Money never moves through a QR code itself. What the code carries is a link to a payment page already set up on PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, Stripe or Square, and scanning it hands the phone straight to that provider's own checkout, where the transaction actually happens.
That suits a market stall, a tradesperson's invoice, a tutor collecting fees or a club taking dues, anywhere paper changes hands and a phone is faster than cash for small payments. Bring the payment link you already have; MakeQR turns it into a printable code, free and static, with your own colours. Bank-transfer formats such as EPC codes are not supported.
How to create a QR code for payments
Create a payment link with your provider
PayPal.me is a personal payment link; Stripe Payment Links and Square payment links open a checkout for a product, a fixed price or, with some settings, an amount the customer enters; Venmo and Cash App have profile links.
Open the link as a customer would
Load it in a private browser window and read the recipient name, amount and currency. A personal name where customers expect a shop name causes hesitation at the till.
Paste it and make the code
Paste the link into the web address field. Add your logo if you want one; error correction is raised automatically so the code still scans.
Run a real test payment
Have a friend pay a small amount through the printed code, confirm it arrives, and refund it.
Payment links that work in a payments QR code
The code is only as good as the page it opens. The usual choices, each set up in the provider's own dashboard or app:
PayPal
paypal.me/yourname, optionally with an amount on the end. Good for donations and small sellers.
Stripe Payment Links
buy.stripe.com links from the Stripe Dashboard: a full checkout with cards, wallets and receipts, suited to a fixed product, a class fee or a deposit.
Square
Payment links from the Square Dashboard, a natural fit if you already use Square at the counter.
Venmo and Cash App
US apps with profile links (venmo.com/u/name, cash.app/$name). Both also display their own QR codes. Check the terms before using a personal profile for business.
What a MakeQR payment code cannot do
It cannot generate bank-transfer codes. Formats such as the European EPC code (often called GiroCode), the Swiss QR-bill, India's UPI and Brazil's Pix carry account details in a structure banking apps recognize. MakeQR has no form for those and does not check them, so use the code your bank or payment app generates rather than assembling one by hand.
It also does not take card payments, hold money or confirm that anyone has paid. Confirmation comes from your provider, never from the code.
Keeping a payment QR code safe from tampering
Payment codes in public places attract a specific scam: a sticker with someone else's code pasted over the real one, so customers pay a stranger.
Print the code into the sign or laminate it rather than sticking it on top. Print the payee name customers should expect next to the code, and check the sign when you open.
What is inside a payment code made here
A single web address to your payment page, exactly as your provider issued it. No card data, no account number and no amount unless the link itself includes one. The code is made in your browser, so the link is never sent to MakeQR.
https://buy.stripe.com/aEU5mB1Kd8Qx0gM6ooCounters, invoices and market stalls
At a counter, a 40 to 60 mm code on a stand by the till scans from the customer's side. On an invoice, 25 mm in the payment section is enough. At a market stall, fix it upright on the front of the table, not flat on it.
Print it at least 25 mm (2.5 cm) wide
Payment QR mistakes that cost money
A personal account for business sales
Several providers restrict business use of personal accounts, and customers see your private name. Use a business profile.
An open amount with no prices nearby
A link without an amount lets customers type anything. Put prices next to the code, or use a fixed-amount link for a fixed fee.
No fallback
Some customers cannot or will not scan. Keep a card reader or cash option visible beside the code.
Static or dynamic for payments?
Static suits most payment codes. The payment link does not change, the code never expires, and nothing sits between the customer and your provider, which is also a safety property.
Dynamic makes sense on something permanent, such as a van or a shop window, when you may switch providers later: you change the destination in your MakeQR account instead of repainting. It needs a free account with a verified email, and you get 2 dynamic codes free forever.
How dynamic QR codes workPayment QR codes in everyday use
- A farmers' market stall shows a Square payment link on a laminated card clipped to the table.
- A piano teacher adds a Stripe payment link to each monthly invoice.
- A youth soccer club prints a PayPal link on the season fee letter.