Which POS can send a payment link? Shopify, Square, Lightspeed
Updated · 6 min read
By Invenire Studios, makers of Countermade
The short answer
Shopify POS, Square and Lightspeed Retail (S-Series) can all send a customer a payment link, with conditions. Square sends one from the register with Charge > Send Payment Link. Lightspeed Retail (S-Series) has a Pay by Link tender for US merchants on paid packages, on iOS. Shopify POS emails a checkout link with Send cart on POS Pro; to text one, copy a saved draft’s link or make a Quick Sale link.
Which POS systems can send a customer a payment link from the register?
Each system sets its own conditions. As of October 2026, Lightspeed Retail (S-Series)'s Pay by Link is US-only, on iOS. Square’s links come from its regular POS app, not its Restaurants or Appointments POS. On Shopify, both routes from the register need POS Pro, while Quick Sale links come from the Shopify app on your phone.
| Compared | Shopify POS: Send cart | Shopify: draft checkout link | Shopify app: Quick Sale link | Square POS: Payment links | Lightspeed Retail (S-Series): Pay by Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starts from | The POS cart | A draft saved in POS or made in the admin | Quick Sale in the Shopify app | The More menu or the Charge screen | A sale tendered to Pay by Link |
| Countries | No country limit stated (Shopify POS: nearly every country) | No country limit stated (Shopify POS: nearly every country) | Every country where Shopify operates | US and UK help centers checked; domestic and international buyers, without tax or shipping on international sales | US only |
| Plan | POS Pro | POS Pro to save the draft in POS | All merchants | Added for free under More > Add-ons | Paid packages, after approval for online and mobile payments |
| Device or app | Shopify POS | Saved in POS; link copied in the admin or Shopify app | Shopify app, not POS | Square POS; not Restaurants POS, Appointments POS or Invoices | iOS app; not Android |
| How it’s sent | Invoice email, or copy the link and send it yourself | Social, email, text or QR code | Copy, text or QR code | QR code (printed or on screen), or the iPad’s Share menu | |
| Change or cancel after sending | Saved as a draft until paid; delete the draft to withdraw it | Load and update the draft, or delete it | Not stated | Deactivate or delete | Edit and re-tender, or void the sale |
Checked against each vendor’s help pages (Square: US and UK), as of October 2026.
Shopify POS’s own Pay by link payment method is for customers in the store paying with local methods such as iDEAL or Klarna (what Shopify POS’s Pay by link is for). For the Shopify routes one by one, see every Shopify POS payment-link route, step by step.
Does it work in my country and on my plan?
As of October 2026, Lightspeed Retail (S-Series)'s Pay by Link is for US merchants only, on paid packages. Square documents payment links in its US and UK help centers, and its links take domestic and international sales. For keying a card and fees on a phone order, see Shopify POS vs Square for phone orders. On Shopify, Send cart and POS drafts need POS Pro, while Quick Sale links are available to all merchants.
Quick Sale has worked in every country where Shopify operates since March 2026. For what each Shopify POS plan allows at the counter, see what POS Lite and Pro allow.
Which devices and POS apps can send a payment link?
Send cart runs in the Shopify POS app. A draft is saved in POS, then its link is copied in the Shopify admin or the Shopify app on your phone, where Quick Sale also runs. Lightspeed needs its Retail POS (S-Series) app for iOS. Square needs its regular Square POS app.
If Payment links is missing from Square’s menu, add it under More > Add-ons > Payment links > Add for free.
How does the link reach the customer: text, email or QR code?
Square and Shopify’s Quick Sale share links by text or QR code. Lightspeed prints or shows a QR code, or opens the iPad’s Share menu. Shopify POS’s Send cart goes by email. To text one, save the order with Create draft order, open the draft in the Shopify admin or the Shopify app, and tap Share > Copy link.
Drafts saved in POS show up in the admin and the Shopify app, which is where Copy link lives. The draft’s invoice email is the other way to send it. How to text a Shopify checkout link walks through it. Lightspeed’s Share menu options “vary based on the specific apps installed and set up on the iPad,” and its help page names email, copy and AirDrop.
Can I change or cancel a payment link after I’ve sent it?
On Square, deactivate or delete the link, which can’t be undone. On Lightspeed Retail (S-Series), change the sale and tender it to Pay by Link again, or void the sale and the link stops working. On Shopify, load the draft in POS, edit it and tap Update draft order, or delete the draft to withdraw it.
In Square POS, tap Actions > Deactivate or Delete; the link then stops working for everyone you shared it with. After a Lightspeed edit, the customer refreshes the payment page to see the change. Don’t mark a Shopify draft as paid before the customer pays, or they won’t be able to finish checkout.
Can the customer pay part now and part by link?
Not with Lightspeed Retail (S-Series)'s Pay by Link or Shopify’s Send cart. Lightspeed’s help page says split tender transactions don’t support Pay by Link, and Shopify sends a cart only when you’re taking payment for the entire order. If you want a deposit first, taking a deposit on Shopify sets out the options plan by plan.
Where does a link-paid sale show up in my reports?
Shopify attributes a paid Send cart sale to the POS channel and the retail location, and credits the staff member. Square shows sales per link and filters sales by Source > Payment Links. In Lightspeed Retail (S-Series), unpaid links wait as saved sales labeled “Pay by Link Sent”, and staff close out the ones marked “Pay by Link Paid”.
The Send cart sale appears in reports such as Sales by channel and POS total sales by staff member, but staff signed in with a PIN aren’t tracked. Who gets credit for a link-paid sale compares channel, location and staff credit route by route, and how to tell a Shopify link has been paid covers the follow-up.
How do I send a payment link from the Shopify POS cart?
The text section above has the native steps; Shopify POS payment link options compares each route at the counter.
Pay Link, from Countermade (the Shopify POS apps from Invenire Studios), creates the payment link from the Shopify POS cart. Before anything is sent, staff see the total up front, with a note when checkout will add shipping. Once the link is made, staff can see whether it has been paid. If they tap twice, Pay Link still makes one link, not two.
The customer pays on Shopify’s own secure checkout, so your staff never see or type card details. Pay Link needs Shopify POS Pro and takes full payment.
Before your first link goes out, turn on local pickup at the store, so a customer who’d rather collect doesn’t pay for shipping.
Get early access to Pay Link
Pay Link isn’t on the Shopify App Store yet. Get early access and we’ll email you when it’s ready to try.
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Common questions
Can Shopify POS text a payment link?
Can Square send a payment link from the register?
Is Lightspeed Retail (S-Series) Pay by Link available outside the US?
Is Shopify POS “Pay by link” for phone orders?
Why does Shopify say “Payment link unavailable”?
Read next
About Pay Link- Comparison Shopify POS payment links: native options vs Pay Link Shopify’s payment link options at a POS counter, and where Pay Link fits.
- Comparison Pay Link vs Checkout Links vs Shopify Quick Sale Two POS apps and Shopify’s own Quick Sale, compared on price, POS fit and checks.
- Comparison Shopify POS vs Square for phone orders and payment links A phone order on Shopify POS and Square, step by step, with fees checked October 2026.
- Comparison Shopify POS Lite vs Pro for orders not paid at the counter Save, send to pay, print, pickup, delivery, staff credit: what each POS plan lets you do.
- Comparison Do I need a Shopify invoice app, or just a payment link? Send invoice emails a checkout link. Which Shopify tools make the PDF, and which take payment.
- Comparison Shopify Quick Sale vs Shopify POS: which should you use Quick Sale is a phone checkout; POS runs the counter. Which to use for each kind of sale.