A WhatsApp payment link in the UAE is a secure checkout link from your payment provider, created for one specific order and sent in the chat. The customer taps it, pays by card or another supported method on the provider’s page, and you receive confirmation. It is simple and convenient, but only if customers trust the link, so how you send it matters as much as the technology.
This article is part of our guide to selling on WhatsApp in the UAE.
How a payment link works
The steps are usually:
- The customer confirms the basket in the chat: items, options, delivery and total.
- Your system, or your team, creates a payment link for that exact amount through your payment provider.
- You send the link with a short summary of the order.
- The customer opens a hosted checkout page run by the provider and pays.
- The provider confirms the payment, and the order is marked as paid.
Card details are entered on the provider’s page, not in WhatsApp. You never need to ask a customer to type card numbers in a chat, and you never should.
Our help article on baskets, checkout and payment links shows how this is set up in Dub Ai.
Gateways UAE shoppers recognise
Many UAE businesses take payments through a provider connected to their website shop. Examples of providers used in the UAE include Network International’s N-Genius, Telr, PayTabs, Checkout.com and Stripe, as well as payment links offered by banks to their business customers.
When choosing a provider, check:
- which payment methods it supports, such as cards, Apple Pay or Google Pay;
- whether the checkout page can show your business name and logo;
- whether links can be set to expire, and whether they can be resent;
- how payment confirmations reach you, for example automatically to your shop;
- how refunds work.
A recognised provider’s page, showing your business name, reassures customers more than an unfamiliar one.
Making links trustworthy
Fake payment links are a familiar scam tactic, so customers are right to be careful. Make your links easy to trust:
- Send from your official business number, the one customers already know, never from a personal phone.
- Summarise the order with the link: items, total, delivery date and your business name.
- Use the provider’s standard link, not a shortened link from a generic URL shortener.
- Explain what they will see: “The link opens a secure payment page from [provider] showing [business name].”
- Send only when expected, after the customer has confirmed the order in the chat.
- Offer an alternative, such as cash on delivery, for customers who are not comfortable paying online.
Example message: “Thank you, Faisal. Your order: 1 x espresso machine, black, delivery to Sharjah on Saturday. Total including delivery is shown on the secure payment page from [provider]: [link]. Reply here if you have any questions.”
Helping customers avoid lookalikes
Tell customers, once, how your genuine messages look: which number you use, that you never ask for card details or one-time passwords in chat, and that links always come after they confirm an order. If a customer reports a suspicious message using your name, thank them, confirm it was not from you and report the number.
Re-sending and expiry
Links that never expire can be reused or forwarded. Links that expire too fast frustrate customers. A balanced approach:
- set links to expire after a reasonable period, such as a day or two;
- when a link expires, send a fresh one for the same basket rather than reviving the old one;
- if prices or stock changed, confirm the basket again before sending a new link;
- send polite reminders for unpaid links, then stop.
Common follow-up defaults are 2, 24 and 48 hours, and they can be changed to suit your shop.
Confirming payment
Customers want to know their payment worked, and your team needs to know before dispatch.
- Send a short confirmation once payment is received: order number, amount paid and next step.
- Mark the order as paid in your shop system, so the team prepares it.
- Never dispatch on a screenshot alone; check the payment in your provider’s records.
- If a payment fails, tell the customer kindly and offer another method.
Example: “Payment received, thank you. Order #1052 is confirmed for delivery on Saturday. We will message you when it is on its way.”
How Dub Ai helps
The Dub Ai sales agent builds the basket in the chat and sends a working payment link for that order from your connected payment gateway, or records cash on delivery where you offer it. With Invoices with VAT and Payment Links, you can also send a branded invoice with a payment link, previewed and approved before it goes out.
Payment Reminders resend the link on request or follow up unpaid orders automatically, with short, polite messages that stop once payment is confirmed. Default timings are 2, 24 and 48 hours, and they can be changed.
Frequently asked questions
Are payment links safe for customers?
Payment links from established providers are generally safe, because card details are entered on the provider’s secure page, not in the chat. The risk is fake lookalike links. Send links only from your known business number, after the customer confirms an order, with a clear order summary, and never ask for card details or one-time passwords in chat.
What if the link expires?
Send a new link for the same basket. Before you do, check that the price, stock and delivery date are still correct, and confirm any changes with the customer. Avoid reactivating old links. A short message works well: “Your previous link has expired, so here is a fresh one for the same order.”