Quick Answer: Philippine businesses can create payment links through HitPay — a BSP-regulated payment platform operating in the Philippines — and accept GCash, Maya, QR Ph, cards, InstaPay, PESONet, and over-the-counter channels through a single shareable URL. No website is required. Setup is free, there are no monthly fees, and domestic payouts settle in PHP the next business day.

The Philippines has one of Southeast Asia's fastest-growing digital payments ecosystems — driven by BSP's national QR standard, widespread GCash adoption, and a surge in social commerce across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Yet according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), most registered businesses are micro and small enterprises, and most of them don't run a formal online store. For these merchants — a Quezon City events supplier, a BGC-based fitness coach, a Cebu handcraft seller taking Instagram orders — a payment link is often the simplest way to get paid.

A payment link is a URL that opens a hosted checkout page. The customer clicks the link, picks a payment method, and completes the transaction. No storefront, no developer, no point-of-sale terminal needed.

Why Do Philippine SMEs Use Payment Links Instead of Full Checkout Integration?

Building a checkout into a website takes a domain, a developer, and ongoing maintenance. Payment links skip all of that. A seller can generate a link in under two minutes, paste it into a Facebook message or Viber group, and start collecting payments within the hour.

The use cases are wide-ranging:

• Freelancers billing clients for work done

• Event organisers collecting registration fees

• Home-based food businesses taking pre-orders

• Retailers offering cash-on-delivery alternatives through Messenger

• B2B suppliers replacing cheque collections with digital payments

For businesses that invoice clients, invoice payment workflows built on payment links remove the need for manual follow-up and give customers a one-click way to pay — which helps get money in faster.

Payment links also work well for merchants who already have a physical store but want to start taking digital payments without overhauling their whole setup.

What Payment Methods Should a Philippine Payment Link Support?

The World Bank financial inclusion agenda has helped speed up digital wallet adoption across the Philippines — and customers now expect to pay with their preferred method, not just a card.

A payment link built for the Philippine market should support:

E-wallets - GCash — the most widely used retail e-wallet in the country - Maya — popular with both consumers and merchants - GrabPay — growing in Metro Manila and other cities - ShopeePay — a go-to for Shopee buyers

Bank-based rails - InstaPay — real-time interbank transfers, available 24/7 - PESONet — batch settlement for larger transfers, regulated by BSP - QR Ph — the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas-mandated national QR standard that lets customers pay across GCash, Maya, and 60+ participating banks

Cards - Visa and Mastercard — for customers paying with debit or credit cards online

Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) - BillEase — a Philippines-native BNPL provider - SPayLater — built into the Shopee ecosystem

Over-the-counter (OTC) - Bayad, ECPay, Palawan — for unbanked customers or those who prefer to pay cash at a partner outlet

Having all of these available matters because Filipino buyers use very different payment methods. A customer in Davao might prefer GCash while a corporate buyer in Makati pays by card. Limiting checkout to one method will cost you sales.

For a closer look at QR Ph and how it works with GCash and Maya, the guide on how to generate QR Ph for your business walks through the steps in full.

How Do You Create a Payment Link with HitPay in the Philippines?

HitPay's payment links are designed for people who aren't technical. Here's how to go from sign-up to a live payment link:

1. Register at hitpayapp.com — free to sign up, no credit card required.

2. Submit your business verification documents. Accounts are usually approved within 1–3 business days.

3. Log in to the HitPay dashboard and go to Payment Links.

4. Click Create Payment Link.

5. Enter the amount (in PHP), a product or service description, and an optional reference number.

6. Choose which payment methods to enable for that link — or use the default methods set on your account.

7. Copy the generated URL.

8. Share it via SMS, Viber, Facebook Messenger, email, or anywhere that accepts a URL.

The customer follows the link, picks their preferred method, and pays. You get a real-time notification. Domestic transactions settle in PHP the next business day. Cross-border payments — like a Singapore customer paying via PayNow — settle in T+3 business days.

HitPay supports QR Ph, GCash, Maya, GrabPay, ShopeePay, InstaPay, PESONet, BillEase, SPayLater, Visa, Mastercard, and over-the-counter channels including Bayad, ECPay, and Palawan — all through the same payment link.

What Are the Fees for Payment Links in the Philippines?

HitPay charges no monthly fee, no setup fee, and no fee to create a payment link. You only pay a per-transaction rate when a payment goes through. Card rates are published at hitpayapp.com/pricing.

This matters for small businesses: a merchant who sends 10 payment links one month and 200 the next pays nothing in fixed costs — fees only come up when revenue does.

How Do Payment Links Compare Across Philippine Payment Platforms?

Several platforms offer payment links in the Philippines. The table below is based on publicly available information as of 2026.

PayMongo is best for: Philippine businesses that want a local payment provider with payment links, e-wallets, cards, QR Ph, online banking, and BNPL options. PayMongo also offers other products such as Storefront AI, Wallet, and Capital.

PayPal is best for: Businesses with an international customer base that mostly pays via PayPal or credit card, and don't need local Philippine e-wallet support.

Xendit is best for: Enterprise or developer-led businesses in the Philippines or across Southeast Asia that need deep API customisation and have the technical resources to handle a complex integration.

HitPay is best for: Philippine SMEs at any stage who want zero monthly fees, 50+ payment methods including all major local e-wallets, next business day payouts in PHP, and a setup that doesn't require a developer. As a BSP-regulated platform, HitPay is built to operate within the Philippine payments framework — giving merchants a compliant, locally grounded option rather than a provider that treats the Philippines as a secondary market.

What Operational Details Should Merchants Know Before Going Live?

Payout timing affects your cash flow. Domestic transactions collected through GCash, Maya, QR Ph, InstaPay, and cards settle the next business day in PHP. Cross-border payments — for example, a Singapore tourist in BGC paying via PayNow — settle in T+3 business days. Keep this in mind when planning for inventory purchases or supplier payments.

OTC payments have a redemption window. When a customer chooses Bayad, ECPay, or Palawan at checkout, a payment instruction is generated that they must redeem in person at an outlet. Don't fulfil the order until you've received OTC payment confirmation — not just when the link is opened.

BNPL shifts chargeback risk. BillEase and SPayLater handle instalment risk on their side — you receive the full payment upfront. This is a practical advantage over managing informal instalment arrangements yourself.

Link expiry and reuse. Payment links can be set as single-use (for a specific invoice amount) or reusable (for a standard product price). Single-use links make reconciliation easier for B2B billing. For businesses that also need recurring billing, recurring billing options for Philippines businesses covers how subscription and instalment flows can be automated.

Frequently Asked Questions