How to accept card payments without a website
Updated · 5 min read · By the Brijee team in Honolulu
Short answer: you need a merchant account, not a website. With one, you can send a payment link by text or email, put a QR code on the counter, or type in a card a customer reads to you over the phone. The customer pays on their own phone or computer, and the money is deposited to your bank account.
Three ways to get paid with no website
1. Payment links
A payment link is a web address that opens a secure payment page with your business name on it. You send it the way you already talk to customers — a text, an email, a message on Instagram or Facebook. They tap it, pay by card or Google Pay, and get a receipt by email.
Good for: deposits, invoices, orders taken by message, anyone who is not standing in front of you.
2. A QR code
Print a QR code and put it by the register, on a table, or on your truck. The customer scans it with their phone camera, enters the amount, adds a tip if you allow one, and pays. There is no card reader to buy and nothing to charge overnight. You can give each employee their own code, so every payment and tip is counted toward the right person.
Good for: markets and pop-ups, salons, valet stands, food trucks, tips.
3. Cards over the phone
When a customer calls and reads out their card, you type it into a payment screen in your browser — often called a virtual terminal. Because the card is not present, this costs more than a link or QR payment: on Brijee it is 3.2% + 25¢, against 2.8% + 25¢ when the customer enters the card themselves. If you can, send a link instead.
Good for: phone orders and customers who would rather not type their card into a link.
What each one costs on Brijee
| Method | Rate |
|---|---|
| Payment link or QR code, paid by card | 2.8% + 25¢ |
| Card keyed in over the phone | 3.2% + 25¢ |
| Bank payment (eCheck) | 1%, never more than $5 |
| Monthly fee | $0 |
One thing to know: in a month where your card sales come to less than $490, a $15 minimum applies. Full details are on the pricing page.
Getting set up
- Apply. You give your business details and sign the application online. If you will take payments online, we ask where customers buy — your Instagram, Facebook or Etsy page counts; it does not have to be your own website.
- Pick the name customers will see. This is the name on their card statement. Choose one they will recognize — a charge from a name nobody remembers is how honest sales turn into disputes.
- Once you are approved, share your link or print your QR code. Both are on your dashboard.
Habits that prevent problems
- Say what the payment is for.Put it in the link description — “Deposit, Saturday catering” is better than a bare amount.
- Keep the receipt email. Every payment sends one to the customer and a copy to you; it is your record if a charge is ever questioned.
- Refund through the same system. Refund the original payment rather than handing back cash, so the record matches.
- Use bank payments for big amounts. See eCheck vs ACH — on a $2,000 job, the fee is $5 instead of $56.25.
When you are ready for a website later, the same account works there too — a checkout button is one line of HTML. See payments for online stores.