A simple payment page for amounts you've already agreed
Sometimes a website only needs to do one thing: let a client pay an amount you've already agreed. A fixed consultation fee, a deposit settled by email, a session paid in advance. A payment page gives that a trustworthy home on your own address, with your name, what the payment is for and a button to your provider's checkout. Anticode builds it from a sentence; the payment itself runs through your own payment link.
Why not just send the bare link?
You can send a client a checkout link on its own, and plenty of people do. A page around it helps in three situations: when the payer doesn't know you well and wants to check who they're paying, when you take the same payment from many people (a class fee, a deposit for every booking), and when you want to explain terms (cancellation, what the fee covers) before they pay, not after.
A payment page on your own domain also looks like you. A client who receives pay.harbourphysio.co.uk in an email has fewer reasons to hesitate than one who receives a long string from a payment provider.
What belongs on the page
- Who you are: business name, your name, a photo or logo, and a way to contact you.
- What each payment is for, in plain words: "Initial assessment, 60 minutes" or "Wedding photography deposit".
- The amount, or how it's set: a fixed fee, or "the amount on your quote".
- Terms that apply: whether it's refundable, how far ahead you can cancel, when the balance is due.
- What happens after paying: "you'll get a receipt by email and I'll confirm your date within a day".
- The pay button, labelled with what it pays for, with a reference to quote if the amount varies.
Setting up the links
Anticode doesn't process payments on the site. Pay buttons point at a checkout link from your own account with Stripe Payment Links, PayPal, Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy, Shopify or Whop. An Anticode account has one payment link, and every buy or pay button on your sites opens it, so choose the link to cover every payment the page explains. The provider shows the card form, takes the payment, sends the receipt and pays you out. Your customer's card details never touch the Anticode page.
| Payment | How to set the link up |
|---|---|
| A fixed fee that's the same for everyone | One link with a fixed price |
| Several fixed services | A product list or multi-item checkout at your provider with each service in it; the page explains each one |
| An amount that differs by client | A link that lets the customer enter the amount (Stripe Payment Links can do this), with clear instructions to enter the figure on their quote |
| A deposit, then a balance later | The page's link takes the deposit; send a separate balance link or an invoice by email when it's due |
Name each product clearly at the provider, because that name appears on the checkout and the receipt. The add a buy button guide and the payment links feature cover the setup.
Building it with Anticode
As a payment page builder, Anticode needs the business and the payments: "a payment page for Harbour Physio: initial assessment, follow-up session, and a custom amount for packages". The Architect plans a short landing page with the payments must-have, and you add your checkout link; here a link that lets the client enter the amount would cover all three. Choose a calm, plain design system (Swiss, Editorial or Organic work well for this) so the page reads as official rather than promotional.
Before it publishes, Sentinel's checks look at the exact HTML, including the links: external links need safe attributes and pages must use HTTPS. The page itself runs no scripts, so nothing on it can interfere with the checkout your provider shows.
Getting the address right
On a paid plan, publish the page to your own domain or a subdomain such as pay.yourbusiness.com, verified by a CNAME or TXT record with the certificate issued automatically. Free sites use a name.anticode.dev address and carry a small badge. If clients will see this page in an email or on an invoice, your own domain is worth it: people are rightly cautious about payment links from addresses they don't recognise. See pricing for which plans include custom domains.
What a payment page doesn't do
This is a page that hands people to a checkout. It's not a billing system, and it's worth being clear about the gaps:
- No invoices. Anticode doesn't create, number or send invoices. Use your accounting tool or your payment provider's invoicing.
- No recurring billing on the site. If you need monthly payments, set up a subscription link at your provider; renewals and failed payments are handled there.
- No record of who paid in Anticode. Payments, refunds and payouts live in your provider's dashboard.
- No matching payments to bookings. A booking made through an Anticode booking calendar isn't linked to a payment; there are no deposits on bookings. Reconcile by name and date.
Questions people ask
Is it safe for clients to pay through this page?
The card details are entered on your payment provider's own checkout page, not on the Anticode page. The page itself runs no scripts and passes security checks before publishing.
Can clients pay a different amount each time?
Yes, if your provider's link lets customers enter the amount. Ask them to use the figure from your quote and include a reference.
Can I take a deposit when someone books?
Not as part of the booking itself. Point the page's payment link at the deposit and ask clients to pay it after booking, or send a link when you confirm.
Sources
- Stripe Docs: Payment Links, checked