A natural choice when WhatsApp is already where you arrange the work. Keep the message short and make the amount obvious.
Example
Hi Sarah, thanks again for today. The £65 for the clean is due today. You can pay here: [payment link]
How to send a payment link on WhatsApp, text or Instagram
Send the link where you already talk to the customer. The important bit is making the amount and purpose clear — then keeping track of what happens after you send it.
WhatsAppSMSInstagram DMMessengerEmail
A normal customer conversation
Keep the payment clear and easy to recognise.
Hi Sarah, thanks again for today. The £65 for the clean is due today. You can pay here:
simply-link.co.uk/pay/...
Payment Request
Sarah · Regular clean
Amount
£65
Due
Today
Status
Awaiting
The link gets the customer to the payment page. The Payment Request keeps the amount, due date and payment status attached to the right job afterwards.
Quick answer
How do you send a payment link?
Create the payment request or link, check the amount, copy the secure URL and paste it into the conversation you already use with the customer. Add a short explanation saying what the payment is for, how much is due and when it is due if that matters.
1
Create the request
Set the right customer, amount, job or service and due date.
2
Check it
Make sure the amount and what the payment is for are clear.
3
Share the link
Send the secure URL in the conversation the customer already uses.
4
Track what happens
Do not rely on memory to tell you whether the payment is finished.
Sending the link is usually the easy bit. The part that becomes admin is remembering whether Sarah paid, whether Dave still owes the balance, and whether you already sent a reminder.
Where to send it
Use the place where you already talk to the customer
There is no universal “best” app. A familiar conversation is often clearer than moving somebody onto a new channel just because money is involved.
Text message / SMS
Useful when texting is already your normal customer contact. The customer will need a phone that can open the web link and an internet connection.
Example
Hi Dave, here's the payment link for today's garden work (£90): [payment link]. Thanks.
Instagram DM
Makes sense for businesses that already take enquiries through Instagram. Context matters because unexpected payment links can look suspicious.
Example
Thanks Emma — your deposit is £30. You can pay it here to confirm the booking: [payment link]
Facebook Messenger
If the customer has just agreed the work with you in Messenger, keep the payment request in the same conversation.
Example
Thanks Mike. The £80 for Friday's job is due on completion. You can pay here: [payment link]
Good when there is more detail around the job or the customer already prefers email. Keep the actual payment request easy to spot.
Example
The deposit is £120 and is due by Monday. You can pay securely using this link: [payment link]
What to write
Give the customer enough context to recognise the payment
A payment message normally only needs to answer a few questions: who is asking, what the payment is for, how much is due and when it is due. Then give them the link.
What the payment is for
The amount due
The due date, if relevant
The payment link
After finishing the work
For a payment due after the job
Hi [Name], thanks again for today. The payment for [work/service] is £[amount]. You can pay here: [payment link]. Thanks.
Deposit
When a deposit is needed before the work
Hi [Name], your deposit for [job/booking] is £[amount]. You can pay it here to confirm the booking: [payment link]. The remaining balance is £[balance].
Remaining balance
When the deposit has already been paid
Hi [Name], thanks again for [job/service]. Your deposit is already paid and the remaining balance is £[amount], due [day/date]. You can pay it here: [payment link].
Friendly reminder
For a payment that is still waiting
Hi [Name], just a quick reminder that the £[amount] for [job/service] is still outstanding. Here’s the payment link again: [payment link]. Thanks.
Overdue payment
When the agreed due date has passed
Hi [Name], just following up on the £[amount] for [job/service], which was due [day/date]. You can still use the same payment link here: [payment link]. Please let me know if there’s a problem. Thanks.
You do not need to make it sound like a legal notice.
“Hi Amy, the £45 balance for Saturday’s session is due today” is clearer than dressing a normal payment request up as “settlement of the outstanding balance”.
Timing
Send the request when the payment naturally becomes relevant
The closer the request is to the customer’s actual booking or work, the easier it is to understand what they are paying for.
Payment due when the job is finished
Send the request when you finish the work, while the job is still fresh in both of your minds.
Deposit before a booking or job
Send the deposit request when the customer confirms they want to go ahead, and make clear what the deposit secures.
Balance due on a later date
Put the due date in the message rather than relying on the customer to remember an informal conversation from earlier.
The part people forget to plan for
Sending the link is not the same as getting paid
A customer says, “I’ll do it tonight.” Three days later you randomly remember the payment while doing something else.
