    6% + $0.30 per transaction

Requirements

  • A U.S. Square account with a linked bank account for transfers.
  • Payment-link access in Square Dashboard or the Square Point of Sale app.
  • Account-owner access or a team role with Payment Links permission.
  • A current supported browser or current Square app and a stable internet connection.
  • No Square payment hardware is required for the link checkout itself.

Verified against official Square U.S. pages on 2026-10-27; rates and feature availability can change.

Square's 3.3% + $0.30 rate is explicitly qualified on the product page as applying to new Square customers. Square Plus, Premium, and custom pricing may differ.

Afterpay is a separate 6% + $0.30 transaction rate, not the standard online rate.

Payment Links are not a full ecommerce catalog: Square directs larger catalogs, broader fulfillment, and fully customizable stores to Square Website/Online products.

International links are documented as available, but taxes and shipping fee settings cannot be applied to international sales.

Seller policies displayed on a link are the seller's responsibility and Square does not guarantee they are legal or enforceable.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Do I need Square hardware to use Payment Links?

No. Square says payment links can be used without hardware. Create and manage them in Square Dashboard, or use the Payment Links add-on in the Square Point of Sale app; hardware can remain optional for in-person operations.

Can a customer pay from a Payment Link with Apple Pay or Google Pay?

Yes, where supported and enabled in Square Dashboard. Card payments are accepted automatically, and Dashboard settings can enable Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Cash App Pay. Apple Pay appears in settings only when using Safari.

Can I use Payment Links for recurring payments, classes, or donations?

Yes. Square documents one-time or recurring payment frequency in Dashboard and supports links for events or classes and donations. The POS app does not currently support creating event/class links, and pickup is not available for events or subscriptions.

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