---
title: "Payment links instead of a virtual terminal · Fungies"
description: "We do not offer keyed card entry by your staff. For one-off payments from a named customer, send a checkout link and let them enter their own card."
image: "https://fungies.io/og-image.jpg"
canonical: "https://fungies.io/virtual-terminal-payment-processing/"
---

Features · Payment links

# Send the customer a link rather than typing in their card

A virtual terminal is a form your staff use to key in someone else's card number, usually while they read it out over the phone. We do not offer one and are not planning to. For a digital business the same job is done by sending the buyer a checkout URL, and that version is cheaper, safer and less work to defend.

[Start free](https://app.fungies.io/register)

[Book a demo](https://calendly.com/duke-vuh/fungies-io-demo-clone)

No upfront costs. No credit card required.

Already selling with Fungies

 [![Leadsin.io](/logos/clients/leadsin.png)](/customer-story/hosted-checkout-solution-for-leadsin-io-a-saas-business "Leadsin.io — read the story")[![RenderAI](/logos/clients/renderai.png) ](/customer-story/helping-renderai-reduce-their-ai-saas-payment-integration-from-days-to-just-a-couple-of-minutes "RenderAI — read the story")[![SuperScale](/logos/clients/superscale.png) ](/customer-story/nimblebits-revenue-boost-with-a-web-store-solution "SuperScale — read the story")[![FreeVocals](/logos/clients/freevocals.png) ](/customer-story/freevocals-com-and-fungies-io-a-seamless-solution-for-digital-e-commerce "FreeVocals — read the story")![STATSCORE](/logos/clients/statscore.png)![SimFabric](/logos/clients/simfabric.png)![BotRix](/logos/clients/botrix.png)![Enhance AI](/logos/clients/enhance-ai.png)![The Humanize AI](/logos/clients/humanize-ai.png)![Kenerate AI](/logos/clients/kenerate.png)

![A Fungies hosted checkout page with an order summary, billing fields, payment method options and the total including tax.](/_astro/hosted-checkout.XNG99UB8_Z3e2IC.webp?dpl=dpl_8EZJmbvb3ugYq7WK1KgC21BX19Zp)

The page behind the link. The customer fills it in, not you.

## What does the job instead

A checkout URL you can send anywhere

Email it, paste it into a chat, put it in a proposal. It opens the same hosted, certified checkout every other sale goes through.

Details pre-filled in the link

Email address and discount code can be carried in the URL, so a specific customer opens a page already set up for them and has less to type.

Custom fields to identify them

Attach your own reference — an account number, a project code, an order ID — so the payment lands against the right record when it arrives.

A button on your own site

The same checkout opens from an HTML data attribute on a button or from the JavaScript SDK, if a link is not the right shape for the moment.

A descriptor they will recognise

The statement descriptor is editable. Unrecognised charges are where disputes start, and this is the cheapest way to prevent them.

Confirmation you can act on

The payment webhook fires when money actually arrives, so fulfilment does not depend on anyone watching an inbox or refreshing a dashboard.

## Taking a payment from one named customer

1.  01
    
    ### Create the thing they are buying
    
    A product and an offer at the price agreed. The amount comes from that, not from a box someone types into mid-call, which is also what makes the sale reconcilable afterwards.
    
2.  02
    
    ### Build the link
    
    Take the checkout URL and add their email, a discount code or your own custom field values if they help.
    
3.  03
    
    ### They pay on their own device
    
    The card goes into a page we serve and certify. Nobody at your company sees the number, hears it, or writes it on anything.
    
4.  04
    
    ### You get the record
    
    The order, the payment and the tax appear in the dashboard, the customer receives their receipt or invoice, and the webhook tells your system it happened.
    

## Why the absence of a terminal is the better position

01

### Keyed entry drags you into PCI scope

The moment a staff member handles a full card number, the people, screens, phone recordings and notes around them become part of what has to be controlled and evidenced. Never touching the number is the only version of that problem that stays solved.

02

### Card-not-present manual entry attracts fraud

A payment your staff enter on the customer's behalf carries weaker evidence if it is later disputed. A payment the cardholder completed themselves, screened before settlement, is a much stronger position to be in.

03

### You are not the weak point in the process

Terminals fail through people rather than technology: a number on a sticky note, a card read out in an open office, a screen share left running. Removing the human step removes that whole class of incident.

04

### Same price as every other sale

A link payment costs 5% + 50¢, like everything else. No terminal rental, no monthly access fee, and no higher card-not-present rate quoted separately. Negotiable once you are selling at volume.

## What sellers say once they have switched

[★★★★★ 4.8/5 from 10 reviews on G2 →](https://www.g2.com/products/fungies-io/reviews)

 [Vadim Finayev Head of Growth, Leadsin.io

“We work with quite a few merchants of record, but none comes close to the support and speed of implementation of Fungies. If you want a payment partner that actually gives you the feeling they want to work with you — rather than leaving you on read for three days or randomly restricting your account — you are in the right place.”

Read the story →](/customer-story/hosted-checkout-solution-for-leadsin-io-a-saas-business) [David Elliott Creative Director, Freevocals.com

“I researched the options and Fungies was the best fit for functionality and customisation within a store builder you can connect to your own domain. Taking a small percentage of sales, instead of charging a subscription for every environment and plugin, is refreshing.”

Read the story →](/customer-story/freevocals-com-and-fungies-io-a-seamless-solution-for-digital-e-commerce) [Elnura Abdimanap Kyzy Founder, TextToVideo.bot

“The platform is user-friendly, integrates easily with APIs and webhooks, and simplifies managing digital products and subscriptions. We were up and running quickly and support has been responsive throughout. Fungies is clearly tailored to the needs of SaaS businesses.”

Read the story →](/customer-story/how-fungies-enabled-texttovideo-bot-to-integrate-payments-in-minutes) [Francisco Magnone Rienzi Founder, Renderai.app

“Fungies has been a great partner — fast setup, competitive pricing, and real humans providing quick answers. They are constantly rolling out new features, and I am excited to see what is next.”

Read the story →](/customer-story/helping-renderai-reduce-their-ai-saas-payment-integration-from-days-to-just-a-couple-of-minutes)

## If you came here looking for a virtual terminal

### Can I key in a customer's card myself?

### What do I do about a customer who wants to pay by phone?

### Can I charge an arbitrary amount for one customer?

### Does a link payment need a store?

### How is this different from the hosted checkout page?

By industry

## Where the digital part of a sector fits, and where it honestly does not.

-   [Healthcare Payment Processing →](/healthcare-payment-processing)
-   [Law Firm Payment Processing →](/law-firm-payment-processing)
-   [Utility Payment Processing →](/utility-payment-processing)
-   [Travel →](/travel-merchant-account)

## Try it on yourself first

Create a product, generate a checkout link, and open it on your phone in sandbox mode to see exactly what your customer will receive.

[Start free](https://app.fungies.io/register)

[Book a demo](https://calendly.com/duke-vuh/fungies-io-demo-clone)

No upfront costs. No credit card required.

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