What is Shopify POS Pay by link, and can you send it?

What does “Pay by link” mean in Shopify POS?

Pay by link is Shopify’s name for in-store payments made on the customer’s own phone. Shopify added it in POS 10.13 (October 2025) to bring more local payment methods to POS, in the changelog post Accept more local payment methods.

That post says customers “pay on their own device with a secure QR code or link”, but the Help Center files the feature under “local payment methods” and doesn’t use the name Pay by link. Its page on accepting local payments in Shopify POS documents one route: the customer scans a QR code on your POS device. Other POS systems use the same name for their own, different features (which POS can send a payment link).

Which payment methods can customers use with Pay by link, and in which countries?

Which methods you can offer depends on your store’s region. The changelog names iDEAL, Klarna, Swish, TWINT, MobilePay and USDC; the Help Center adds Shop Pay and a few regional wallets. Every method needs Shopify Payments active, and the sale’s currency must be one the method supports. Some add their own rules: Swish is for Shopify Plus stores only.

Shopify’s Help Center lists these local payment methods for POS, as of October 2026:

“Complete store information” means terms of service, returns policy, delivery times, contact information, and taxes and fees. Shopify also notes that local payment methods carry a higher chargeback risk in retail settings. Some local methods, such as BLIK, Przelewy24, Multibanco, EPS and OXXO, aren’t supported on Shopify POS at all.

How do I turn on Pay by link in Shopify POS?

You set up Pay by link in your Shopify admin. Local payment methods must first be active in your store’s Payments settings, and each method must meet its country, currency and store rules. Once a method is active, it shows on Select payment option when you check out a customer in a currency the method supports.

1. In the Point of Sale channel in your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Payments.
2. Activate the methods you want to accept.
3. Update Shopify POS on your devices.

If a method you expected isn’t there, check its country, currency and extra requirements in the table above.

How does a customer pay with Pay by link at the counter?

The customer scans a QR code on your POS screen with their own phone and completes the payment there, in the local method they asked for. Staff only choose that method at checkout and wait for Shopify POS to confirm the payment.

1. Add the items to the cart and tap Checkout.
2. On Select payment option, tap the customer’s local payment method.
3. Ask the customer to scan the QR code with their phone and pay.
4. Shopify POS waits for the payment, then shows it as approved.

What other ways can a customer pay by QR code on their own phone in Shopify?

Besides Pay by link, Shopify has two native ways for a customer to pay by QR code on their own phone. US stores can offer Shop Pay Installments in Shopify POS, where the customer scans a QR code and pays over time. And the Shopify app on your mobile device makes Quick Sale payment links, shown as QR codes.

Shop Pay Installments by QR code (US only)

Shop Pay Installments for POS is for US merchants selling in USD, on Shopify POS 8.4.0 or later. Staff tap Shop Pay Installments under Select payment option and turn the device toward the customer, who scans the QR code, logs in to Shop Pay (or creates an account), taps Continue and Complete purchase, then hands the device back so staff can confirm the purchase is complete. Staff need Create and edit in the Draft orders permissions.

The customer needs a US billing and shipping address, and the purchase must be between US$50.00 and US$20,000.00. Discounts, gift cards and split payments aren’t supported.

For paying over time on a draft order checkout link, see pay-later options on a Shopify payment link.

Quick Sale payment link (Shopify app)

Quick Sale lives in the Shopify app, separate from Shopify POS, and staff need the Quick Sale permission.

Add the items and tap Collect > Payment link, and a QR code appears for the customer to scan and pay with. To send it instead, tap Share link or Copy link.

Shopify suggests a payment link when the sale is over the Tap to Pay limit. If you leave shipping blank, the customer enters their own address and picks a rate at checkout. For when to use which, see Shopify Quick Sale vs Shopify POS.

Which option should I use when the customer is in the store, and which when they aren’t?

If the customer is at the counter and wants to pay on their own phone, use a QR route: Pay by link for local methods, Shop Pay Installments in a US store, or a Quick Sale QR code. If they’re calling in or at home, send a checkout link instead. The customer opens it and pays on Shopify’s checkout.

How each remote link works, and where the order lands, is in Shopify payment links explained. To text a draft’s link, see sending a draft order payment link by text.

Is Shopify’s Pay by link the same as the Pay Link app from Countermade?

No. Shopify’s Pay by link is an in-store QR payment for local methods, made on the customer’s phone at the counter. Pay Link, from Countermade (the Shopify POS apps from Invenire Studios), is for a customer who isn’t there: it turns the order staff build in the POS cart into a link to Shopify’s secure checkout.

How it works for you and the customer:

• The customer pays on Shopify’s own secure checkout. Your staff never see or type card details.
• Staff build the order in the POS cart as for any sale, and see the total up front before anything goes out, with a note when checkout will add shipping.
• If staff tap twice, the customer still gets one link, not two.
• Staff can see whether a link has been paid.

Pay Link needs Shopify POS Pro. Checkout asks the customer for a delivery address and may add shipping, so turn on local pickup at your store to let the customer choose pickup. See native POS link options compared with Pay Link.

Next step

Open Point of Sale > Settings > Payments in your Shopify admin and see which local methods your store can turn on.

Pay Link isn’t on the Shopify App Store yet. Get early access and we’ll email you when it’s ready to try in your store.