Pay by Link
Pay by Link sends a secure one-time link so customers can pay on their own device, off the phone channel.
How It Works
- The agent triggers a Pay by Link session from within Transact and selects the delivery channel (SMS, chat, or email).
- Transact generates a unique, time-limited secure link and sends it directly to the customer.
- The customer opens the link on their own device — browser autofill and one-touch payment methods (stored cards) are supported.
- The customer enters their card details on the secure hosted page. The agent's Transact screen shows real-time capture status as fields are completed.
- Once both the agent and customer have completed any required fields, the agent submits the payment.
Delivery Channels
| Channel | Notes |
|---|---|
| SMS | Link sent to the customer's mobile number. Widely supported, no app required. |
| Webchat | Link posted directly into an active chat conversation. Ideal for digital-first contact centres. |
| Link sent to the customer's email address. Suitable for low-urgency or follow-up payments. |
Channel availability depends on your account configuration. Multiple channels can be enabled simultaneously.
Customer Experience
The payment page hosted by Transact can be:
- Branded with your organisation's logo, colours, and domain (white-label / custom domain support).
- Pre-populated with any non-sensitive data passed from the agent session (e.g. order reference, amount).
- Accessible — fully keyboard and screen-reader navigable.
Browser autofill and device-stored cards are supported, enabling one-touch payments for returning customers.
PCI DSS Scope Impact
Pay by Link achieves the most complete scope reduction of any Transact capture method:
- No card data transits the telephone network at any point.
- The agent's telephony environment, device, network, and workspace have no exposure to card data.
- Call recordings are unaffected — there is nothing to suppress or redact.
- Only the Transact hosted payment page and the PSP integration are in-scope for PCI DSS assessment.
Pay by Link is particularly well-suited to:
- Remote and home-working agents — Eliminates concerns about the home network environment being in scope.
- Omnichannel contact centres — Works alongside or as a fallback to phone-based capture.
- High-risk or high-value transactions — Provides an additional customer verification touchpoint via the device the link was sent to.
Combining with Other Methods
Pay by Link can be offered as the primary payment method or as an alternative mid-session if:
- A customer is unable to enter card details via keypad.
- Inband Media Detection has flagged a potential issue with the audio channel.
- The customer is on a call type that does not support reliable DTMF transmission.
The agent can switch to Pay by Link at any point without losing session state.