Managed Agents at ~~Previously $0.06~~ $0.03/minManaged Agents are ~~Previously $0.06~~ $0.03/min.See pricing

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Accept payments over the phone with a texted pay link.

Read the balance, text a secure payment link, and check the payment status on the call.

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Take payments by phone and confirm each one is paid

Callers pay their balance from a texted link, and the agent confirms payment only when your system shows it.

The agent checks the phone number on the account and the pet's name, then reads the balance from your billing system.

How to accept payments over the phone without taking a card number

How do you accept payments over the phone with an AI agent?

To accept payments over the phone this way, a voice agent reads the balance and texts a secure link to the mobile number on file. The caller pays on your own payment page. The agent has no tool that takes card details.

Get the balance
Text the payment link
Check payment status
Send the receipt
Transfer to billing

How to accept credit card payments over the phone

Send a link instead of taking digits on the call. The agent texts it to the mobile number on file. If a caller starts reading a card number, it stops them politely, explains why, and points them to your payment page.

Yes. My card number is four, one, one...

Let me stop you there. I can't take card numbers, so I'll text you a link.

send_payment_linkLink sent to mobile on file

How does the agent know a payment went through?

It checks the status and says paid only when your system does. Pending stays pending, and the caller can finish from the same link after hanging up. Once the status shows paid, a receipt goes to the email on file.

Balance $186.40, paid by link3:08
Card number offered, link used2:21
Link not paid, status pending2:44

Does this suit businesses other than a vet clinic?

The sample is a veterinary billing line, and the same steps suit other businesses that bill a balance. The account lookup uses two details, here the phone number on file and the pet's name. Payment plans, refunds and disputes transfer to your billing team.

Paid on the call

Did the payment status show paid before the call ended?

What changes at the billing desk

Taking a card by phone ties up staff and puts digits in the air. Moving the payment to a link changes both, and the status check keeps your records honest.

Cards go on your payment page

The caller types the card number on the page you already run. Your staff don't write it down, and the agent has nowhere to put it.

Spoken digits get stopped

Plenty of callers start reading a card out of habit. The agent cuts in politely, explains why, and texts the link to the number on file.

Paid means your system says paid

A caller saying they just paid doesn't change the record. The agent checks the status and repeats only what it shows, with a reference once it shows paid.

An unfinished payment stays open

Pending gets said out loud, and the agent can check again while the caller waits. No receipt goes out, and the same link still works after the call.

Receipts follow the status

As soon as the status shows paid, the agent emails a receipt to the address on file. Nobody at the front desk has to remember to send one.

Plans, refunds and disputes go to billing

The agent can't split a balance, refund a charge or argue a bill. It reads the balance and transfers the caller to your billing team on the same call.

Speech models for a caller holding a wallet

Callers read balances back, check their texts and talk while they type. Cartesia's speech models keep the conversation going while they do.

$0.03per minute
#1on Speech Agent Arena and EVA-Bench
24/7answers every call, at any hour

Notices when digits start

The agent hears a caller begin a card number and steps in right away. It doesn't wait for them to reach a pause.

An LLM with no card tool

You pick the LLM. Its tools get the balance, text the link, check status, send the receipt and transfer to billing, and none of them accepts a card.

Billing that sounds friendly

Money talk with a pet owner calls for warmth. Try library voices until the balance sounds like it came from your front desk.

Phone payments three ways

Businesses that accept card payments over the phone usually have staff do it or send callers through a keypad menu. A texted link works differently.

	Cartesia agent	Staff taking cards	Keypad IVR
How the caller pays	On your payment page, from a texted link	Reads the card to a person	Keys digits into a menu
Card details on the call	The agent has no tool that takes them	Yes, spoken aloud	Yes, by keypad
Needs a phone that gets texts	Yes, the link goes to the mobile on file	No, any phone works	No, any phone works
Tells the caller the true status	Checks it before saying paid	Yes, once the charge runs	Usually reads a result
Handles a payment plan	Transfers to billing	Yes, on the same call	Usually routes to staff
How you pay for it	$0.03 per call minute, LLM usage additional	Staff time on every call	Usually a software contract or per-call fee

See which calls ended with the balance paid

Every call is recorded and transcribed. See which callers paid by link on the call, which were still pending, and which needed billing.

Launch an AI phone payment agent in three steps

Start building

Clone Phone payments
Make your own copy, add your business name, and replace the pet's name with the second detail your accounts carry.
Get a Cartesia Number
We'll provision a free US phone number for you.
Limitations
US phone numbers only
Outbound calls to US numbers only
Name
e.g. My Agent Number
Inbound Agent (optional)
02
Connect billing and your pay page
Link your billing system and payment page through tools you configure so the agent can read balances, send links and check status. Then forward your billing line.
Pay a test balance
Call as a customer, take the link, and hang up without paying once. Then pay on a second call. Check that the first stays pending and the second gets a receipt.

Enterprise-grade security

HIPAA compliant
SOC 2 Type 2
GDPR

Phone payments FAQs

How do I accept payments over the phone with an AI agent?

A voice agent answers the caller, reads the balance, texts a link to your payment page, checks the status and emails a receipt once it shows paid.

Does it work as an IVR payment system?

Yes. Callers say what they need instead of pressing keys through a menu, and the agent sends the same secure payment link each time.

Does the agent hear card numbers?

It isn't built to take them. Card details go on your own payment page, and the agent stops anyone who starts reading digits aloud. Calls are recorded, so anything read before that is in the transcript, and your retention rules apply.

What does the agent do if the link is not paid during the call?

The status stays pending and the agent sends no receipt. The caller can finish from the same link after the call.

Can the agent send a receipt?

Yes. Once the status shows paid, the agent emails a receipt to the address on file.

Does the agent work with our billing and payment systems?

Yes. The agent reads balances, sends payment links and checks payment status through tools you configure.

Can the agent transfer a caller to our billing team?

Yes. Payment plans, refunds and disputes transfer to your billing team, and you control exactly when else the agent transfers.

Can my business accept payments over the phone?

Yes, if you have a payment page and a billing system the agent can read. Through tools you configure, the agent reads the balance, texts a link to the mobile number on file and checks the status. Callers need a phone that can receive texts. Phone numbers provisioned through Cartesia are US only.

How can I safely accept payments over the phone?

Avoid taking card numbers on the call. With this agent the caller pays on your own payment page from a texted link, and the agent has no tool that takes card details. It sends the link only to the mobile number on file and says paid only when your system does. Your payment page and processor still carry their own security duties.

How much does it cost to take payments over the phone with an AI agent?

The agent costs $0.03 per minute of call time, and those minutes run while the caller hears the balance and opens the link. LLM usage is billed separately. A Cartesia phone number adds $0.014 per minute, or nothing if you bring your own Twilio account or SIP trunk. The free plan includes $1 of agent calls a month, so you can test the agent before you pay. See pricing.

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