WhatsApp Link Setup | Cashfree Payments

WhatsApp payment links enable businesses to send payment requests to customers directly within WhatsApp as an interactive card. Customers can view payment details and complete transactions in-app, without being redirected to an external payment page.

Key benefits

WhatsApp payment links offer the following advantages over standard payment links:

In-app payments: Customers pay directly within WhatsApp without being redirected to an external page or browser. Each payment card displays your verified business name and logo for a branded checkout experience.
Clear payment details: Payment details such as amount, description, and business name are displayed clearly in a single interactive card, making it easy for customers to review before paying.
Improved conversion: A prominent Pay Now call-to-action button gives customers a clear, immediate action, reducing drop-off at the payment step.

WhatsApp payment links is a paid feature available only to selected merchants. If this option is not visible in your dashboard and you would like to enable it, contact your Cashfree account manager or fill out the Support Form.

Customer payment experience

When you create a payment link and enable WhatsApp notifications, Cashfree sends it to your customer as an interactive card in WhatsApp. The card displays your verified business name, payment amount, and description, along with a Pay Now button. Customers can complete the transaction without leaving WhatsApp, through the Cashfree checkout flow. Follow these steps to understand the end-to-end customer journey:

Card appears in WhatsApp chat

The customer receives a branded payment card in their WhatsApp chat showing the amount, description, and a Pay Now button.

Customer selects a payment method

The customer taps Pay Now and selects a payment method from the available options, such as UPI apps, cards, net banking, or other supported methods.

Customer confirms the payment

The customer reviews the merchant name, amount, and selected payment method, then confirms the payment.

Payment is successful

The customer receives a confirmation message with a transaction ID. The merchant receives a payment notification and can view the transaction details in the Merchant Dashboard.

Set up WhatsApp payment links delivery

You can enable WhatsApp payment link delivery via one of two options:

Cashfree WhatsApp Business Account: Payment links are sent from Cashfree’s WhatsApp Business Account (WABA), with Cashfree Payments shown as the sender. No BSP (Business Solution Provider) coordination or WABA setup required.
Merchant WhatsApp Business Account: Payment links are sent from your own WABA, with your business name shown as the sender. Requires BSP coordination and WABA setup.

The following table compares both options to help you choose the right setup for your business:

	Cashfree WABA	Merchant WABA
Who sends the message	Cashfree WABA	Your own WABA
Sender shown to customer	Cashfree Payments	Your business name
Onboarding setup	Add `send_whatsapp` to your API request.	No API changes, but WABA setup required on your side.
What you share with us	Confirmation that you want this enabled.	Your WABA ID, BSP name, and daily volume.
Time to go live	4–5 working days.	~1 week (subject to Meta’s whitelisting).

Follow these steps to create and send a WhatsApp payment link from the Merchant Dashboard:

Log in to the Merchant Dashboard.
Navigate to Payment Links Dashboard > All.
Select Create Payment Link.
Choose the payment link type:
- All payment methods: Allows the customer to pay using any available payment method.
- Only UPI: Restricts payment to UPI methods only.
In the Payment reason field, enter a description of the payment.
Enter the amount details:
- Select the currency.
- Enter the exact amount to be collected.

WhatsApp payment links do not support partial payments. If you create a payment link with the partial_payments option enabled, the payment fails when the customer attempts to open or pay through the WhatsApp channel.

Complete the customer details:
- Phone number (required): Enter the customer’s mobile number. This is used to send SMS notifications and payment confirmations.
- Email ID (optional): Enter the customer’s email address to send the payment link and receipt by email.
- Name (optional): Enter the customer’s full name for personalised communication and record-keeping.
Under notification preferences:
- Select Send SMS to deliver the payment link via SMS.
- Select Send WhatsApp to deliver the payment link via WhatsApp.
Select Create & Send to generate and deliver the payment link.

To complete setup, select your WABA option below:

Cashfree WABA
Merchant WABA

Payment links are delivered from Cashfree’s WABA, with Cashfree Payments shown as the sender. No BSP coordination or WABA setup is required from your side.

Onboard with Cashfree’s WABA

Complete the following steps to enable WhatsApp payment links via Cashfree’s WABA. Cashfree handles the configuration on your account once you confirm enablement.

Confirm enablement

Contact your Cashfree account manager to confirm that you want WhatsApp enabled as a notification channel.

Account configuration

Cashfree enables WhatsApp as a notification channel on your merchant account. Once enabled, the option is visible on your Merchant Dashboard.

Activation

Payment links generated from your account can now be delivered to customers over WhatsApp through Cashfree’s WABA.

Time to go live: 4–5 working days.

Send a payment link via the API

To deliver a payment link over WhatsApp, set link_notify.send_whatsapp to true in your request body when calling the Create Payment Link API.

Request example

The following example shows a request body that sends the payment link via WhatsApp and email:

    {
      "customer_details": {
        "customer_phone": "9876543210",
        "customer_email": "johndoe@example.com",
        "customer_name": "John Doe"
      },
      "link_amount": 100.00,
      "link_currency": "INR",
      "link_purpose": "Payment for order #123",
      "link_partial_payments": false,
      "link_notify": {
        "send_sms": false,
        "send_email": true,
        "send_whatsapp": true
      }
    }

Parameters

The following table describes the notification parameters relevant to WhatsApp delivery:

Parameter	Type	Description
`link_notify.send_whatsapp`	boolean	Set to `true` to send the payment link via WhatsApp. Default: `false`.
`link_notify.send_sms`	boolean	Set to `true` to send the payment link via SMS.
`link_notify.send_email`	boolean	Set to `true` to send the payment link via email.

For more information on the list of request and response parameters, refer to the Create Payment Link API.

FAQs

Refer to the following frequently asked questions for more information on WhatsApp payment links and setup:

Which payment link delivery option should I choose?

Both options deliver the same enhanced payment link experience to your customers. Choose based on your current setup:

Cashfree WABA: Suited for merchants without an active WABA. Cashfree handles the WhatsApp delivery on your behalf.
Merchant WABA: Suited for merchants who already use their own WABA for customer communication and want their business name shown as the sender.

Will the customer experience differ between the two options?

No, the payment card format and checkout flow are identical across both options. The only visible difference is the sender name on the WhatsApp message, which is either Cashfree Payments (Cashfree WABA) or your business name (your WABA).

Will enabling this disrupt my existing payment link flow?

No, your existing payment link generation and reconciliation flow remains unchanged. Only the delivery channel changes.

What if my WhatsApp template is classified as Marketing?

This applies to the merchant WABA option only. Contact your BSP and request that they raise a re-classification request with Meta to move the template to Utility. Marketing-classified templates may fail to deliver to customers who have not recently messaged your WABA.

Can I test before going live?

Yes, UAT is included as part of the enablement flow for both options. Cashfree validates rendering and delivery before your account goes live.

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Developer updates

WhatsApp Payment Links

Key benefits

Customer payment experience

Set up WhatsApp payment links delivery

Onboard with Cashfree’s WABA

Send a payment link via the API

Request example

Parameters

Onboard with your WABA

Send a payment link via your WABA

FAQs

​Key benefits

​Customer payment experience

​Set up WhatsApp payment links delivery

​Onboard with Cashfree’s WABA

​Send a payment link via the API

​Request example

​Parameters

​Onboard with your WABA

​Send a payment link via your WABA

​FAQs

Key benefits

Customer payment experience

Set up WhatsApp payment links delivery

Onboard with Cashfree’s WABA

Send a payment link via the API

Request example

Parameters

Onboard with your WABA

Send a payment link via your WABA

FAQs