Online payment options for small business are the places and moments where you ask for money: an invoice link, a payment link, a checkout on your website, a deposit at booking, or a recurring subscription. This article answers which of those options to use for each kind of sale, and how to set each one up on the levelpartner.ai platform. It is about where the pay button lives in the client's journey, not which card or bank method sits behind it.
Why the option matters more than the method
Most firms put all their effort into the payment method and leave the option to habit. Everything is invoiced, at the end, by email. That works for project work, but it is the slowest route for anything a client would happily pay for upfront.
A consultancy selling a fixed-price diagnostic, an agency selling an audit, a broker charging a booking fee, a lettings team taking a holding deposit: each of these can be paid at the moment the client says yes. Moving payment earlier is one of the quickest ways to improve cash flow without selling more.
The five options and when to use each
Invoice. For work agreed in conversation and priced individually. Raise it from the contact and send it by email or text.
Payment link. For a fixed-price service sold one to one. Create the link once and paste it into an email, a chat or a proposal.
Website checkout. For packaged services you sell repeatedly. Build an order form or checkout page in Sites so clients can buy without talking to anyone.
Booking deposit. For consultations, viewings or sessions where no-shows cost you. Take a deposit or full fee when the client books on your calendar.
Subscription. For retainers and memberships. The client agrees once and is charged on schedule.
Before you start
- A processor connected in Payments and tested with a real payment.
- Your fixed-price services saved as products.
- A calendar set up in Calendars, if you want to take booking deposits.
- A landing page or website in Sites, if you want a checkout.
- Terms for deposits and cancellations, published where clients will see them.
How to set up each option
- For invoices: go to Payments, then Invoices & Estimates, click + New, choose New invoice and send a test to an internal contact.
- For payment links: go to Payments, then Payment Links, click Create Link, name it, select a product and its price, and click Save.
- Click Preview, copy the link from your browser and paste it into an email template so the team can send it in one click.
- For website checkout: in Sites, then Funnels, open the step, add the product on the Products tab and drag a One Step Order element onto the page.
- Click Preview to test the checkout, then click Publish.
- For booking deposits: in Calendar Settings, edit the calendar, turn on Accept Payments under Forms & Payments and enter the Amount.
- For subscriptions: create a product with a Recurring price, then use it on a recurring invoice or a checkout.
- Test each option end to end with an internal contact and a real card.
- Refund each test from Payments, then Transactions, using the three dots and Refund.
Choosing by type of sale
Agencies usually need invoices for projects, subscriptions for retainers and a checkout for small packaged audits. Consultants lean on payment links for fixed-scope work and invoices for the rest. Mortgage brokers often take a fee at booking or by invoice at application. Real estate teams use deposits on booking for valuations and payment links for holding fees and referencing.
You do not need all five. Pick the two or three that match how you actually sell, and set them up well.
Say the valuation team loses about 15 appointments a month to no-shows, each one a wasted trip. A small refundable deposit taken at online booking gives clients a reason to turn up or cancel properly. If no-shows fell to three or four a month, that would save about a dozen trips. The deposits could be credited against the agency fee for clients who go on to list. Numbers for illustration only.
What it replaces and the time it takes
These options replace the default of invoicing everything after the fact. Each one takes between ten minutes and an hour to set up, depending on whether it needs a page building. Once they exist, they cost no weekly time, because clients pay themselves.
The mistake most people make
Taking payment upfront for work that is not yet scoped. A payment link for a fixed service is fine. Asking for payment before you know what the client needs creates refunds and arguments. Use upfront options only for services with a fixed scope and price, and invoice everything else.
The second mistake is unclear deposit terms. If the client does not know whether the deposit is refundable, you will spend more time on the argument than the deposit is worth.
When to stick with invoicing
If every engagement is bespoke and priced after discovery, invoices are the right option and the others will rarely be used. Put your effort into getting invoices out faster and chasing automatically. The guide to building an invoice workflow covers that.
Troubleshooting
The booking page does not ask for payment. Payment at booking is switched off for that calendar, or the processor is not connected. Check both.
A payment link was paid but no contact was created. The link was paid by someone not yet in your Contacts. Check the payments list and link the payment to the right contact.
A checkout page takes payment but sends no confirmation. Add a confirmation email to the order form's follow-up or to a workflow triggered by the purchase.
Subscription clients cannot cancel. Decide your cancellation process and say how it works in the confirmation email, then handle cancellations from the subscription record.
Related guides
For the instruments behind these options, see which payment methods to offer. For a single place where clients find their invoices, read setting up a payment portal. For paying by text, see the text to pay guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a payment link and an invoice?
An invoice is issued to a named client for specific work, with a number and due date. A payment link is a reusable way to pay for a fixed product, and anyone with the link can use it.
Can I take a deposit when a client books a call?
Yes. Switch on payment at booking in the calendar's settings and set the amount. Publish your refund terms on the booking page.
Should every service have a checkout page?
No. Only packaged services with a fixed scope and price. Bespoke work belongs on an estimate and an invoice.
Can a client pay a subscription from a website page?
Yes. Attach a recurring product to a checkout or order form in Sites, and the client is charged on schedule after the first payment.