Taking Card Payments Over the Phone: UK Guide

There are two practical ways to take a card payment over the phone. Send the customer a payment link so they pay on their own phone, or type their card details into a card machine or online terminal yourself. With a hosted payment link, the customer enters their details on the provider's payment page, which reduces staff exposure to those details. You still have responsibilities for choosing and using the service securely ^[5].

Here's how each works, what it costs, and how to use them to reduce no-shows.

Option 1: Send a payment link

1. Confirm the order, amount and any deposit terms with the customer.
2. Create a payment request in your provider's service and check the amount and description.
3. Send the provider-generated link by the channel agreed with the customer. Do not ask the customer to send card numbers or security codes by ordinary text, email or WhatsApp ^[6].
4. Check payment status in your provider's system, rather than relying on a screenshot from the customer, before confirming the order as paid.

Payment links work well for:

• Deposits for appointments, bookings and events.
• Catering and pre-orders, paid before the day.
• Trades, where you want part-payment before buying materials.
• Customers who can't come in, paying for something they've ordered.

The customer can even pay while you're still on the call: send the link, wait for it to come through, and confirm.

Option 2: Key in the card details yourself

The other way is to take the card number, expiry date and security code from the customer and type them into a card machine or an online "virtual terminal". It works, but it means you or your staff handle the customer's card details, so it needs more care.

If you key in payments, follow the card industry's security guidance:

• Don't store card details unless you genuinely need to. The card industry's standards body says no payment card data should be stored unless it's necessary for the business ^[1].
• Keep card details away from staff where you can. Its guidance recommends solutions that minimise how much card data staff are exposed to ^[1].
• Don't write card numbers down. The same guidance suggests keeping recording materials and devices out of the area where phone payments are taken ^[1].

Before you start, ask your provider whether keyed-in payments are switched on for your account and what they cost. If you are arranging your first account, see what a new business needs to get a card machine.

Call recordings, transcripts and card details

Check call recording and transcription before taking card details. Card security codes must not remain in recordings after authorisation, even if the recording is encrypted ^[4]. Ask your provider how to keep recordings and transcripts out of the payment process.

A hosted payment page reduces the details your staff handle, but outsourcing payment processing does not remove the merchant's PCI responsibilities ^[5]. Confirm the requirements that apply to your particular setup.

What phone payments cost

Payments where the card isn't physically there can cost more than tapping a card in person. Barclaycard, for example, adds card-not-present fees on top of its standard merchant service charge ^[2]. Check your provider's rates for remote payments before you rely on them.

Remote payments can also be disputed. If a customer disputes a payment, you may pay a chargeback fee as well as losing the payment; ask your provider which fees apply.

A few habits reduce that risk:

• Keep a record of the booking, what was agreed and when.
• Send a confirmation with the amount and what it's for.
• Be clear about deposit terms before the customer pays, including what happens if they cancel.

Using deposits to reduce no-shows

For salons, clinics, groomers and restaurants, a missed appointment is lost income you can't get back. Taking a deposit by payment link when someone books can reduce the risk:

1. Decide your deposit amount and your cancellation terms.
2. Tell customers the terms clearly when they book.
3. Send a payment link for the deposit straight away.
4. Confirm the booking once the deposit is paid.

Whether you can keep a deposit when someone cancels depends on your terms and the circumstances, so make your terms fair and clear, and get advice if you're unsure.

Restaurants taking deposits should also read our guide to taking restaurant booking deposits, which covers fair cancellation terms.

Where Shift4 Solo fits

Shift4 Solo comes with point-of-sale software on the machine itself, which includes manual payments and payment links, alongside card payments in person. It's a free card machine with no monthly machine cost, at 1.25% per transaction with no authorisation fee for in-person card payments, with a built-in 4G SIM.

Rates for remote payments can differ from in-person rates, so ask us to confirm the cost of keyed-in and payment-link payments for your business before you rely on them.

Before you start: a quick checklist

1. Choose your method: a hosted payment link, or provider-enabled keyed payments with the appropriate controls.
2. Check the cost of remote payments with your provider.
3. Set clear deposit and cancellation terms and tell customers before they pay.
4. Keep card details out of notes, ordinary messages, call recordings and transcripts. Follow your provider's approved payment procedure ^[1][4][6].
5. Keep a record of every booking and payment.

If you are changing provider as well, use our switching checklist to check the agreement before moving. For appointment payments, make the deposit and cancellation policy clear before you send a link.

Quick answers

Is it safe to take card payments over the phone?

It can be, if you use your provider's approved method. A hosted payment link is the simpler option, because the customer types their own details on the provider's page and your staff don't handle them ^[5]. If you key in details yourself, don't write them down or store them, and keep security codes out of call recordings ^[1][4].

Can I take a payment over the phone with my card machine?

Many card machines can take a keyed-in (manual) payment if your provider has switched it on for your account. Shift4 Solo's software includes manual payments and payment links. Ask your provider what remote payments cost before you start.

Do I need a card machine to take payments over the phone?

No. A payment link sent by text or email, or an online virtual terminal, lets you take a phone payment without a machine. Both still need a payment provider account.

Do phone payments cost more than in-person payments?

They can. Barclaycard, for example, adds card-not-present fees on top of its standard merchant service charge ^[2]. Check your provider's remote-payment rates.