A QR code simply takes someone to a web page. Scan the code with a phone and the payment page opens.
What happens next depends on the page behind the code. It might be a Stripe Payment Link, a checkout page, or something else entirely. That page determines what the customer can buy, what they pay, what information you collect and how the payment is taken.
Stripe can generate a QR code for a Payment Link, while a no-code checkout can generate one for its own checkout page. This guide looks at both options, when each makes sense, and what to consider before you put a QR code into print.
Quick answer
Stripe generates a free QR code for any payment link: open Payment Links in your Dashboard, select a link, click QR code and download the PNG. It opens Stripe's hosted page for that link, at that link's price, which suits a single fixed-price item. If you need a variable amount, several products, custom fields or your own branding, generate the code from a no-code checkout instead, so the code opens a page you control.
What a QR code payment is
A QR code payment is an ordinary card payment that starts with a scan instead of a tap or a click. The customer's camera reads the URL, their browser opens it, and they pay there as they would on any checkout.
The code itself holds nothing but that URL. It decides where the customer lands, and nothing else: the price, the products on offer, the fields they fill in and the payment methods available are all set by the page.
So the question worth spending time on isn't how to generate a code. Free generators are everywhere and Stripe gives you one. It's what you want the page to do.
How to create a QR code from a Stripe payment link
Stripe builds this into payment links, and it takes about a minute.
- Open the Payment Links page in your Stripe Dashboard.
- Select an existing link, or create a new one.
- Click QR code.
- Copy the image or download it as a PNG.
Two details are worth knowing. The QR code itself doesn't expire, so it keeps working for as long as the payment link behind it is active. If you deactivate that link, anyone who scans the code sees an expiration page instead of a checkout, and Stripe's documentation says you can reactivate the link through its API to bring the code back. That matters if the code is already printed.
The code opens the checkout for that particular payment link. It inherits whatever the link is set to, which is normally one product at one price on a Stripe-hosted page. For a fixed-price offer, that's a complete answer and there's no reason to add anything to it.
It's a poor fit when the amount varies, when there's more than one thing to choose from, when you need information alongside the payment, or when the page needs to look like yours.
A QR payment is a card payment, so it costs what any card payment costs. In the US that's Stripe's standard 2.9% + $0.30, with no extra charge for the code. Our breakdown of Stripe's processing fees has the detail.
How to create a QR code from your own checkout
The alternative is to build the checkout first and generate the code from it, so the page that opens is one you control. With Checkout Page, every checkout page has its own code.
- Open the checkout page you want people to land on.
- Click Share & embed in the top-right corner.
- Select QR code.
- Download it, or open it in a new tab.
Because the page is a full checkout rather than a single fixed price, it can do things a payment link can't:
- Variable amounts. Suggested amounts with an open field, which is what a donation code needs.
- Several products or ticket types. One code on the door can sell general admission and VIP, with a capacity limit that stops sales when the room is full.
- Custom fields. Collect a name, a size or a dietary note at the same time as the payment.
- Your own branding. Your logo, colors and domain, rather than a Stripe-hosted page.
- Order bumps and one-click upsells. An add-on offered before payment, or an offer afterwards that the customer accepts without re-entering a card. We've covered one-click upsells with Stripe separately.
- Payment plans. The first installment at checkout and the rest charged on a schedule.
One thing to keep in mind either way: almost every scan happens on a phone, often somewhere with poor signal and not much patience. Both Stripe's hosted pages and ours are built for mobile and both accept Apple Pay and Google Pay, which saves the customer typing out a card. For a single fixed-price item, Stripe's page does this perfectly well.
Payments run on your own Stripe account either way, and you stay the merchant of record. Checkout Page is free up to $3,000 a month in sales, so a market stall or a school fundraiser code costs nothing to run. You can see the plans and start without a card.
Practical things to get right
You can't change a printed QR code, but you can change the page it opens, as long as the URL stays under your control. The code holds a fixed URL; the page at that URL is still yours to edit. That means the price, the ticket types or the whole offer can change after the poster is on the wall. It's the strongest reason to point a printed code at a page you can edit rather than a link locked to one price.
Beyond that, four situations come up repeatedly:
- On the door at an event. One code, several ticket types, and a capacity limit. Our guide to selling event tickets with Stripe covers the setup.
- On a poster or a flyer. Print at the size the code will be read from, and test a real print before ordering a hundred.
- For donations. A code on a collection box, a program or a printed donation card, opening a page with suggested amounts and a monthly option. Worth reading alongside Stripe for nonprofits on the fees, and our guide to accepting donations through Stripe for the page itself.
- On a table or a counter. Market stalls, cafes and pop-ups. Check the mobile signal where customers will actually stand, not where you made the code.
QR code payment FAQ
How do you pay with a QR code?
Open your phone's camera and point it at the code. A link appears on screen, and tapping it opens the seller's checkout page in your browser. You pay there by card or digital wallet exactly as you would online. No separate app is needed on most phones made in the last few years.
What are the disadvantages of QR code payment?
Three worth planning for. The customer needs mobile signal, so a code in a basement or a field may not work. A printed code can't be changed, so it should open a page you can edit. And a code on a public surface can be covered over by someone else's sticker, which is worth checking on anything left unattended.
Do QR code payments cost more?
No. A QR code payment is a standard card payment, charged at your normal processing rate, which in the US is Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30. Generating the code is free in both Stripe and Checkout Page. There's no per-scan fee, no separate QR product to pay for, and no surcharge for taking the payment this way.
