January 2025: how customers pay, with pay links, cards and Direct Debit
January 2025 was about getting paid faster: a pay link on the invoice, cards through Stripe, Direct Debit through GoCardless, and every payment settled back onto the ledger automatically.
Part 16 of 39 of Building TradeYoke, the story of how the platform was built, from January 2024 to today. Previous: December 2024: part payments, receipts and knowing who owes you. Next: February 2025: quotes that start from the customer record, not a blank page. See every part on the build timeline.
Quick answer
Quick answer: TradeYoke connects to Stripe for card payments and GoCardless for Direct Debit. You send the customer a pay link for an invoice, they pay online, and a signed notification from the provider settles the invoice on the ledger automatically. Stripe and GoCardless are the payment providers; TradeYoke records the outcome.
Key takeaways
- A pay link on an invoice lets the customer pay online without an account.
- Cards go through Stripe and Direct Debit through GoCardless; you can mark one as your primary.
- Payments settle back onto the ledger on their own, from signed notifications.
- A payment can be refunded in full or in part, and an unpaid link can be cancelled.
Why the pay link came first
By January 2025 an invoice could be issued and a payment recorded by hand. The next question for any trade business is: how do customers pay, and how fast? A cheque in the post is slow. A bank transfer needs the customer to find your details. The fastest route is a link: the customer taps it and pays.
The request-link model
We built online payments around a simple model. You send the customer a pay link for an invoice, by text or email. They open it, pay by card or set up a Direct Debit, and are returned to a confirmation page. The provider then tells TradeYoke the payment happened, using a notification that carries a signature so it cannot be faked, and the invoice is settled on the ledger without anyone clicking anything.
Two providers, on purpose
- Stripe for card payments. Connecting is guided, so you do not need to hunt for keys.
- GoCardless for Direct Debit, which suits the customer who pays the same amount every month.
You can mark one as your primary. A business that is just starting can run without either and record payments by hand. Window cleaners tend to want both: cards for the occasional customer, Direct Debit for the regular one. Direct Debit for window cleaners explains when each makes sense.
Things that go wrong, handled
- A refund, in full or in part, is recorded as part of the history.
- An unpaid link can be cancelled, so an old link cannot be used by mistake.
- Each payment attempt has a timeline of what the provider reported, so when a customer says they paid, you can see what happened.
What we are careful about
The customer pays on the provider's page, so card details are handled by the provider, and TradeYoke is told the result. That is simpler to explain to a customer. See get paid the same day for the practical side.
Next
February: quoting. If invoicing is the end of a job, a quote is the start.
Questions people ask
Can customers pay a TradeYoke invoice online?
Yes. You send a pay link for the invoice, the customer pays by card, and the payment settles on the ledger automatically.
Which payment providers does TradeYoke use?
Stripe for card payments and GoCardless for Direct Debit. Taking card payments is part of the Premium plan; see the pricing page for details.
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