The friction problem in invoice payment
The average invoice requires customers to take 4-6 steps to pay: open email, find the invoice, click a portal link, log in, find the right invoice, enter payment. Every extra step is an opportunity for the customer to get distracted or defer. Research shows that each additional step in a payment flow reduces completion rate by 10-15%.
A direct payment link eliminates all of that friction. Customer gets an SMS: 'Your $1,200 invoice is ready — pay here: [link].' They click, enter card details (or use saved card from Apple Pay / Google Pay), done. Under 60 seconds. No portal login, no invoice search, no email digging.
How Stripe payment links work in practice
Stripe payment links generate a unique URL for each invoice that takes the customer directly to a payment form. The form is mobile-optimized, supports Apple Pay and Google Pay for even faster checkout, and processes in real time. Payment confirmation goes to both the customer and your business immediately.
Surety generates a unique Stripe payment link for every invoice and embeds it in every reminder SMS. When the customer pays, the transaction is recorded in your Surety dashboard and the invoice is updated in QuickBooks. The full payment flow — from customer receiving the SMS to your bank account receiving the funds — happens in under 24 hours.
Platform fee considerations with Stripe Connect
Stripe charges its standard processing fees (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) on payment link transactions. For a $1,500 invoice, that's about $43.80 in processing fees. This is lower than most credit card merchant service fees for manual transactions and competitive with ACH for most use cases.
For businesses using Stripe Connect (which lets you route payments directly to your Stripe account rather than through a platform), the fees are identical to standard Stripe rates. Surety supports Stripe Connect, meaning your customers pay and the funds settle directly to your connected account.
When to include a payment link vs. request other payment methods
For invoices under $5,000, payment links should be the default. Customers in this range are highly likely to use mobile devices for payment, and the convenience factor is a major driver of payment speed. For larger invoices ($10,000+), some customers prefer ACH bank transfers or check for the lower processing fees. Offering both options in the reminder SMS captures the most payers.
Surety includes the payment link in every SMS by default. You can include a note directing customers to call or email for ACH options on larger invoices. Giving customers a payment link as the primary path and an alternative for edge cases maximizes overall collection rate.