Payment Links and Hosted Checkout: How Paysasa Turns a URL into a Storefront

For many businesses, the fastest route to getting paid online is not building a website — it is sending a link. For others, it is a checkout page that plugs into an existing store. Paysasa offers both through payment links and hosted checkout, and both rely on the same idea: a secure Paysasa page where customers pay and businesses get a clear record.

This feature deep dive explains how they work and when to use each.

The idea: a secure page you do not have to build

Instead of asking customers to type your Paybill, account number and amount, you send them to a page that already contains everything: what they are paying for, how much and the payment methods available. They pay; you get a reference.

Benefits:

• Fewer mistakes — no mistyped numbers or wrong amounts.
• Faster payment — customers pay in a few taps.
• Clear records — every payment is linked to a link or session.
• Professional image — a proper payment page builds trust.

Payment links

Payment links are created in your dashboard and shared anywhere. Key features:

• Branded links with a title, amount, currency and description.
• Reusable and no expiry by default — one link can serve many customers.
• Suitable for fixed charges, donations or open-amount collections.
• Payer reports to see who paid.

They are perfect for social sellers, service providers taking deposits, tutors, salons, workshop organisers and anyone who sells in chats.

Hosted checkout

Hosted checkout is designed for websites and apps. Your server creates a checkout session through the Paysasa API, and the customer is redirected to the session's hosted URL to pay. Afterwards, they return to your `success_url` or `cancel_url`.

Key features:

• Per-order sessions with your own metadata, such as an order ID.
• Choice of methods per session, such as wallet and M-Pesa for KES, or PayPal for USD.
• Webhooks that notify your server when payment succeeds.
• Clear lifecycle: pending, processing, completed — or failed, expired or cancelled.
• Expiry after 30 minutes by default, so stale sessions do not linger.
• Idempotency on payment requests to prevent duplicate charges.

Optional split payouts

Both checkout and links can work with checkout split payouts, so a portion of each payment automatically moves to other wallets in the same business — for example, a reserve or branch wallet. Splits can be percentage-based or fixed amounts.

Payment methods

Depending on your account and currency, customers can pay using methods such as M-Pesa, Paysasa wallet, cards through PCI DSS-compliant partners and PayPal for USD. Remember that M-Pesa requires KES.

Trust and verification

To collect payments, businesses must complete KYC and business verification. Paid sales settle to the business wallet chosen for that checkout, not a personal fallback. For higher-value purchases, buyer protection can hold funds until delivery terms are met.

When to use what

• Selling in chats or on social media? Use a payment link.
• Running a website or app? Use hosted checkout through the API.
• Billing for completed work with line items? Use an invoice.
• Selling at a counter? Use POS Lite or your short till.

An illustrative example

Imagine a skincare brand in Nairobi. On Instagram, the team sends reusable payment links for its three best-selling bundles. On its website, each order creates a hosted checkout session with the order number in the metadata, and a webhook updates the order as paid. A default split moves a share of every payment into a marketing wallet. Two channels, one dashboard, clean records.

Availability

Payment Links & Checkout is a module-gated feature; its current status is shown on the Paysasa features page, and module availability can vary by account. If you do not see payment links in your dashboard, check Module settings or contact Paysasa.

For developers

Payment links are created with `POST /payment-links`, and checkout sessions with `POST /checkout/sessions`, both using minor units. See the Paysasa API docs.

Fees

Checkout fees are listed on the pricing page.

Conclusion

Payment links and hosted checkout turn a simple URL into a secure storefront. Whether you sell in WhatsApp chats or on a full e-commerce site, Paysasa gives your customers an easy way to pay and gives you a clear record of every sale.

Ready to start collecting online? Explore Payment Links & Checkout or create your Paysasa business account.