Not every patient pays at the desk. Someone books a treatment over the phone and needs to pay ahead. Someone leaves in a hurry after a consultation. A card payment does not go through and the patient has already gone home.
In many clinics, what happens next is a phone call. Reception rings the patient, reads out bank details or takes card numbers over the phone, then tries to remember to mark the balance as settled once the money arrives. If the patient does not pick up, it goes on a list, and the list grows.
Payment links take that chasing out of the day. Reception sends the patient an email with a pay button, the patient pays when it suits them, and the invoice closes when they do.
How payment links work for aesthetic clinics in the UK
A payment link is a secure way for a patient to pay online, straight from an email. In Clinic Membership, it is tied to a specific invoice. That matters, because the link is never just a request for money floating on its own. It belongs to a sale with the right patient and the right treatment or products on it.
The patient opens the email, taps the pay button and pays online. There is nothing for reception to type in afterwards, and nobody has to match a bank transfer to a name.
The link keeps working until the invoice is paid or voided. So if the patient opens the email a day later, the button still works, and once the invoice is settled there is nothing left to chase.
When a payment link is the right choice
Payment links are useful whenever the payment needs to happen later rather than at the till:
- Paying ahead for a treatment. A patient books a prepaid treatment and pays before the visit.
- Leaving before paying. A patient leaves without settling and needs a simple way to pay from home.
- A card that did not go through. A saved card payment fails and the patient needs another way to pay.
- Balances left on an invoice. Anything still owing on an unpaid invoice can be sent as a link.
For clinics that take deposits, staff can also email a deposit link when a patient has no card on file.
Sending a link from a sale
When the patient is not at the desk to pay, reception can create the invoice in Sales in the normal way, then:
- Choose Email payment link instead of taking a card straight away.
- Click Send payment link.
The patient receives an email with a pay button. That is it. The invoice is already linked to the patient, so the payment lands in the right place when it comes in.
Sending a link for an unpaid invoice
Sometimes the invoice already exists and is waiting to be paid. In that case:
- Go to Admin, then Invoices.
- Open the unpaid invoice.
- Choose Request online payment and expand Email payment link.
- Click Send payment link.
If a patient says they cannot find the email, you can resend it from the invoice actions. There is no need to start again or create a second invoice. The send a payment link guide shows each screen.
Asking for payment up front
Some treatments are paid for up front. When staff book a prepaid treatment from the calendar, they can email the patient a prepayment link at the moment of booking, rather than collecting the money straight away.
That keeps the booking conversation short. Reception confirms the appointment, the link goes out, and the patient pays from their phone when it suits them.
What the patient sees
From the patient's side, the whole thing takes a moment. An email arrives from the clinic with a pay button. They tap it, pay online, and they are done. There is no account to set up first, no bank details to copy out, and no need to ring the clinic back.
For reception, the result shows up on the invoice. Once the patient pays, the invoice is settled, so it drops off the list of balances still owing without anyone updating it by hand. If the patient has not paid yet, the invoice stays open and the link stays ready for them to use.
Why links beat chasing by phone
The difference shows up in a few small ways that add up across a week:
- No card numbers over the phone. Patients pay through a secure link rather than reading out their details.
- No matching transfers to names. The payment is already tied to the invoice and the patient.
- Less time on the phone. One email replaces a string of calls and voicemails.
- A clearer list of what is owed. Unpaid invoices stay unpaid until the link is used, so the picture is always up to date.
It also feels more professional to the patient. A clean email with a pay button is easier to act on than a call at work or a message with bank details to copy out.
Where payment links sit with your other ways to take payment
Payment links are one option at checkout, alongside paying in person. For patients at the desk, our post on card reader payments at reception explains the in-clinic side.
If you run memberships, a failed monthly payment needs its own process. Our post on recovering failed membership payments covers that.
A simple routine for unpaid balances
You can build payment links into the way reception works without changing much:
- At checkout, if the patient cannot pay there and then, choose Email payment link instead of leaving a balance open.
- For prepaid treatments, send the prepayment link when you book.
- Once a day, look at unpaid invoices under Admin, then Invoices, and send or resend links where needed.
- When a patient calls about a balance, resend the link while you are on the phone so it is in their inbox before you hang up.
- Stop reading out bank details. Let the link do the work.
Clinic Membership brings payment links together with your patients, calendar, sales and memberships. Free covers up to 10 patient records. See pricing for paid plans.
