Payment QR Codes: PayPal, UPI, Venmo and More

A payment QR code doesn't move money by itself. It opens something that does: a payment page, a payment app, or a wallet, with your details already filled in. The customer confirms the payment in an app they already trust. That's why QR payments are popular with market stalls, tradespeople, cafés and anyone who doesn't want a card terminal.

What goes inside the code depends on the payment method your customers use.

Most payment services give you a shareable link. Put that link in a QR code and customers land on your payment page:

• PayPal.me: https://paypal.me/yourname, or with a fixed amount, https://paypal.me/yourname/25
• Venmo and Cash App: use the profile or payment link from your account.
• Stripe Payment Links: create a link for a product or a custom amount in your Stripe dashboard.

If you want a fixed amount, include it in the link itself. A QR code has no standard way to add an amount to an arbitrary payment link.

UPI apps such as Google Pay, PhonePe and Paytm understand a standard payment link format:

upi://pay?pa=yourname@bank&pn=Your%20Shop&am=250&cu=INR

pa is your UPI ID, pn the name shown to the payer, am an optional fixed amount and cu the currency. Leave out am to let the customer enter the amount. Your bank or UPI app can usually generate this code too; use whichever is easiest, and always test with a small payment.

Bitcoin wallets read addresses in the BIP21 format: bitcoin:youraddress?amount=0.001. Double-check the address character by character (or copy-paste it), because crypto payments can't be reversed.

Many countries have their own QR payment standards (for example PIX in Brazil or PayNow in Singapore), usually built on the EMVCo merchant QR specification. Those codes are normally generated by your bank or payment provider because they include checks specific to the system. Use the code they give you; you can still print it on your own branded sign.

• Show your name and the method next to the code: "Pay Jane's Bakery with PayPal".
• Print the destination in words (e.g. paypal.me/janesbakery) so people can check the preview matches.
• Check for tampering. Payment codes on counters are a target for fake stickers. Look at them every day.
• Test with a real small payment before relying on the code.
• Keep a backup option, like cash or card, for customers who don't use the app.

Copy your payment link (or UPI link), paste it into the payment QR code generator, add your logo and a "Scan to pay" frame, and download. It's free.