Now you are checking the banking app, searching old messages and trying to work out whether you already reminded them. None of those jobs is difficult. The annoying part is having to keep the unfinished payment in your head.
Who still owes me money?
How much is still due?
When was it due?
Did I already remind them?
Has it actually been paid?
That is the difference between a payment link and a payment workflow.
The link answers “how can this customer pay me?”. A useful workflow also answers what is still owed, when it is due, whether you followed up and what has already been paid.
Choosing a tool
You have plenty of ways to create a payment link
Stripe, Square, PayPal, SumUp and other payment providers can all help businesses take remote payments. If all you need is a shareable checkout URL, one of those may be enough.
The better question is what you need around the payment. If several customers, due dates, deposits, balances and reminders are starting to spread across messages, your banking app and memory, the surrounding workflow matters more.
Pick the tool that fits the job you actually have.
Do not choose a whole business platform just because you need one payment link. Equally, do not choose a bare link generator if the real pain is keeping track of what happens afterwards.
Compare UK payment link toolsHow Simply Link approaches it
Keep the payment attached to the customer and the job
Simply Link starts with a Payment Request, not an anonymous link. The request keeps the useful context together: Customer, Service or job, amount, due date and whether it is a full payment or a deposit and balance.
Once the request is live, you choose when and how to share it. Making a Payment Request live does not automatically send it.
Create
Create a Payment Request for the Customer and Service or job.
Preview
Check the amount, due date and payment details before it goes live.
Share
Use WhatsApp or email directly, or copy the link for SMS, Instagram or Messenger.
Track
See what is awaiting payment, overdue or paid in Payment Tracker.
Follow up
Send a reminder when it needs attention. Automatic reminder coverage depends on your plan.
Reuse
Keep the Customer, Service and payment history together for the next piece of work.
The link gets them to the payment page.
The Payment Request gives everything around that payment somewhere to live.
Trust and security
Make the request easy for the customer to recognise
People are rightly cautious about unexpected links asking for money. Give the customer context, use the conversation they already recognise where possible, and never ask them to send card details back to you in a message.
With Simply Link, Stripe handles the card payment.
Customer card details are handled by Stripe. Simply Link does not store customer card details.
Send the link through a conversation the customer already recognises where possible.
Say exactly what the payment is for and how much is due.
Do not ask customers to send card numbers or security details back in a message.
Avoid fake urgency or threatening language.
If the customer is unsure, let them verify the request through a contact method they already know.
Keep a payment message about the payment
If you are contacting somebody because they owe an agreed payment or need to pay a deposit for work they requested, keep the message factual and relevant. Adding unrelated promotions can turn a straightforward service message into direct marketing, where different UK rules may apply.
It is also simply clearer for the customer: they know why you contacted them and what they need to do.
Quick questions
Payment link FAQs
Which app is best for sending payment links?
There is no single best app. Use the channel you already use with that customer. Familiar context is usually more useful than moving them somewhere new just for payment.
Can I send a Simply Link payment link by text or Instagram?
Yes. Simply Link supports direct WhatsApp and email sharing, and you can copy the payment link and paste it into SMS, Instagram DM, Messenger or another conversation yourself.
Does making a Payment Request live automatically send it?
No. Making a Payment Request live publishes the secure customer payment page. You still choose when and how to share it.
How do I avoid forgetting to chase an unpaid payment?
Keep the amount, due date and current status somewhere you can see them. Simply Link keeps that context in Payment Tracker and supports manual reminders. Automatic reminder coverage depends on your plan.
Is it secure to send a payment link in a message?
The customer should be able to recognise why the request was sent and what it is for. With Simply Link, Stripe handles the card payment and Simply Link does not store customer card details.
Related Guides
Continue learning with these related guides:
Create a Payment Link in Seconds
Learn how to create payment links manually and with Simply Link.
Read guideHow to Chase Late Payments Automatically
Automate payment reminders and reduce late payments.
Read guideBest Payment Link Tools in the UK (2025 Comparison)
Compare PayPal, Stripe, Square, SumUp, Zettle, and Simply Link.
Read guideHow to Accept Card Payments Without a Card Machine
Learn how to take card payments without buying a card reader.
Read guideTry the workflow
Use Simply Link for the next customer who owes you money
Create the Payment Request, share it with your customer and keep what is still due, overdue or paid in one place instead of rebuilding it from messages later.
Free to start · No card needed to sign up · Payments processed by Stripe