How to send a PayPal payment link on WhatsApp and know when it is paid

To send a PayPal payment link on WhatsApp, create the link for the exact amount and currency from your own PayPal account, send it in the chat with a short line saying what it is for, and confirm in the same chat once PayPal reports the payment as captured. In MonoChat, PayPal is a built-in payment system: a flow’s Send Payment Request node creates the link and sends it, and the New Payment Received event tells the flow when it is paid.

This guide covers when a PayPal link fits, how to set it up, what the messages look like, the WhatsApp rules to respect and what to check before going live.

When a PayPal link is the right choice

PayPal reported 440 million active accounts and 6.8 billion payment transactions in the third quarter of 2026. For many buyers abroad, it is the payment method they already trust, and they pay without typing card details into a site they have never used.

It fits best when:

• You sell across borders. A customer in Australia, Germany or Mexico pays in a currency PayPal supports, without your shop needing a local gateway.
• The price is agreed in the chat. A custom order, a quote, a made-to-measure product or a service package has no cart to check out from.
• You take deposits. A booking, a reservation or a first instalment is paid in the chat before the work starts; see WhatsApp appointment booking.
• You sell from social media. Buyers from Instagram or a Click-to-WhatsApp ad want to pay where they are already talking.

For buyers who prefer to pay later in instalments in the Gulf, see Tabby and Tamara on WhatsApp. For an overview of every way to take money in a chat, see how to accept payments in WhatsApp chats.

What the messages look like

The link message (inside the 24-hour window, after the customer asked to pay):

Thanks, Emma! Here is your PayPal link for the custom print, A2 size, framed: USD 145.00. {payment link} The link opens PayPal’s checkout. We’ll start printing as soon as the payment arrives.

The confirmation, sent automatically when the payment is captured:

Payment received, thank you! Order #3307 is now in production. We’ll send tracking details when it ships.

A reminder, as a utility template when the 24-hour window has closed:

Hi Emma, your order #3307 is waiting for payment of USD 145.00. Tap below to pay with PayPal, or reply here if you have a question.

Keep the amount and currency in the message, so the customer sees what PayPal will charge before they tap.

The WhatsApp rules to respect

• Inside the 24-hour customer service window (the customer wrote to you in the last 24 hours), you can send the link as a normal message.
• After the window closes, you can only send an approved template. A reminder about one specific order is a utility template; adding an offer makes it marketing. See WhatsApp template message examples.
• Every delivered template is charged by Meta per category and the recipient’s country; since 1 October 2026, service replies are charged too after 1,000 free ones per number per month. See our WhatsApp API pricing guide.
• Never ask for card details in the chat. The payment happens on PayPal’s own page; the chat only carries the link.

How to set up PayPal payment links in MonoChat

MonoChat is an official Meta Business Partner and connects your number to the WhatsApp Business API. The same payment links work in Instagram, Messenger and web chat conversations.

1. Prepare PayPal. In the PayPal developer dashboard, create an app to get a Client ID and a Client secret. Add a webhook for the PAYMENT.CAPTURE.COMPLETED event that points to /api/payment-system/paypal/webhook on your MonoChat address, and copy its Webhook ID.

2. Add PayPal to MonoChat. Go to Settings › Payment › Payment Systems, click Create, choose PayPal, give it a title and paste the three values. Turn on Sandbox mode to test with PayPal sandbox accounts first. Use Set As Default if PayPal should be used when a flow names no payment system, and make sure your currencies are accepted in the currency settings.

3. Send the link from a flow. Add a Send Payment Request node. Choose PayPal (or leave it empty for the default), enter the amount (variables are allowed, so the amount can come from an order or an answer) and the currency. Write your own message with {{paymentLink}} where the link goes, or leave it empty for the default text. If the amount is not a positive number, or no payment system is set up, the node takes its failed output and nothing is sent.

4. Keep the link for later. Turn on Save Flow Variable and enter a name such as pay. The order ID and link are saved as flow.pay.paymentSystemOrderId and flow.pay.paymentLink, so a later reminder can resend the same link.

5. React to the payment. Start a flow with New Payment Received to send the receipt, tag the customer or call your own system with an HTTP Request node. Payment Amount and Payment Currency conditions let you treat a deposit differently from a full payment. MonoChat marks an order paid only when the amount and currency PayPal captured match the order.

6. Add a reminder. In the payment flow, tag the customer, for example paid-3307, with Set Customer Tag. In the first flow, add a Wait node and then a Customer Tag condition: if the tag is missing, send your utility reminder template with the saved link.

Refunds are made in your PayPal account; MonoChat does not issue them. The setup is described on the PayPal + WhatsApp page and in the help center. Start for free at app.monochat.ai.

Before you go live

• Make a test payment in Sandbox mode and check that the confirmation message arrives.
• Check that the webhook ID in MonoChat matches the webhook in PayPal; without it, payments are not reported back.
• Charge in a currency your PayPal account accepts and that is on MonoChat’s list of 24 PayPal currencies.
• Tell customers what happens after payment: delivery time, booking confirmation or next step.

Sources

• PayPal Holdings: third quarter 2026 results (Form 8-K, 27 Oct 2026) (opened 30 Oct 2026)
• PayPal Developer: Orders API v2 (opened 30 Oct 2026)
• Meta for Developers: Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform (opened 30 Oct 2026)
• MonoChat help center: Payment Systems and Flows
• MonoChat changelog: version 3.8.37 (PayPal payment links, Send Payment Request node)